Federal Policy Update: What Feminist Philanthropy Needs to Know NOW

Federal Funding Freeze Has Sweeping Implications for Women and Non-Binary People

• On Monday, January 27, 2025, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a memo directing Federal agencies to temporarily pause all federal grant, loan and financial assistance programs (“federal assistance”) to ensure “alignment with the President’s policies and requirements.”  The directive explicitly condemned “the use of Federal resources to advance Marxist equity, transgenderism, and green new deal social engineering policies.”  The now-rescinded mandate had sweeping potential implications for states, communities and individuals, including women and transgender people. 

• On Tuesday morning, January 28^th, Federal agencies received additional instructions directing political appointees to oversee the review of 2,600 federal programs to ensure compliance with Administration priorities using a series of evaluative questions, including:
  • Does this program provide Federal funding to non-governmental organizations supporting or providing services, either directly or indirectly, to removable or illegal aliens?
  • Is this program a foreign assistance program, or providing funding or support for activities overseas?
  • Does this program provide funding that is implicated by the directive to end discriminatory programs, including illegal DEI and “diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) mandates, policies, programs, preferences, and activities, under whatever name they appear, or other directives in the same EO, including those related to “environmental justice” programs or “equity-related” grants?
  • Does this program promote or support in any way abortion or other related activities identified in the Hyde Amendment?
  • Does this program promote gender ideology?

• Later that afternoon, U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan issued an injunction in response to a complaint filed by Democracy Forward halting the freeze on federal financial assistance and ordering that existing grants and financial agreements continue uninterrupted until at least Monday, February 3, 2025.

• On Wednesday, January 29, the White House Office of Budget and Management rescinded the Monday memo, ostensibly restoring the flow of federal funding. Shortly thereafter, however, the White House Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt, issued a tweet clarifying that while the OMB memo was pulled back, it did not constitute a rescission of the federal funding freeze.” As a result, there has been continuing confusion about whether freezes on federal assistance have been fully lifted. 

• On Wednesday afternoon, Rhode Island U.S. District Judge John McConnell responded to another challenge to the federal funding freeze filed by 23 state attorneys general by signaling that a temporary restraining order remained valid, despite the Administration’s rescission of the OMB memo. We will continue to follow the status of his final ruling. The Judge has yet to formally rule on the order.

• Regardless of the status of the federal funding freeze, the Administration insists that President Trump’s Executive Orders on federal funding alignment remain in full effect (see below) which has widespread consequences for women and non-binary people including the elimination of feminist foreign policy efforts, the rescission of protections for LGBTQIA+ people, sudden deportation of and other threats to immigrant populations, and attacks on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts, including “gender ideology.”. 

National and Global Impact of Recent Executive Orders on Feminist Philanthropy

In the last two weeks, the Trump Administration has issued a series of Presidential actions that directly impact foundation and non-profits across the country and international NGOs. A President can issue Executive Orders to give executive branch agencies and leaders specific directions or restrictions under their Constitutional and legal authority. The executive orders may be challenged in federal court if the order exceeds this existing authority. To track the growing list of Executive Orders, see updated list by the National Council of Nonprofits. For information on the global perspective of recent US policy changes, click here.

WFN is paying particular attention to these recently released Executive Orders:

• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: In recent Executive Orders aimed at eliminated diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the federal government and federal grantees, President Trump:
  • Threatens the federal funding of schools teaching about race and gender ideologies, including such concepts as structural racism, white privilege and unconscious bias;
  • Ends “Illegal Discrimination and Restores Merit-Based Opportunity” and requires every federal grant or contract to certify its compliance with “anti-discrimination” laws and operate any DEI programs;
  • Rescinds previous Biden Administration orders to expand DEI in federal government programs, the federal workforce and underserved communities; and
  • Orders the coordination of federal agencies to terminate all DEI programs, including equity-related grants and equity action plans.
• Immigration: In recent Executive Orders, President Trump:
  • Declares a national emergency at the US-Mexico border;
  • Challenges birthright citizenship in cases where child’s mother or father was unlawfully in the US and are not US citizens or permanent residents;
  • Suspends all refugee resettlement program “further entry aligns with the interests of the United States.”
  • Terminates all categorical parole programs that are contrary to the policies of the United States, including refuges from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela. 
• Realigning Foreign Aid: In recent Executive Orders, President Trump:
  • Requires all foreign assistance to be disbursed in a manner “aligned with the foreign policy of the President and place a 90-day pause on all foreign development assistance.
• Women and LGBTQ+: In recent Executive Orders, President Trump:
  • Requires the United States to recognize only two sexes: male and female and directs the executive branch to enforce all sex-protective laws under the lens of two sexes.

What Can Feminist Philanthropy do NOW?

1. Learn: The National Council on Non-Profits offers and excellent summary of recent executive orders with links to the original text.
2. Connect: In addition to providing you with the most up-to-date information on policy news, WFN is also here to answer your individual policy questions across a range of issues including immigration, child care, LGBTQIA+, feminist foreign policy, reproductive freedom. Please send your questions to policy@womensfundingnetwork.com.
3. Act: National Women’s Law Center provides regular updates and specific action steps on a variety of domestic issues impacting women and non-binary people, including reproductive freedom equal pay, poverty and child care. Our global partners can find the latest on feminist foreign policy from the Feminist Foreign Policy Collaborative.