Legal Resource Library

March 4, 2026: Fund Protection Clinic (Lawyers for Good Government): The Fund Protection Clinic provides essential legal assistance to organizations whose federal funding is at risk due to executive actions, administrative delays, termination notices, or compliance challenges. Our network of specialized attorneys can help you navigate complex legal issues and defend your rightful funding.

February 17, 2026: Guidance for federal law enforcement encounters at nonprofits (MCN): A sample policy to help your nonprofit prepare for potential Federal Law Enforcement encounters at your nonprofit.

January 16, 2026: Preparing for Immigration Enforcement: What Businesses Should Do, and Avoid, if ICE Shows Up (Lathrop GPM): When agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or Customs and Border Protection (CBP) arrive at a business, staff must make quick decisions under pressure, frequently without legal counsel immediately available. Learn practical steps businesses can take to minimize legal and operational risks while protecting their business, clients, and employees, including how to evaluate warrants, manage interactions with agents and employees, and handle situations where an employee is detained.

January 13, 2026: ICE Preparation Checklist for Minnesota Nonprofits: With Minnesota experiencing a surge of ICE and CBE activities, this checklist is designed to help Minnesota nonprofits understand and prepare for potential visits from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). It is based on guidance from the Minnesota Attorney General, the Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC), and legal advocacy organizations.

October 20, 2025: Federal Funding Disruptions (Minnesota Management and Budget, October 2025): Minnesota state government’s Federal Funds Implementation Team is monitoring changes in the federal landscape that impact funding in Minnesota. These tracking documents contain information on programs impacted by the federal shutdown as well as temporarily disrupted, permanently cancelled, and court-impacted access to federal grants at Minnesota state agencies. The shutdown impact tracker includes current service impacts and does not reflect anticipated future impacts of the federal shutdown. The disruptions and cancellations are funds that flow through state government entities and do not reflect the totality of disrupted funds across Minnesota. The tracking documents are updated every Tuesday and Friday and are intended for informational use. Note that this data only includes direct federal funding to the state, and not to nonprofits or other entities; some federal funding to the state is used for contracts with nonprofits to provide community services.

September 25, 2025: Government Shutdown Resource for Nonprofits (National Council of Nonprofits, September 25, 2025): Preparing now for a possible government shutdown can help your organization weather the uncertainty of looming spending bill decisions. Nonprofits should take action to protect their organizations and the people they serve from the negative impacts caused by a government shutdown.

September 16, 2025: Executive Orders Affecting Charitable Nonprofits (National Council of Nonprofits, September 16, 2025): After his January 20 inauguration, 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. This chart outlines some of the EOs that may affect nonprofits directly or indirectly, and includes notes related to implication and status of each. 

August 14, 2025: Guidance for Recipients of Federal Funding on Unlawful Discrimination What You Need to Know (Legal Defense Fund and others, August 2025): A Fact Sheet that addresses the Department of Justice (DOJ) issued “Guidance for Recipients of Federal Funding on Unlawful Discrimination.”

July 21, 2025: Understanding the Proposed IRS Settlement Regarding the Johnson Amendment and Churches’ Political Speech Rights (Lathrop GPM)

July 7, 2025: The Tax and Budget Bill Becomes Law: What Nonprofits Should Know and Do (Your Part Time Controller, LLC)

Maintaining nonprofit compliance – best practices: state and federal compliance laws to ensure your organization remains in good standing (Minnesota Council of Nonprofits; April 2025).

Minnesota CLE rule of law series – navigating emerging threats to nonprofits: an overview of the legal landscape for nonprofit organizations and strategies to assess and manage risks (Lathrop GPM; May 2025).

Nonprofits Under Fire: How the IRS Can – and Cannot – Revoke Federal Tax-Exempt Status (Tenenbaum Law Group PLLC; April 2025).

Nonprofit legal compliance in an unfriendly political environment: a list of compliance matters to prepare to address a threat (Nonprofit Quarterly; January 2025).

12 urgent financial action steps for nonprofits: a 2025 checklist (Nonprofit Financial Commons, 2025).

Conducting a Risk Assessment for Federal Funding: initial steps that nonprofits can engage in to conduct a risk assessment as the Administration targets federal grants and contracts for termination (National Council of Nonprofits; April 3, 2025).

What to do When Your Federal Grant or Contract is Terminated: initial steps that nonprofits should engage in when they learn that their federal grant or contract is terminated by a federal agency (National Council of Nonprofits; March 11, 2025).

Federal Funding Freeze Memo Withdrawn: What to do now?: proactive financial steps to consider as questions linger around the federal funding freeze (CLA; January 30, 2025).

How to Prepare: An Update on the Federal Funding Freeze: proactive steps to mitigate financial distress (Abdo; January 31, 2025).

Title VI and nondiscrimination requirements in federal grants: helpful tips and strategies in common areas of federal grant management (Feldesman; January 6, 2025).

Federal Funding Disruptions: Minnesota state government’s Federal Funds Implementation Team is monitoring changes in the federal landscape that impact funding in Minnesota. The tracking documents are updated every Tuesday and Friday and are intended for informational use.

Guidance for Recipients of Federal Funding on Unlawful Discrimination: fact Sheet that addresses the Department of Justice (DOJ) issued “Guidance for Recipients of Federal Funding on Unlawful Discrimination” (Legal Defense Fund and others; August 2025).

U.S. Supreme Court says “reverse discrimination” is equally unlawful, clarifies standard for majority-group plaintiffs in Title VII claims: an overview of the recent ruling related to equal employment opportunity, anti-discrimination and DEI policies and materials, establishing that these need to reflect the equal treatment standard and avoid frameworks that create favoritism or unequal burdens that exclude individuals based on a characteristic, status or belief protected by Title VII (Lathrop GPM; June 2025).

Maintaining DEI commitments: legal considerations in today’s climate: clarifies DEI terminology and current law, outlining the current legal landscape, and providing practical considerations for nonprofits, in light of executive orders that send mixed signals (Minnesota Council of Nonprofits; April 2025).

Tax exemption implications of illegal DEI: an overview of the implications of the language in recent DEI-related Executive Orders and what it means for nonprofits engaged in or funding racial, social and environmental justice programs and initiatives (Lathrop GPM; April 2025).

Attorney General Ellison issues guidance for businesses on diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility employment initiatives in the workplace: the legal response of 17 attorneys general to the Trump Administration Executive Order that addresses “illegal DEI and DEIA policies” (Office of the Minnesota Attorney General; February, 2025).

President Trump’s Executive Orders on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, explained (NACCP Legal Defense Fund, January 2025).

Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law’s Protecting and Advancing DEI Pro Bono Initiative: The Protecting and Advancing DEI Pro Bono Initiative, a project of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, was created to provide legal advice to entities concerned about their ongoing or future efforts to support DEI efforts and/or racial diversity in the wake of the recent negative U.S. Supreme Court decisions in Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) v. University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and the sister case against Harvard College (updates ongoing).

MN LEAD (Legal Education, Advocacy & Defense of Racial Justice): equips Minnesota-based nonprofits and funders with the tools, training, and strategic guidance needed to navigate legal challenges to racial justice work. Organizations who connect with MN LEAD gain access to training opportunities and a robust and supportive community to help continue race-conscious programming and racial justice work with clarity and confidence.  

Racial Equity Advancement and Defense Initiative (READI) resource bank: a repository of information, tools, and resources to help those who are committed to advancing racial equity and racial justice, primarily in the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors, understand the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling and navigate the new legal and regulatory environments unfolding in many states around the country (ABFE, A Philanthropic Partnership for Black Communities).

Chart of Executive Orders (National Council of Nonprofits; updated frequently.

Latest news from the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office: The MN AG’s Office has been involved in a number of lawsuits and legal actions challenging executive overreach at the federal level.

Myth v. Reality: Executive Branch Lacks Authority to Target Nonprofit Organizations: why the executive branch does not have the authority to unilaterally limit what types of organizations are eligible for 501(c)(3) status. Eligibility for charitable nonprofit status is laid out in federal law under the Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(3). Any changes to the types of organizations that are eligible for 501(c)(3) status must be enacted by Congress (National Council of Nonprofits; April, 2025).

An executive order explainer: Why the courts will have the final say on Trump’s anti-DEI actions (Brookings Institution; February, 2025).

Advocacy of Federal Grantees Targeted in New White House Memo: Laws around nonprofit lobbying remain unchanged despite recent White House memo (Minnesota Council of Nonprofits; September 2025).

Advocacy Check-Up: assess your overall compliance with federal and state advocacy-related tracking and reporting requirements, and identify opportunities to build your advocacy capacity (Boulder Advocacy).

Nonprofit Coalitions: To help amplify collective nonprofit voices in advocacy, MCN has compiled a list of coalitions working across mission areas. Please email MCN to request access (Minnesota Council of Nonprofits),

Advocacy Causes and Organizations: a list of national organizations to connect and strengthen alliances about the issues you care about (New Jersey Center for Nonprofits).

Find Your Elected Officials (Minnesota Council of Nonprofits).

Helpful tips for contacting Elected Officials: Legislators value and need contact with constituents and others who have expertise on an issue (Minnesota Council of Nonprofits).

Guidance for federal law enforcement encounters at nonprofits: A sample policy to help your nonprofit prepare for potential Federal Law Enforcement encounters at your nonprofit (MCN; February 2026).

Supporting community during ICE operations: Please consider these resources and actions to support our community, including trusted organization to donate to, trusted media, and know your rights information (MCN; January 2026).

The Impact of U.S. Immigration Enforcement Developments: A Mid-year Check-In: This summary examines the impacts of the significant and rapidly evolving changes in federal immigration policy and enforcement. Legislative, regulatory and executive actions implemented this year are swiftly reshaping compliance expectations, enforcement, workforce dynamics and risk exposure for employers across many industries (Lathrop GPM; August 2025).

What Nonprofit Entities Should Know About Immigration Site Visits : This webinar recording features attorneys presenting on actions nonprofits can take now to prepare themselves for an unannounced visit from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents (Minnesota Council of Nonprofits; March 2025).

Guidance regarding federal immigration policy for organizations maintaining sensitive locations: This resource answers questions around: who does and does not enforce federal immigration law, the rules that apply to immigration enforcement in public and non-public spaces at sensitive locations, the difference between judicial and administrative warrants, protocols an organization may establish for interacting with ICE, and an organization’s rights and responsibilities if ICE is conducting immigration enforcement (Minnesota State Attorney General; May 2025).

ICE Raid Resources: This resource offers guidance for homeless service providers on what to do before, during, and after a raid by ICE (National Homelessness Law Center; April 2025).

Free download: Red Cards: All people in the United States, regardless of immigration status, have certain rights and protections under the U.S. Constitution. The ILRC’s red cards give examples of how people can exercise these rights, available in multiple languages (Immigrant Legal Resource Center).

Are Your I-9s Fine? How To Prepare for an I-9 Audit and Protect Your Organization Through Compliance Best Practices: This links to a free webinar (registration required to view) that includes these topics: I-9 audits and trends under the current administration; I-9 requirements and common mistakes; and how to conduct an effective internal I-9 audit (Frederickson; May 2025).

Supporting Our Communities: Key Strategies for Navigating Federal Funding Threats: critical steps grantmakers can take now to protect grantees (Geo; January 2025).

MCN’s 2025 Minnesota Grants Directory: designed to help grantseekers by providing an overview of the state’s most active community and private foundations, corporate giving programs, and state agencies (Minnesota Council of Nonprofits; 2025).

• Nonprofit Toolkit: Resources for organizations facing government investigations: Best practices for responding to politicized government investigations (Protect Democracy; July 2025).
• Strategic Sunsetting: Help your organization evaluate a decision to dissolve, and take thoughtful and methodical steps to execute that decision (Propel Nonprofits).
• Strategy Triage Tool (Center for Community Investment): Quickly assess and prioritize your work during times of significant change or disruption (Marian Urquila; 2025).
• Navigating Rapid Policy Change: Let’s Plan Together: Analyze potential consequences of new policies, evaluate risks and opportunities, and determine the best course of action (See What I Mean; February 2025).
• Weathering the Storms: Building Social Justice Resilience Against Opposition Attacks: Guidance on preparing for and beating back opposition attacks (Road Map Consulting).
• How to Simplify and Streamline During a Crisis: When you face an existential threat or mission-disrupting event (Nonprofit Risk Management Center).
• Nonprofit Scenario Planning: Build scenario plans to successfully navigate uncertainty of local, national, or even global events (The Bridgespan Group; June 2022).
• Emergency Succession Plan Template: Craft an emergency response plan should your Executive Director become ill or temporarily unable to perform their duties (Propel Nonprofits).
• True Business Planning for Nonprofit: The distinction between business planning, financial planning, and strategic planning; how to present risks to board members; frameworks to analyze your model and explain to stakeholders (Nonprofit Financial Commons; January 2025).
• Resiliency Tactics During Financial Crisis: The Nonprofit Resiliency Framework: A research study establishing the Nonprofit Resiliency Framework mapping tactics in five areas: financial, human resources, outreach, program and services, and management and leadership (Wiley; May 2021).
• Risk Assessment Template: Identify risks; rate likelihood of occurrence; rate potential impact; identity top risks for further discussion; plan to mitigate risk (Tangelo Tree Consulting).

• Strong Nonprofits Toolkit: Strengthen nonprofit financial management (Wallace Foundation; 2009).
• 12 Urgent Financial Action Steps for Nonprofits: A 2025 Checklist: Build your organization’s agility under turbulent conditions (Nonprofit Financial Commons).
• Finance Fundamentals for Nonprofits: Tools and resources to help you navigate change and opportunity (Nonprofit Finance Fund).
• Navigating Through Times of Financial Crisis: Assess your nonprofit’s potential financial risks and create a plan to respond to them (Nonprofit Finance Fund).
• What to Watch and Do as Your Nonprofit Enters a Chaotic 2025: Nonprofit leaders and experts examine key financial trends that nonprofits need to navigate an uncertain landscape (Nonprofit Financial Commons).
• Scenario Budget Planning Template: Think through different possibilities and consider the impact on your programs and organization (Propel Nonprofits).
• Cash Flow Management: Management strategies to help your nonprofit prevent cash flow shortages (Propel Nonprofits).
• Cash Flow Template: Template to help you understand the ebbs and flows of your cash (Propel Nonprofits).
• Cash Flow Management: A Tactical Review for Nonprofits of All Sizes: Tools to use for projections and forecasts, and tactics to manage cash after you have identified a potential problem (Nonprofit Financial Commons).
• Understanding Nonprofit Markets: Framework through which leaders can segment the market, develop a shared understanding of relevant forces, and prioritize the most pressing market-based challenges they face (Nonprofit Financial Commons).
• Do You Have the “Right Revenue?”: Explore “right” revenue as a way of analyzing and deepening your understanding of the connection between financial resources and mission impact (Spectrum Nonprofit Services).

• Boards in Times of Uncertainty: Recorded webinar (Propel Nonprofits; September 2025).
• Governing in a Time of Crisis: Ten actions for boards (Propel Nonprofits; 2024).
• Revisiting the Financial Oversight Role of Nonprofit Boards: The real financial governance challenges of nonprofit boards and how they can function more effectively through redirecting efforts and redefining duties (Nonprofit Financial Commons; April 2024).
• Beyond Financial Oversight: Expanding the Board’s Role in the Pursuit of Sustainability: sustainability and engagement with the work is essential for nonprofit boards as they approach the future (Nonprofit Quarterly; January 2020).
• The Board’s Financial Leadership: Recorded webinar to help nonprofit boards understand their fiscal leadership, including fiduciary duties, committees, audit, legal forms, and internal controls (Nonprofit Financial Commons; March 2015).