WHAT WE’RE READING ELSEWHERE
Trump and Foreign Aid
The Supreme Court has denied the Trump administration’s emergency request to stop almost $2 billion in foreign aid. The 5-4 ruling came with Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justice Amy Coney Barrett joining the three liberal members. Nonprofits and other recipients of the money filed suit after the administration froze the aid on January 20. The cutoff of funds threatened health-care delivery around the world, blocked food shipments, and risked spreading political instability, the groups argued. The ruling said the district judge “should clarify what obligations the government must fulfill.” (New York Times)
Faith-based relief groups made their case for foreign aid in a meeting with administration officials this week. Typically allies of the Trump administration, they “artfully explained the benefits of foreign assistance,” one attendee said, along with the religious imperative to help and the cost to their organizations — World Vision reportedly faces layoffs in the thousands — if aid is not restored. In response, administration officials made clear they seek to transfer the provision of foreign aid to philanthropy and the private sector. (Washington Post)
Among the nearly 10,000 foreign aid programs the administration axed last week were dozens to which the State Department had earlier issued waivers to continue life-saving work. They work to stop the spread of AIDS and Ebola and provide help for pregnant women with HIV, clean drinking water for refugees, and nutrition for starving children. The mass terminations appear to contradict the administration’s assurances in court that they are the result of a deliberative process, and they consign “untold numbers of the world’s poorest children, refugees, and other vulnerable people to death, according to several senior federal officials.” (ProPublica)
As most foreign aid is shut down, the nonprofit International Rescue Committee is appealing directly to Americans for help, via a full-page ad in this past Sunday’s New York Times. Paid for by a private donor, the ad asks Americans to “meet the moment” with contributions after life-saving programs around the world were axed last week. “Preventable tragedies, like deaths from treatable diseases, will occur daily. This is a humanitarian catastrophe — a matter of life and death for people already in crisis,” the IRC said in a statement. (Reuters)
More News
A federal judge has blocked a Trump administration attempt to freeze federal funds for 22 states and the District of Columbia, saying it “fundamentally undermines the distinct constitutional roles of each branch of our government.” The administration sought to end congressionally appropriated funding for programs at odds with President Trump’s agenda, prompting a lawsuit by a coalition of the targeted states’ attorneys general. Disaster relief would have been Included in the freeze, and the judge has given the Federal Emergency Management Agency until March 14 “to detail steps it had taken to make funds available.” (New York Times)
A public health clinic in New York City has begun requiring patients to provide proof of citizenship to receive care, according to an audio reviewed by Politico and two city lawmakers. In doing so, the Floating Hospital in Queens, which receives more than $4 million annually in federal grants, cited “an unspecified executive order by the Trump administration.” A trade organization said federal law requires public health clinics to treat all patients in their area. Various officials and spokespeople for the clinic did not respond to requests for comment. (Politico)
The Trump administration is threatening to cut tens of millions of dollars in federal funding to Columbia University over claims that the school has not done enough to stop antisemitic harassment of Jewish and Israeli students on campus. Government grants and contracts make up more than $1.3 billion of Columbia’s $6.6 billion annual operating revenue. A multi-agency federal review “has already identified $51.4 million in contracts between Columbia and the federal government that could be subject to stop-work orders.” (New York Times)
Thirty Black churches across the country have received $8.5 million in grants from the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund. The grants, which range from $50,000 to $500,000, will help churches address “urgent preservation challenges such as demolition threats, deferred maintenance, and structural issues,” and plan for their long-term financial health. The action fund is part of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and its $60 million Preserving Black Churches program is supported by Lilly Endowment Inc. (New York Times)
The Justice Department is joining a challenge to an Illinois law requiring certain nonprofits to disclose demographic information about their directors and officers. The aggregate information includes race, gender, and sexual orientation, in an effort to nudge organizations to diversify their leadership. Edward Blum, whose American Alliance for Equal Rights won the 2023 Supreme Court case gutting affirmative action in college admissions, filed suit against the law, and the Justice Department is citing the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause in its intervention. (Reuters)
The smash musical “Hamilton” has pulled out of next year’s celebration of the country’s 250th anniversary at the Kennedy Center, with its creative team citing President Trump’s takeover of the national cultural center. Trump fired Democratic members of the center’s bipartisan board and installed himself as chairman. “It became untenable for us to participate in an organization that had become so deeply politicized,” lead producer Jeffrey Seller said. Richard Grenell, the center’s new president, accused “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda of being “intolerant of people who don’t agree with him politically.” Miranda and Seller said the show would play at a soon-to-be-announced alternative venue in Washington, D.C. (New York Times)
NEW GRANT OPPORTUNITIES
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Health Care: The McKesson Foundation’s mission is to remove barriers to quality healthcare across North America, especially for vulnerable and underserved communities. Grants are provided in the following areas: reducing the burden of cancer, including prevention, screening and treatment, and financial and logistical assistance; preparing tomorrow’s healthcare workforce, including oncology professionals, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, and student engagement; and accelerating crisis response, including preparedness, disaster relief and recovery, and medicine and food. Funding requests above $25,000 are accepted from February 1 to April 30, annually. Funding requests up to $25,000 are accepted year-round.
Youth Well-Being: The Imagine Learning Foundation (ILF) seeks to foster the well-being of learners and the people who support them at home and in their communities. ILF’s Imagine Signature Grant Program amplifies national or regional nonprofit organizations’ efforts that 1) foster the learning and well-being of youth and their families and educators at home and in the community, or 2) study the impacts of social, physical, mental, and emotional well-being on accelerating student achievement. For 2025, the priority is on organizations addressing or studying critical issues related to chronic absenteeism and student housing insecurity in K-12 learning environments. Grants range from $25,000 to $100,000; application deadline April 9.
