Beginning in 2014, a handful of groups with a political agenda have impeded the valuable work of nonprofit organizations through lawsuits, deplatforming campaigns, challenges to organizations’ tax-exempt status, and other means. Although these groups claim their actions are aimed at strengthening security, they stand in the way of the nonprofits’ legitimate work. At the center of these campaigns is disinformation about the work and reputations of nonprofits, disguised as “research,” which is used to exploit legitimate counterterrorism and whistleblower laws
This is the latest chapter in the use of disinformation to delegitimize charitable work. For several years, disinformation on nonprofits has been given an audience on Capitol Hill, and this sham “research” has even made its way into commercial tools commonly used by financial institutions to screen customers and potential customers.
Featured Resources
GAO Report Addresses Nonprofit Banking Access Challenges in High-Risk Countries
By Ashleigh Subramanian-Montgomery On Dec. 16, 2021, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a ‘Report to Congressional Committees’ entitled the Bank Secrecy Act: Views on Proposals to Improve Banking Access for Entities Transferring Funds
Dutch Government Cuts Funding to NGO Despite Investigation Clearing it of Terror Ties
Following intense political pressure from the Israeli government and allied organizations, the Dutch government has decided to cut funding to a Palestinian NGO that aids farmers in areas targeted for Israeli settlement expansion, the Union
What Donors Should Know Following the Dutch Government’s Decision to Cut Funding for UAWC
On Jan. 5, 2022, the Dutch Foreign Ministry published a letter to the Dutch Parliament announcing that it was cutting its financial support for the Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC), a leading Palestinian civil
Israel’s Attack on Palestinian NGOs is a Threat to Civil Society Everywhere
By Kay Guinane Over the last two decades humanitarian actors have experienced increasing legal restrictions on their operations and physical attacks on personnel and facilities. This long-standing problem is a manifestation of the larger trend
100+ Global Donors Pen Letter to ‘Stand With’ Palestinian Rights Groups Outlawed by Israel – Common Dreams
November 17, 2021 C&SN Founder and Senior Advisor Kay Guinane is quoted in the story, arguing that Israel's designations "mark a crescendo, not an opening salvo, in the Israeli government's long-standing campaign to suppress Palestinian
Briefing & Panel Discussion: C&SN’s Report on Lawfare
https://youtu.be/0CS_-wDLkns Description: On Thursday November 18, at 10 am eastern, C&SN hosted a presentation of our recent report: The Alarming Rise of Lawfare to Suppress Civil Society – the Case of Palestine and Israel. A