Thoughts on the Present Moment

The many faces of uncertainty
As one might imagine, the chaos around federal funding, the volume and harshness of the administration’s pronouncements and executive orders, and the on-the-ground impact of those policies have been a huge source of anxiety for many of our clients. We’ve seen those impacts manifest themselves on multiple levels:

• Organizations facing the elimination of federal grants that represent a significant portion of their operating budget 
• Schools confronting litmus tests that have a potential chilling effect on academic freedom
• Conservation organizations dealing with government retrenchment around climate-focused initiatives, if not their wholesale elimination
• Communications teams hoping to avoid federal scrutiny by scrubbing language related to topics such as DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) from their websites and grant applications

Calibrated responses
Naturally, these trends are having a profound effect on how nonprofits, healthcare providers, educational institutions, and cultural organizations communicate with their constituents. Here are some of the considerations these groups are taking into account as they calibrate their response to the current political landscape.

Many nonprofit leaders can’t take a categorical stance. For example, educational institutions with large boards may have trustees who support certain aspects of the administration’s policies (either quietly or vocally). Senior executives, such as college presidents, work for those boards; in most instances, they can’t take unilateral stances—for example, in defiance of administration policies—based on their individual point of view. While some may regard those leaders as lacking moral courage, their actions are constrained by governance structures that define how their institutions are required to function.

Kneejerk shifts in fundraising strategy, while tempting, are ill-advised. This is particularly true for organizations facing significant losses of federal funding, whose donors may be wondering if they’re going to be asked to fill in the resulting budgetary gaps. In general, we’re seeing fundraisers focus on the deliberate, ongoing stewardship of their donor base—including being open to donors’ feelings of uncertainty—rather than reactively asking them to refocus their giving midstream.

The fear of targeting—especially digital targeting—is real. We’ve spoken with a number of leaders who regard the scrubbing of their digital content—in particular, DEI-related content—as a survival strategy. Many of those institutions are hoping to travel under the radar for the time being; while they’ve temporarily removed language that could attract the administration’s attention and threaten their funding, they are reaffirming their commitment to DEI privately through internal activities and conversations. 

Articulating a response to the present moment is nuanced, difficult—and worth it. At Libretto, we often characterize our work as creating a snapshot of a complex moment in time; the importance of engaging in that exercise has never been greater. Nonprofits must maintain a delicate balance: they don’t want to appear paralyzed by the prevailing political winds; nor can they come across as oblivious to them. For organizations that need to address the present moment in their strategic communications, it can be helpful to identify statements—or even individual words—that authentically reflect your current organizational perspective. For example, we’ve worked with organizations who have characterized the present time as disruptive, uncertain, divisive, or fractious, while emphasizing the need for persistence, resilience, positivity, and clarity of focus. 

There is great value in leaning into your mission. Now more than ever, it’s important to focus on the strength of your mission, and to draw inspiration from your organizational DNA, which can help you weather the turbulence of the moment. One way to achieve this is by evoking your organization’s legacy; for example, a long-established institution can recount how their commitment to service has persisted through world wars and economic calamities. Others can loudly and proudly reaffirm their bedrock commitment to keep serving the needs of their constituents—such as immigrants, children, and patrons—despite the vicissitudes of the past months. 

A change in the air?
As the year draws to a close, several clients who (understandably) were on their heels for much of 2025 are beginning to see a way forward. We observe two forces driving this: a basic need to keep engaging, fundraising, and planning; and the fact that a large number of the administration’s policies are increasingly unpopular. A huge percentage of the American populace is voicing their opposition to those policies—from the widespread attacks on science-based practice and the abduction of immigrants by a masked police force, to the scapegoating of trans people, the denial of the climate crisis, and the erasure of Black and LGBTQ+ narratives.

If confidence in the administration continues to erode, its capacity to threaten and control nonprofits may weaken in turn, which may embolden nonprofits to adopt a more overtly defiant stance in 2026. We’ve already witnessed evidence of this in the actions of high-profile academic institutions that have refused to sign on to the administration’s Compact for Excellence in Higher Education. 

We believe deeply in our past and present clients’ ongoing commitment to deliver on their mission—and we know that a healthy dose of empathy and solidarity will be required to navigate the challenges at hand. If you’d like to touch base with us, share your current coping strategies, discuss your blueprint for the future, or just vent for a bit, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Nonprofits must maintain a delicate balance: they don’t want to appear paralyzed by the prevailing political winds; nor can they come across as oblivious to them.