Pipeline run for this draft

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For more than 50 years, the Southern Poverty Law Center has endeavored to protect those most vulnerable to hate, safeguard communities, and advance the principle that every person in this country deserves dignity and equal treatment. We are living through a broader moment that demands we name what we are seeing. The organizations and institutions that protect our democracy are under sustained and coordinated pressure. There is a documented pattern of the federal government threatening nonprofit organizations, law firms, and even public servants who disagree with the current administration, a pattern that courts have rebuked repeatedly. And as with law firms and universities, financial institutions and other intermediaries critical to charitable work now appear to be acting out of intimidation. When donor-advised fund sponsors preemptively decline to process contributions to civil rights organizations, the effect is no different from any other form of targeted pressure. It chills free speech and erodes our democracy. As funders committed to democracy, justice, and the long-term health of civil society, we boldly stand with the Southern Poverty Law Center and with the broader civil rights community. We will continue to resource organizations defending rights and freedoms. And we will continue to call out the difference between legitimate accountability and the use of government power to silence critics. Our democracy depends on a vibrant civil society and the freedom to organize, advocate, litigate, and express alternative points of view. We will not back down from the defense of our most vital freedoms. This moment calls for a united voice. We hope you will join us.