Trump’s Deep State cleanse: how will philanthropy be addressed?
Donald Trump's win on November 5th is a mandate to fix all that is broken in our country. From stopping inflation, reversing the massive influx of undocumented immigrants, overhauling our government so that its agencies serve the people, he promises to shake up the status quo. He has already outlined plans to obliterate the Deep State by giving power back to the states and otherwise ensuring that government works for the people. Perhaps now, after years of government expansion, we will not be terrified when hearing these nine words that Ronald Reagan warned us about: I'm from the government, and I'm here to help.
Would you consider the state of philanthropy broken such that it, too, should be fixed? Absolutely. For the last decade, after dedicating my career to law where I represented families navigating life’s difficulties from divorce to death, I turned my focus to philanthropy. I was drawn to the beauty of people trying to have a positive impact on the world —giving back — and wanted to leverage my skills to aid in these efforts. What could be better?
Purely speaking, philanthropy is, indeed, beautiful, and nothing, in my opinion, can be better. It can be the ultimate expression of gratitude and helpfulness whether you give one dollar to help the homeless or volunteer to bring meals to housebound seniors. But. I have not found the philanthropy sector to be pure, and while I work to improve it through my daily work life, I think it needs a refresh. A reboot. A radical transformation, a la what Trump is promising for free speech where censorship and manipulation of our voice will be outlawed.
Too much of philanthropy has become globalist and elitist, charitable missions to help those who truly need it have been replaced with wealthy influence agendas. Take, for instance, the influence exacted by Bill Gates and the Gates Foundation on World Health Organization countries, developing and distributing mRNA vaccines, that don’t stop infection, don’t block transmission, don’t last, and don’t work, while lining his own Big Pharma stock pockets (“philocapitalism”).
I believe that reforms in philanthropy should be a key part of Trump’s overall government reforms. A ten-point plan would include addressing the overall undue influence of the wealthy and many other aspects of the broken system:
Transparency in funding: government funds many large U.S. nonprofts through federal contracts. How nonprofits obtain these contracts and the extent to which the federal government funds our nonprofits can be known, but it is not easy to discover. Trust me. I worked at a large U.S. nonprofit and had no idea the extent to which the federal government was involved in our mission . . . until the 2016 election when the nonprofit began openly attacking Donald Trump to fuel its left leaning supporters and obtain more financial support.
Power and Influence Safeguards: Consider appointing an independent body so that missions do not drift and power and influence of a few do not play a role.
Outcome Accountability: While 990s provide insights, they are not universally required, and their complexity make them inaccessible to many. It shouldn’t be hard to discover how a nonprofit is doing . . . especially when they so easily take our money ostensibly to “do good.” Create a mechanism to enlighten us, beyond groups like Charity Navigator that truly lets us know whether charities are doing their jobs, accomplishing their missions.
Expand the role of the Generosity Commission: Move beyond studying giving rates, which have been steadily decreasing for decades, to assessing the philanthropy framework in America. Is philanthropy truly serving the public interest? The commission should include more than just the fundraising industry -organized philanthropy - to make this important assessment.
Consider a High-Level Federal Committee for Oversight. While the IRS and FEC have rules, its unclear how pure oversight to philanthropy happens. My lens on the sector is that philanthropy is often forgotten and becomes political as a result.
Tax Policy on Endowments: Consider JD Vance’s initiative to increase the tax rate on net investment income of large university endowments. It is time. Anyone in higher education, whether, student, faculty, or staff knows that the agenda of education is not, unfortunately, education.
Strengthen Attorney General’s oversight of nonprofits. I recently wrote about The Women’s Cancer Fund and a case initiated by the FTC because the nonprofit stole millions. What struck me most was that the charity had been doing it for years. Expanding AG oversight would ensure that these scenarios are sniffed out and terminated . . . much sooner.
Reevaluate Tax-Exempt Status. With over 1.5 million tax exempt entities, one must ask: are they really worthy?
Uniform Impact Reporting: Require all nonprofits to produce standardized reports on their impact.
Supporter Participation in Governance: Create mechanisms for supporter participation in nonprofit governance, akin to shareholder rights in corporations.
Trump's election provides a unique opportunity to redefine how philanthropy can genuinely serve the public interest, ensuring it operates with integrity.
