Cato Institute is hosting a May 12, 2026 conversation on threats to philanthropic…

Brief

Cato Institute is hosting a May 12, 2026 conversation on threats to philanthropic freedom, contending the federal government is pressuring private giving by leveraging nonprofit status. Speakers Lawson Bader (DonorsTrust), Walter Olson (Cato), and John Palfrey (MacArthur Foundation) will debate the implications for individuals and institutions and invite listeners to register via ow.ly/Am3w50YXSFI.

A free, open, and civil society depends on the freedom of individuals and institutions to direct private resources toward the causes they value. Today, that freedom faces growing pressure as the federal government seeks to use nonprofit status as a lever of political control.

Join us for a conversation with President and CEO of DonorsTrust Lawson Bader, Cato Senior Fellow Walter Olson, and President of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation John Palfrey on the importance of philanthropic freedom and what’s at stake when the state asserts authority over private giving.