Solidarity over Silos: What Palestine Teaches Us About Organizing Philanthropy

Nonprofit Quarterly & Forge

The sector is experiencing major shifts that may be hard to confront, as the Trump administration—in direct coordination with private and state powers—doubles down on its campaign against civil society organizations. If funders are serious about supporting the sector, we need to apply the lessons we’ve learned from these experiences and pivot to navigate this new terrain.

What happens to progressive philanthropy in times of accelerated imperialism, fascism, and genocide? The sector is experiencing major shifts that may be hard to confront, as the Trump administration—in direct coordination with private and state powers—doubles down on its campaign against civil society organizations. If funders are serious about supporting the sector, we need to apply the lessons we’ve learned from these experiences and pivot to navigate this new terrain. Those of us committed to Palestinian liberation against a genocidal, land-grabbing Israeli regime, have had a head start on confronting and absorbing these lessons. But we know it is only a matter of time before all of us working for justice and life-affirming futures, will need to do the same. Call it the imperial boomerang, call it the canary in the coal mine, but know that the only way to defeat it is to organize.