WASHINGTON — President Trump is considering issuing an executive order banning nonprofit organizations from issuing grants beyond US borders, a source familiar with discussions told The Post Tuesday.
The order would target so-called “501(c)(3)s” — referring to the section of the Internal Revenue Code dealing with tax-exempt organizations.
The largest such groups have been organized by some of Trump’s most prominent antagonists — including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Chan Zuckerberg Foundation, created by the chairman and CEO of Meta; and Open Society Foundations, founded by left-wing billionaire George Soros.
The order has yet to be finalized, the source said, due to ongoing debates inside the administration over whether to issue it.
“There’s definitely an effort to limit and scrutinize federal tax dollars being shipped overseas, ramp up scrutiny of foreign acquisitions, protect research and [intellectual property], along with critical supply chains. And we’re seeing it across all the different departments,” a source close to the White House told The Post.
Trump has already been on the offensive targeting organizations sending US dollars abroad. The administration stripped and closed down the US Agency for International Development — and droves of AmeriCorps volunteers were shown the door after a visit from the Department of Government Efficiency.
Currently, 501(c)(3)s are allowed to give grants to foreign organizations if they are meant for charitable purposes. The so-called donor tax exemption allows American money to be funneled through the US groups to reach foreign organizations in need of charitable donations.
For example, DirectRelief, among the 10 largest 501(c)(3)s in the US in terms of donations, provides billions in medical aid to foreign countries affected by war and natural disasters.
Americares, which receives more than $1 billion in donations, gives grants to organizations around the world for medical care, including in Ukraine, Haiti and the Palestinian territories.
The Gates Foundation has sent billions to 135 countries around the world, including $3 billion in 2023 alone, focusing on issues including “Gender Equality” and “Global Health.”
Open Societies Foundations funded grants in more than 100 countries in 2023 and had $130 million in active “impact investments” in 2022.
Religious 501(c)(3)s would also be barred from sending money overseas. In 2023, the Christian aid group World Vision International sent more than $70 million in grants to Ukraine, $11 million to Mexico, and $25 million to Colombia.
The rumored order comes as Trump considers revoking Harvard’s tax-exempt status — after the Ivy League university refused his demands to audit students and faculty for “viewpoint diversity” and to make changes to counter antisemitism on campus.
