Attorney General James Urges Charity Funds to Continue Donations to Southern Poverty Law Center

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today joined a coalition of 15 other attorneys general in urging three major donor-advised funds, Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program, Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund, and Donor Advised Charitable Giving, Inc., not to cut off donations to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). Following the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) politically motivated indictment of SPLC, these donor-advised funds restricted charitable giving to the organization, preventing their account holders from donating to SPLC. In a letter to the donor-advised funds, the coalition warns of the harm that could result from helping the Trump administration target nonprofits for simply exercising their First Amendment rights and urges them to reverse their decision.  

“The Southern Poverty Law Center does invaluable work to combat hate and protect Americans’ civil rights,” said Attorney General James. “Donors should be free to support their legitimate charitable mission without their financial institution getting in the way. By cutting off critical support to SPLC, these institutions are only advancing the administration’s political agenda. My colleagues and I are calling on them to immediately allow donations to continue.” 

Donor-advised funds allow individuals to plan out charitable giving by depositing funds into an account and scheduling donations to nonprofits and other charitable organizations over an extended period of time. The SPLC is a civil rights nonprofit that works to combat white supremacist organizations and other hate groups. In April 2026, DOJ indicted SPLC, alleging that the organization’s payments to confidential informants who help to disrupt hate groups amount to the defrauding of its donors. Following the indictment, the three donor-advised funds either restricted or halted payments to SPLC.   

In their letter, Attorney General James and the coalition urge the funds to reconsider their decision in the face of the Trump administration’s well-documented history of targeting nonprofits and organizations that the president opposes politically. The letter highlights recent whistleblower reports that DOJ pressured prosecutors to obtain speedy indictments against SPLC, despite prosecutors’ concerns that the indictments were unwarranted.  

Attorney General James and the coalition argue that allowing politically motivated prosecutions to suppress or help dismantle organizations like SPLC harms civil rights, public safety, and democracy. The letter also raises concerns about the funds refusing to disclose other nonprofits whose donations they have paused. Attorney General James and the coalition urge the funds to reconsider their actions that would undermine donors’ charitable intent and advance the administration’s political targeting of nonprofit organizations simply for exercising their protected First Amendment rights.  

Joining Attorney General James in sending this letter are the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington.