The International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL) is a watchdog nonprofit that monitors legislation and their impact on civil society within the United States and around the world. ICNL claims to be non-partisan but frequently criticizes Republican-backed laws and executive actions that allegedly suppress activism, including those by former President Donald Trump.
ICNL has offices in based in Washington, D.C. with offices in Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. ICNL is a component of the ICNL Alliance along with the European Center for Not-for-Profit Law and the Bulgarian Center for Not-for-Profit Law. 1
Activities
U.S. Protest Law Tracker
The International Center for Not-for-Profit Law runs the US Protest Law Tracker, an online tool used to monitor and analyze federal and state bills across the United States that allegedly “[restrict] the right to peaceful assembly” since January 2017. The Tracker categorizes bills as “pending,” “enacted,” “enacted with improvements,” or “defeated/expired.” As of July 2024, the Tracker listed 305 bills, 49 of which have been enacted. Only five states, Hawaii, New Mexico, Maine, Vermont, and Delaware, have no proposed or enacted bills. 2
Civil Freedom Monitor
The International Center for Not-for-Profit Law runs the Civic Freedom Monitor, a program that actively tracks laws concerning civil societies and civic freedoms of 54 countries. 3
Threats to U.S. Civil Society
In April 2024, the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law posted a list of “10 major legal threats to U.S. civil society that the elections may exacerbate, with potentially far-ranging effects.” 4
Several entries on the list refer to alleged attempts by right-leaning individuals to suppress left-of-center activism. This includes the Republican attorney generals of Texas and Alabama as well as the state legislatures of Georgia and Indiana banning social services that link to abortion access and assisting illegal immigrants; former President Donald Trump proposing limitations in federal support for organizations that engage in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives; former President Trump allegedly promising to invoke the Insurrection Act to crush protests if he is elected again to the presidency; the prosecution of protestors such as left-wing activists who oppose “Cop City” in Atlanta; and litigation against nonprofits for defamation, such as a lawsuit brought by Elon Musk against the Center for Countering Digital Hate. 4
Foreign Agents Registration Act
The International Center for Not-for-Profit Law has criticized the Foreign Agents Registration Act, a law enacted in 1938 that requires foreign nationals to publicly disclose financial ties when engaging in certain activities within the United States, such as donating to nonprofits or political campaigns. According to the Center, the Act is “overly broad and vague” and can be used to target political opponents. 5
Johnson Amendment
The International Center for Not-for-Profit Law supports continued enforcement of the Johnson Amendment, a provision that prohibits charitable nonprofits from engaging in electoral activities. The Center has criticized suggestions from the Trump administration to repeal the Amendment, which the Center claims could lead to political interference from religious organizations. 6
Grantmaking
Since 1999, the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law has received eight grants totaling $2,550,000 from the left-of-center MacArthur Foundation. As of 2023, the Center received $250,000 in grants over a five-year period, contributing to the Civic Freedom Monitor. 7
During the 2016 to 2017 period, ICNL received a $400,000 grant from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation for “strengthening civic space.” 8
From 2007 to 2021, ICNL received 10 grants totaling $8.1 million from the left-wing Ford Foundation. 9
General support to promote an enabling legal environment for civil society and philanthropy, and to serve partners safeguarding civic space worldwide, and core support for institutional strengthening
Based in Washington, D.C., the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law's goal is to provide an enabling environment for nonprofits, philanthropy and civic participation by promoting and protecting the freedoms of association, expression and assembly. To this end, the grantee will carry out a range of activities, including enhancing international norms and multilateral engagement to safeguard civic space, promoting appropriate country-level legislation, helping civil society organizations navigate laws once enacted, undertaking and disseminating research and analysis and raising public awareness about the importance of civil society and cross-border philanthropy.
The program goal is to provide an enabling environment for nonprofits, philanthropy and civic participation by promoting and protecting the freedoms of association, expression and assembly. To this end, the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law will carry out a range of activities, including enhancing international norms and multilateral engagement to safeguard civic space, promoting appropriate country-level legislation, helping civil society organizations navigate laws once enacted, undertaking and disseminating research and analysis and raising public awareness about the importance of civil society and cross-border philanthropy. The grantee is based in Washington, D.C.
to assist Eurasian civil society organizations and activists with both navigating restrictions to civic space and empowering them to promote a more enabling environment for civil society
