The January 22, 2025 Executive order that seeks to terminate DEI programs and language is rippling through the nonprofit industry.
No one knows for sure what this will mean for many organizations whose impactful work relies on government funding and support. As of today, the categories listed in the memo are very loosely defined, the action itself may be illegal, and it’s not clear who all will be effected and how orgs should respond. Many organization are taking steps to prepare for major funding impacts to them or their partners, which may already be being assessed by actors inside the government. We suspect that published website content and past and present social media post content (X, Meta, etc.) could be used to target particular programs and organizations for defunding. It may be helpful to take stock of any content that could put your organization at higher risk, such as that containing specific language around diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and environmental justice. Americans must stand firm in our values and commitment to DEIA. But we recognize that use of certain language online may now be putting many program at risk, potentially leading to negative consequences for organizations and communities that rely on their critical work.
If you are working to conduct your own risk analysis of DEI language, we have a tool for you. If your team requires a larger content analysis, we have systems that scale to audit and flag content for closer review and assessment.
Helpful Training video
