The Foraker Group

The Trump Administration has promised many changes to the federal government, the first of which has been dozens of executive orders covering a wide range of issues that include nonprofits and tribes in their scope. The implications of the executive orders vary greatly, from immediately taking effect to being challenged in court. Staying abreast of executive orders, directives, new laws, and their related actions is crucial for ensuring you are aware of potential hurdles to your work.

We recognize that misinformation and confusion will be present in this rapidly changing environment. We will endeavor not only to place trusted sources of information on this site but also to update it as new and verifiable information becomes available.

We also recognize that people coming to this page will have differing perspectives. Foraker is nonpartisan. We encourage everyone to take the information here back to your organization, carefully consider it, and then use it in a way that is appropriate in your decision-making.

No information on this page should be considered legal advice.

Federal Actions — Updates

February 3, 2025 — The judge presiding over the National Council of Nonprofits case granted another Temporary Restraining Order against the administration’s ability to halt federal grants and loans – you can find the ruling here and the press release here. In summary, The DOJ’s motion to dismiss was DENIED. OMB is ENJOINED from implementing, giving effect to, or reinstating under a different name the directive to halt federal spending broadly. OMB must provide notice to all federal agencies, and instruct all such agencies to release any funding that was paused under the directive.

January 31, 2025 — In a temporary restraining order (TRO) issued today, a Rhode Island judge said that federal agencies cannot pause or freeze any awards or obligations in any state pending settlement of ongoing litigation. The order applies to the January 27 memo from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) freezing federal payments as well as to the President’s recently issued executive orders. Find a copy of the order here.

January 29, 2025 — The OMB memo that froze all federal grants and loans was rescinded. However, the administration has indicated that a review is still in process and although the memo was rescinded, the funding freeze was not.

***The National Council of Nonprofits is hosting a free national webinar on February 7 at 11:00 am about the executive actions and their impact on charitable nonprofits. Learn more here.***

What we know:

• What funds are paused? There has been a lot of confusion about which funds are still paused. While we do not know the full extent of the freeze, any funding related to the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act has been halted.
• What funding is being reviewed? Federal agencies must submit detailed information to the administration by Monday, February 10, on programs, projects, or activities no longer eligible under the series of executive orders.

• Are any programs exempt from a pause? The administration has indicated that Medicare, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Social Security benefits, and all assistance to individuals will be unaffected by a pause.

• Does this impact previously awarded grants? Even grants that have been awarded but not spent are in review.

• How would a potential freeze affect federal funding to Alaska? The funding freeze could affect the billions of dollars Alaska gets each year from the federal government, including funds directly to nonprofits and tribes and funds to the state. According to research Foraker has conducted in partnership with the University of Alaska Anchorage Center for Economic Development, the latest available data shows that Alaska received $38 billion in federal grants in 2023. This is in addition to funding from the Infrastructure and Jobs Act, Inflation Reduction Act, and remaining federal pandemic relief funds. Each of the projects within these funds is being reviewed for compliance with the executive orders before they can commence.
  • Read what 152 Alaska organizations said in our initial survey.

What we don’t know:

• How will the executive orders be interpreted during this evaluation period?

• What access will nonprofits have to individuals at their funding agencies to ask questions and receive guidance during this evaluation period, particularly in light of federal staffing freezes and terminations?

• What are the ramifications in our communities if needs go unmet and if organizations are forced to downsize or close?

What nonprofits can do: 

• Don’t panic, breathe, take care of yourselves. To reduce fear, communicate what you can with staff.
• Fill out Alaska’s Federal Funding Impact Survey by to help us measure the impact. Thank you to the nearly 150 organizations that took our initial survey. We have been able to immediately make use of it in our conversations with policymakers. In those conversations, we also gathered specific information they needed to fully understand the implications of a funding freeze for Alaska. This information is our best tool for managing the risk of future actions and for supporting our continued advocacy. With that in mind, we ask that you fill out a new survey as completely as you can. Please do this even if you participated in our first survey earlier this week.

• Run scenario plans and engage in discussions with your board and staff leaders. If all your federal funds were cut, what changes would you need to make to program services, staffing, or other expenses to remain viable?

• Start documenting how you anticipate this impacting your organization.
• Ensure any communications you receive from federal agencies are legitimate.

Executive Orders

President Trump signed dozens of executive orders (EOs) covering a broad range of issues, including diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, government grants and contracts, civic engagement, immigration, and certain nonprofit subsectors. Some of the EOs won’t take effect immediately, and many are expected to be immediately challenged in court. You can find the latest on the impact of the recent executive orders on nonprofits here.

Foraker Support and Tracking

Foraker is actively engaging with elected officials, including state legislators and our federal delegation, and with the National Council of Nonprofits to gain clarity on current federal actions. We are also talking with Alaska-based funders and other technical assistance providers to best use our resources to stay informed and engaged.

Our goal is to mitigate the impact on Alaska’s 5,688 nonprofits and all tribes, their 35,302 employees, and the communities they serve.

We are vetting information as it becomes available and will be sharing updates and calls to action on our blog.

Resources to Navigate

• A presentation on February 3 to the House Judiciary Committee on the potential impact to Alaska nonprofits of federal funding cuts.
• The Impacts of the Recent Executive Orders on Nonprofits, National Council of Nonprofits
• Foraker’s recent report, Alaska’s Nonprofit Sector: Generating Economic Impact, which includes federal funding data.
• A presentation on January 29 to the state legislature on the economic data in light of federal funding cuts.
• Foraker’s Advocacy in Action webinars where we highlight advocacy issues impacting Alaska’s nonprofits and tribes. Register here.

In the News – Alaska Nonprofit Impact Stories

• Nonprofit’s lawsuit over the federal funding freeze is part of an ‘avalanche’ of litigation, AP, February 5, 2025
• Nonprofit groups expound on potential federal freeze fallout, Fairbanks News Miner, February 5, 2025
• Federal funding freeze puts Alaska nonprofits under immense pressure, advocates say, Alaska Public Media, February 3, 2025
• ‘Catastrophic for a state like ours’: Alaska governments and nonprofits react to announcement of federal grant funding freeze, Anchorage Daily News, January 29, 2025
• Alaska lawmakers still unsure of impacts from Trump federal grants and loans freeze, Alaska News Source, January 28, 2025
• Trump’s funding freeze confounds Alaska government, schools and nonprofits, Alaska Public Media, January 28, 2025
• Uncertainty and confusion in Alaska as Trump attempts to freeze federal spending, Alaska Beacon, January 29, 2025