Illinois nonprofits feed families, house people who are homeless, support new mothers and provide child care for working parents. They stretch every public dollar to deliver essential services in communities that need them most. Now, however, a little-noticed federal regulatory proposal threatens to cut off that lifeline — and not because of fraud or mismanagement but because of divisive politics.

Earlier this year, the federal General Services Administration proposed sweeping changes to the certifications nonprofits must sign to access federal grants and contracts. Under the proposal, any organization seeking federal financial assistance would be required to certify compliance — under penalty of criminal prosecution and civil liability — with the Trump administration’s executive orders targeting diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Additional certifications touch on immigration and national security in language so vague that even experienced legal counsel struggles to define what compliance actually requires.

The administration has spent months framing this proposal as an effort to protect taxpayers from fraud and abuse.

But that framing is false, and it is doing real damage.

Illinois nonprofits are not bad actors. They are impactful, accountable, mission-driven organizations subject to rigorous auditing, federal reporting requirements and public scrutiny. The leading national civil rights organizations have made clear that many of the DEI practices the administration’s executive orders target are, in fact, lawful.

The federal proposal, however, doesn’t draw careful legal lines. It creates sweeping new liability for organizations that serve the public good, then dares them to figure out what they’ve done wrong.

For Illinois nonprofits, the stakes are immediate, concrete and wide-ranging. Our member organizations collectively serve hundreds of thousands of residents across the state through housing programs, domestic violence services, early childhood education, mental health care and more. Many of those services depend in part on federal grants. If this proposal moves forward as written, organizations face an impossible choice: Sign certifications they cannot fully interpret, or walk away from the federal dollars that keep their doors open.

The chilling effect alone will cause real harm. Respected mission-driven organizations will opt out of federal programs rather than accept legal and financial risks they cannot quantify. Nonprofit leaders could face personal criminal exposure for good-faith decisions made in service of their communities. The people those organizations serve — children, seniors, immigrants, survivors of violence — will have fewer places to turn.

This is not how federal grant policy is supposed to work. The purpose of certification requirements is to prevent fraud and ensure responsible stewardship of public funds. This proposal repurposes that mechanism to advance a political agenda that Congress has not authorized and federal courts have repeatedly questioned.

Illinois has long relied on its nonprofit sector because government cannot do everything. Our organizations extend the reach of public dollars. We build trust in communities that have historically been underserved. We do the work that makes our economy and our communities function.

We are asking Illinois lawmakers at every level — state legislators, members of Congress, city and county officials — to stand with the nonprofits in their communities. Ask the hard questions. Push back on the false fraud narrative. The people who depend on these organizations are your constituents, and they are watching.

Monique B. Jones is president and CEO of Forefront. Anne VanderWeele is public policy co-chair of the Chicago Alliance for Collaborative Effort and vice president of policy at New Moms. Lauren Wright is executive director of Illinois Partners for Human Service.

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