September 1, 2026, Washington, D.C. — More than 150 organizations led by Nonprofits Together issued a joint public statement of support for the Center for American Progress (CAP), a nonpartisan think tank, in response to a recent legal attack against the organization by the Trump administration. The coalition of civil rights groups, policy organizations, and civic institutions warned that the action represents a broader effort to suppress independent analysis and silence organizations that challenge government policy.

The 150 organizations stated that every organization has a right to publish evidence-based, independent analysis of government policy and how that is the cornerstone of American democracy, regardless of which party holds power and who sits in the Oval Office. The full text of the statement is below:

Public statement of support of the Center for American Progress

Since our nation’s founding, the rights to free speech, association, and the press have been the bedrock on which American democracy has thrived. We reaffirm, as has each generation before us, our unqualified commitment to the First Amendment and its foundational protections. In so doing, we stand in strong solidarity with the Center for American Progress (CAP), a nonpartisan think tank, and its right to publish expert analysis on the impact of the Trump administration’s— or any administration’s — policies. The free exchange of ideas — including ideas that are inconvenient to those in power — is critical for Americans to understand the nature and impact of the actions of their government.

President Trump’s recent legal attack on CAP takes aim at the heart of these foundational rights, and is the latest salvo in the Administration’s ongoing efforts to suppress the speech of organizations that challenge their policies, defend the rule of law and protect civil rights and vulnerable communities.

Independent sources of expert analysis allow Americans to better understand government policy and how it’s affecting them. Experts across or even within think tanks often disagree; it is the right of every American to freely access their findings and form their own opinions. Attempting to silence any of these sources of information degrades our free exchange of ideas, and risks leaving only distortions in the public square.

This is infinitely more damaging to our democratic ideals when done for purely political purposes. There are few issues more fundamental to the First Amendment than the right of an independent organization to publish evidence-based analysis of a government policy and how it is or is not working.

This is not about ideology or partisanship. In a recent editorial, the Washington Post rightly noted that “Think tanks are as American as baseball, jazz and apple pie. They perform an unsung role in holding governments accountable at all levels…Such organizations and their supporters should not fear legal harassment when elected officials dislike their work.” This is true regardless of who is in power, and who is issuing public critiques of that power.

We stand with the Center for American Progress, not in agreement with every view they hold, but in steadfast support for their rights to voice those views freely and without political retribution.

Signatories

• Acacia Center for Justice
• Advancement Project
• All Voting is Local
• Alliance for Justice
• America's Voice
• American Civil Liberties Union
• American Constitution Society
• American Federation of Teachers
• American Oversight
• Americans Against Government Censorship
• Americans for Financial Reform Education Fund
• Americans for Tax Fairness
• Americans United for Separation of Church and State
• Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund
• Asian Law Caucus
• Brennan Center for Justice
• Campaign for Southern Equality
• Campaign Legal Center
• Center for Constitutional Rights
• Center for Democracy & Technology
• Center for International Environmental Law
• Center for Reproductive Rights
• Center for Responsible Lending
• Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
• Center on Faith and Justice
• CenterLink
• Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
• Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington
• Coalition on Human Needs
• Common Cause
• us
• Community Change
• Constitutional Accountability Center
• Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)
• Court Accountability
• Defend the Vote Action Fund
• Demand Progress Education Fund
• Democracy 21
• Democracy Defenders Fund
• Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund
• Drug Policy Alliance
• Dwight C. Jones Center for Civic Engagement at Virginia Union University
• Earthjustice Action
• Economic Policy Institute
• Equal Rights Advocates
• Fair and Just Prosecution
• Fair Count
• Fair Elections Center
• Fair Fight Action
• Faith in Democracy
• Faith Leaders for Ending Gun Violence
• Feminist Majority Foundation
• Florida Council of Churches
• Free DC
• Free Speech For People
• Freedom From Religion Foundation
• Freedom of the Press Foundation
• Friends Committee on National Legislation
• us
• GAIA - Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives
• GIFFORDS
• GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD Law)
• GLSEN (DBA Glisten)
• Greenpeace USA
• Guttmacher Institute
• Hands United
• Hispanic Federation
• Human Rights Campaign
• Human Rights First
• Impact Fund
• Indivisible
• Interfaith Alliance
• Jewish Council for Public Affairs
• Jobs With Justice
• Justice Connection
• Keep Our Republic
• Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA)
• Lambda Legal
• Lawyers for Good Government
• Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
• LDF
• League of United Latin American Citizens
• League of Women Voters
• Local Progress
• Maine Council of Churches
• Melville Charitable Trust
• Movement Advancement Project
• MoveOn
• National Abortion Federation
• National Association of Social Workers
• National Center for LGBTQ Rights
• National Coalition Against Censorship
• National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP)
• National Consumer Law Center (on behalf of its low-income clients)
• National Council of Churches USA
• National Council of Jewish Women
• National Council of Nonprofits
• National Education Association
• National Fair Housing Alliance
• National Homelessness Law Center
• National Immigration Law Center
• National Legal Aid & Defender Association
• National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund