OCTOBER 30, 2025
Session Overview — Our democracy needs philanthropic investment to support voter engagement; however, in the current political environment, nonprofits and foundations face the threat of legal harassment in carrying out their missions. As organizations determine their approaches for investing in democracy and civic life, many are considering how they can protect themselves from potential attacks. This session will offer guidance from legal experts and organizations on ways to navigate these threats to stay focused on mission and strategies that build stronger democracies.
Speakers
Eric Gorovitz
Adler & Colvin
Mr. Gorovitz is the former President of Youth Enrichment Strategies and served on the board of an independent school. He is also a member of the California Political Attorneys Association, the tax law section of the American Bar Association, the California State Bar Association, and the Bar Association of San Francisco. His practice spans the full range of nonprofit and tax-exempt legal issues, with emphasis on political advocacy and nonprofit corporate governance.
Monika Bauerlein
Center for Investigative Reporting
Monika Bauerlein is the Center for Investigative Reporting’s CEO, and prior to that role she served as Mother Jones’ chief executive officer, and co-editor (with Clara Jeffery). Under her tenure, Mother Jones grew its audience twentyfold, doubled the size of its staff, established bureaus in Washington and New York, won multiple awards, and launched a campaign to establish a new media business model centered on reader support for investigative and in-depth reporting.
Tim Mooney
Alliance for Justice
Tim Mooney is senior counsel with the Bolder Advocacy Program at Alliance for Justice. He provides one-on-one technical assistance for nonprofit advocates, teaches nonprofit and election law workshops and writes on these issues for Bolder Advocacy publications. This is his second tour with Alliance for Justice, having previously served as senior counsel from 2001-2006.
Resources
- Philanthropy for Voter Engagement – Legal Guidelines to Inform Your Voter Engagement Programming
- Alliance for Justice – Preparing for Politically Motivated Attacks
- Alliance for Justice – Advocacy Check-Up: Nonprofit Self Assessment
- United Philanthropy Forum – Defending & Advancing The Philanthropic Ecosystem
- Inside Philanthropy – What Happens When the Feds Target a Nonprofit? Lessons from Mother Jones
- Nonprofit News Quarterly – Nonprofit Legal Compliance in an Unfriendly Political Environment
- Center for Effective Philanthropy – Responding to the Current Context: Resources for Funders
- Council on Foundations – Protecting Philanthropy
- Trust-Based Philanthropy – Join a Community of Funders Standing in Solidarity with Nonprofits
