In the season premiere of Season 8, your host Rusty Stahl (Founder, President & CEO of Fund the People) outlines the season’s focus on strengthening and defending the nonprofit sector. He previews upcoming conversations with influential leaders such as Tonya Allen of McKnight Foundation, Deepak Bhargava of Freedom Together Foundation, and Michael Thatcher of Charity Navigator. Rusty shares a new Fund the People research report and webinar (10/10 at 10am PT) on ‘long-haul grantmaking’ that emphasize better jobs in nonprofits and will be featured on the podcast this season, alongside a forthcoming concept from Fund the People called “Staff Operating Support” (or “S.O.S.”) Grants, a new type of strategic, responsive funding meant to provide direct investments in nonprofit workers.

Rusty frames this season within the broader context of what he calls the Trump Administration’s War on Charity (#TrumpWarOnCharity), citing efforts to undermine First Amendment freedoms, nonprofits, charitable giving, and the nonprofit workforce. He discusses how euphemisms have obscured the severity of these threats, and emphasizes the need to speak plainly about the challenges facing the sector. He encourages nonprofit leaders to stand in solidarity with all other nonprofits. He invites listeners to make their nonprofit values visible by wearing FTP Defend Nonprofits, Defend Democracy gear.

The episode addresses current events, including the politicization of the horrific Charlie Kirk assassination, which Rusty argues has been exploited by the Trump Administration to justify attacks on progressive philanthropy and nonprofits. He details the flawed logic behind these narratives, putting his M.A. in Philanthropy from Indiana University up against a J.D. from Yale Law School. Finally, Rusty closes with a call to remain vigilant,and to follow Season 8 for research, tools, and practices to help you invest in the nonprofit workforce despite (or because of) the ongoing siege on our sector.

Bio:

Rusty Stahl serves as Founder, President, and CEO of Fund the People. Fund the People works to strengthen the effectiveness, impact, and sustainability of philanthropy and the social sector by maximizing investment in America’s nonprofit workforce.

Rusty is a tenacious, mission-focused thought-leader, social entrepreneur, and student of the field. Alongside his colleagues, Stahl has studied, developed ideas, and written extensively on what it takes to invest in the nonprofit workforce. This podcast is one of the places such exploration and learning takes place.

Before launching the organization, Rusty completed R&D for Fund the People as a Visiting Scholar in Residence at NYU’s Wagner School of Public Service. Previously he served as Founding Executive Director of Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy (EPIP) and as a Program Associate at the Ford Foundation. He holds an M.A. in Philanthropic Studies from Indiana University.

Resources:

• Long-Haul Grantmaking report 
• Long-Haul Grantmaking webinar
• Meet the Moment Commitment
• Unite in Advance
• Fund the People’s Defend Nonprofits, Defend Democracy work
• Fund the People’s Defend Nonprofits, Defend Democracy Merch Store

Related Episodes:

• MacArthur President Chooses Courage, Not Quiet - with John Palfrey
• Nonprofits, The Constitution, and the ACLU - with Mike Zaymor, American Civil Liberties Union
• Meet the Moment: A Call to Action for Funders - with Shaady Salehi, Trust-Based Philanthropy Project