Wired

10/02/2025

WITHIN HOURS OF the murder of conservative podcaster and activist Charlie Kirk—and in the absence of a suspect—high-profile figures on the right, from vice president JD Vance to deputy White House chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller, already had a different culprit in mind: nonprofit organizations.

On September 11, a day after Kirk’s murder, US representative Chip Roy, a Republican of Texas, sent a letter to request the formation of a select committee on “the money, influence, and power behind the radical left’s assault on America and the rule of law.” On September 17, in a post on Truth Social, President Trump announced that he was designating “antifa”—a term generally used for antifascist activism but not the name of a specific group—a “major terrorist organization.” “I will also be strongly recommending that those funding ANTIFA be thoroughly investigated in accordance with the highest legal standards and practices,” he wrote.

According to reporting from The New York Times, members of the Justice Department are drafting plans for a potential investigation of Open Society Foundations, a global grant network founded by billionaire George Soros. Soros has long been the center of antisemitic and right-wing conspiracy theories. The organization, which funds civil society and democracy-promoting initiatives around the world, gives grants to thousands of organizations and individuals, including the American Civil Liberties Union, Amnesty International, and several universities.

In response, OSF released a statement saying that the accusations were “politically motivated” and that the organization’s work is dedicated to “strengthening democracy and upholding constitutional freedoms.” But for many in the nonprofit space, it’s the realization of a threat that has hung over the industry for months.

“Funders have done the most thinking about this—some have been meeting quietly for months,” says Brian Reich, a strategist whose company, Little M Media, works with nonprofit organizations. Options on the table, according to sources who spoke to WIRED, have included figuring out how to set up emergency funds, merging organizations together if one or more get shuttered, gearing up for potential legal battles, relocating out of the US, and letting go of 501(c)(3) tax status in favor of reregistering as a business.

“We are going,” says Reich, “to have to think radically differently.”