270 artists and creators demand congress drop “Nonprofit killer” law, opposing Trump’s attack on organizations essential to our society
Today, 270 artists and creators released a letter denouncing recent efforts to pass a “nonprofit killer” law that would give the executive branch unlimited power to annihilate any nonprofit in the United States with no due process or appeal. Signers of the letter include Lucy Lawless, Roger Waters (Pink Floyd), Tom Morello, Flobots, Shawna Potter (War on Women), Kathleen Hanna, YACHT, Dessa, Zoe Keating, Merrill Garbus (Tune-Yards), Rhett Miller (Old 97’s), Molly Crabapple, Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg, and Karen Joy Fowler.
The “nonprofit killer” law continues to haunt Senate budget negotiations and loom as a potential executive order should it not be passed in the budget package. Like many people in the US, artists and creators depend on essential services nonprofits provide such as healthcare, employment assistance, and advocacy. With orgs from NAACP to Greenpeace already speaking out against nonprofit killer legislation, the voices of creative people are joining the chorus.
The letter reads in part:
“Nonprofit organizations are essential to the wellbeing of countless people. They provide meals, housing, funds, and other essential resources. They educate, entertain, and give people ways to engage in their communities. They are our museums, places of worship, food banks, and service providers. And, they stand up and speak truth to power when no one else will. Making nonprofits afraid to do their work or advocate for the communities they serve is dangerous and short-sighted, no matter your politics.”
Read the letter and view a full list of signatories here: https://www.fightforthefuture.org/news/2025-06-10-letter-270-artists-demand-congress-drop-nonprofit-killer-law/
Dessa, singer, rapper, writer, former record executive and a member of the indie hip hop collective Doomtree, said: “Nonprofits do some of the hardest, most important, and least glamorous work in our society. Granting the administration powers to unilaterally gut nonprofits would destabilize organizations that, by and large, spend their time and effort trying to make our lives better — to improve the way we eat; work; learn; get around; and make and share art. The message we should be sending to people who devote their working lives to improving the lot of others is, “Thank you.”
Zoë Keating, composer and cellist said: “Nonprofits form the support structures that art is built on. Artists rely on nonprofits for funding, to present our work, to advocate for fair compensation, for community, for healthcare… for so many things. This law follows the authoritarian playbook of suppressing dissent. It will harm artists and maybe even silence some of us, which is the point.”
Rhett Miller, lead singer of the alternative country rock band Old 97’s, said: “Believe it or not, there are people in this world who care about something more than profit. The nonprofit organizations that this bill will eliminate are the same organizations that keep art and free speech alive in our country. These are the same organizations that keep hope alive in our country. Without hope, what good are profits?”
Shawna Potter, frontwoman of feminist punk posse War On Women and author of Making Spaces Safer, said: “Passing a nonprofit killer-type law is an incredibly shortsighted move to make with detrimental long term effects. No matter what you believe politically, presidents shouldn’t have the power to destroy any nonprofit they don’t like or that tries to hold them accountable. Nonprofits are the backbone of our communities — providing not only vehicles for accountability, but for education, community engagement, and essential resources. In times of crisis, they’ve shown up for artists and creative people again and again. We need to be yelling from the rooftops on this.”
Lia Holland (they/she), Campaigns and Communications Director at artist-led organization Fight for the Future, which organized the letter, said: “Nonprofit organizations are critical to the wellbeing of our society. They have supported countless people – including artists and creators – in advocating for fair pay, healthcare and employment assistance and so many other ways that fill the gap of our current system. This recent effort by the Trump administration is a threat to our nation. Nonprofits should be able to advocate for the communities they support without worrying about the potential repercussions.”
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