Kinship care is the full-time care of children by relatives or other adults with whom they have a close, family-like bond, also known as “fictive kin.” This arrangement typically occurs when a child’s biological parents are unable to care for them due to various circumstances, such as illness, death, substance abuse, incarceration, or abuse. Kinship caregivers can be grandparents, aunts, uncles, older siblings, cousins, or even close family friends. According to Kids Count Data Center, there are 2.5 million children currently living in kinship arrangements in the U.S.  

Benefits of Kinship Care 

Research consistently shows that placing children with kin leads to better outcomes than traditional foster care. For children, the emotional and psychological benefits are profound. Kinship placements help minimize the trauma of being separated from their parents by offering a familiar environment with people they already know and trust. Children in kinship care experience greater placement stability, with fewer school changes and a lower likelihood of re-entering foster care. Kinship care also helps children maintain vital connections to their family, culture, and community. This continuity provides a strong sense of identity and belonging, which is crucial for healthy development.  

Though kinship care has historically been practiced informally outside child welfare systems, child and family services are now recognizing and prioritizing a “kin-first” approach, where they actively seek out and support kin placements as the preferred option for children who are removed from their parents’ care. This paradigm shift, marked by the passage of a new federal rule giving states greater licensing and standards flexibility for kinship arrangements, must be matched with state policies and concrete resources that support kinship caregivers to improve child and family outcomes. 

Challenges for Kinship Caregivers 

Kinship caregivers, while providing a stable home for children, often face significant barriers that can make their role difficult. In a recent study of 868 kinship caregivers in Washington state, respondents reported an array of challenges that varied depending on income levels, region, and reason for placement.  

The most pressing challenges reported include: 

Financial Pressure: Kinship caregivers often take on the responsibility of raising children with little to no notice and without the same level of financial support that traditional foster parents receive. This can be especially difficult for grandparents or other relatives who may be retired or on a fixed income. Financial concerns were consistently reported as a “Top 3” need, regardless of income and region. Those in lower income brackets reported needing housing, food, and basic amenities, but even those in higher brackets reported financial uncertainty and strain.  

Emotional Strain: Taking on the full-time care of children, especially those who have experienced trauma, can take a heavy emotional toll. Caregivers often report feeling overwhelmed, isolated, or unprepared. The challenges reported in this category include the need for more comprehensive mental health care, relationship counseling, and behavioral health support, particularly if the child was placed due to abuse.  

Legal Challenges: Gaining legal custody or guardianship can be a confusing, lengthy process. Without it, caregivers may find it difficult to enroll children in school, access medical care, or make critical decisions on their behalf. The requirements for approval and licensing are often strict and costly, and kinship caregivers may experience bias from caseworkers, making it hard to access information and understand their rights. 

Supporting the Future of Kinship Care 

To fully realize the potential of kinship care, systemic changes are needed. While a “kin-first” approach is gaining momentum, policies and procedures still create barriers for kinship caregivers.  

To provide genuine support for kinship caregivers, the system needs to evolve to: 

By strengthening the kinship care system, we can create a more family-centered approach that benefits children, caregivers, and communities alike. 

Key Resources 

Explore these three top resources to learn more about impactful practices in Kinship Care: 

Social Current Solutions 

Webinar: Kinship Care in Transition 

This on-demand webinar, originally held Sept. 22, provides practical tools and strategies for engaging and valuing kinship caregivers as true partners in the system. Whether you’re a frontline worker, administrator, or advocate, you’ll gain takeaways to strengthen kinship placements and elevate the voices of those caring for their own.  

The presentation clarifies what’s changing, what remains consistent, and how organizations can remain compliant while also honoring the lived experience of kinship families. You’ll gain a clearer understanding of recent federal rule changes, practical steps for organizational alignment, and approaches to supporting and empowering kinship families across diverse communities. 

COA Accreditation 

COA Accreditation, a service of Social Current, supports organizations in effectively managing resources, implementing best practices, and creating an organizational culture of performance quality improvement. Our comprehensive accreditation reviews organizations’ administrative processes and infrastructure, as well as all programs with applicable service standards. 

Our Foster Care and Kinship Care standards were refreshed as part of our annual standards update in 2025. Learn more about the 2025 standards update on our website. 

To learn more about COA Accreditation, join a free upcoming webinar. 

Consulting 

We partner and co-create with communities and organizations to strengthen families and build supportive systems. Our tailored technical assistance and consultation utilizes recognized best practices, data, and lived experience to identify and move toward upstream solutions that reduce child abuse and neglect by building protective factors. 

Knowledge and Insights Center Resources 

Business, Media, & Research Databases 

From thousands of premium journals to the latest social sector news and media, Social Current Impact Partners and KIC subscribers have access to a wealth of evidence-based resources to support them in addressing any leadership challenge. 

About the Knowledge and Insights Center 

Social Current’s Knowledge and Insights Center equips social sector professionals with the research and resources they need to stay current on trends, implement best practices, and improve their organizations. It specializes in vetting information sources and systematizing information so that it is easy to understand. Gain access to the Knowledge and Insights Center by becoming a Social Current Impact Partner or purchasing access. 

About Social Current 

Social Current is the premier partner and solutions provider to a diverse network of more than 1,800 human and social service organizations. Together with our network, we are activating the power of the social sector to effect broader systemic change that is needed to achieve our vision of an equitable society where all people can thrive. We support, strengthen, and amplify the work of the social sector in five core integrated areas including brain science and trauma-informed approaches; COA Accreditation; child, family, and community well-being; government affairs and advocacy; and leadership and organizational development. 

Learn more by visiting our website. 
To learn more, subscribe to the Center’s announcements and visit the website.

Social Current has selected LifeWorks as the 2025 Innovative Impact Award winner for its Travis County Transformation Project. Based in Austin, LifeWorks serves youth and young families—many of whom have experienced homelessness—through its housing, mental health, education, and workforce services. The Travis County Transformation Project is a pre-arrest diversion program that deflects youth from juvenile justice into community-based respite services, case management, family counseling, and restorative healing circles to build well-being and prevent recidivism. 

LifeWorks will be recognized at the SPARK 2025 conference, Oct. 20-21 in Chicago. Leaders from LifeWorks and the Excellence Project, as well as the Travis County District Attorney will share their expertise in a workshop about the project. 

LifeWorks CEO Liz Schoenfeld recently sat down for an interview with Social Current’s Senior Director of Child, Family, and Community Well-Being Romero Davis to discuss key aspects of the project, collaborating with partners, and authentically engaging youth voice.  

Listen to the interview or check out the Q&A below. 

Could you please start by sharing a little bit of background and context around what led you to embark on the Travis County Transformation Project?  

Yes, absolutely! Our focus is really on solving youth homelessness, and a significant portion of unhoused young people in our community have experience with the juvenile legal system. So, our focus is not just putting roofs over people’s heads but also doing what we can to prevent the threat of homelessness in the first place.  

One of the things that was most shocking to me when we first started really embarking on this specific project was learning that the number one reason that young people end up in the juvenile legal system in our community is essentially family conflict. It is for a charge called assault family violence, which means that there is an argument in the home, it escalates, and the police are called. Because they are generally required to remove somebody from the home, they often will choose to remove the young person because that’s less disruptive to the family unit. It reduces the risk of CPS involvement, compared to if you were to remove the parent instead.  

And so that results in the young person being arrested and taken to our juvenile detention center and being booked. That experience of being arrested and essentially being processed like a criminal—that can have a profound effect on how young people see themselves and can open this cycle of further involvement with the criminal justice system. From 2013-2019, nearly half of young people who had been picked up for these types of offenses recidivated within a year.  

Often, when family conflict escalates to that point, the underlying root is stress. It’s stress that’s being caused by financial instability, by housing instability, by food insecurity, by strained coping skills, or by lack of mental health resources. At LifeWorks, we just refuse to be satisfied with that as the status quo, And we knew that we could do better. Like nearly 90% of the families that we’re serving, were in an area of Austin characterized by racial segregation and historical disenfranchisement. It was these patterns that inspired us to embark on this initiative, and we knew that our community could stand by our youth in a more effective way.  

This project involves cross-sector collaboration. Can you talk about your partners their strengths, and their contributions?  

Yes, there are three core partners that are involved in the Travis County Transformation Project. There’s LifeWorks, there’s another nonprofit in town called the Excellence Project, and then there’s the Travis County District Attorney’s Office.  

I’ll start with the DA’s Office. They are responsible for assessing eligibility for the program. This means that when law enforcement is called to a family’s residence, they are responsible for determining if the individual might be a good fit for the project. This means that the DA’s Office was also responsible for recruiting and training law enforcement in the deflection protocol.  

Then you have LifeWorks, and the component that we provide is the respite services. This means that instead of the young person being taken to the juvenile detention center, the families have the option for the young person to stay at our shelter for a cooling down period of three to 14 days. During that time, the young person can be connected with LifeWorks’ family counseling services.  

The Excellence Project provides wraparound case management services to the family to help address their basic needs. They also facilitate the healing circles, which are based on the Circles of Peace restorative justice model. The goal of this piece is to involve other supportive figures in families’ lives, create practical skills to help them resolve conflict, minimize social isolation, and build the supports to prevent future family violence. 

In working with these partners, I just have been so impressed because this is an incredible example of how this type of cross-sector collaboration can result in impacts that really exceed the capacity of any one organization.  

What has helped you all make the collaboration successful?  

There are really three core things that have contributed to the success of this collaboration. And I would say that first and foremost, simply just having a shared vision. So, from the very beginning, every partner was just really aligned on this shared goal of reducing harm and developing a non-punitive approach and, instead, coming up with a community-based solution. We all recognized that if we wanted different outcomes for youth and families in our community, we would need to do our work differently. That has been the through line every step of the way—from conceptualization to today. 

Another thing that has really been critical for the project’s success is continuous communication. Collaboration at this level only works if you are in lockstep with each other, and this project team is in contact with one another in some way, shape, or form on a near daily basis. 

And then finally, just really keeping youth and families at the center. Instead of adhering to a rigidly prescribed model, we’ve stayed flexible and have tried to adapt to the program to meet the needs of young people. If they tell us that one element of the program isn’t something that they need or responsive to the challenges that they’re facing, they don’t necessarily need to participate in that element of the program.  

You really are seeing impressive outcomes. In the first 18 months of operation, the project achieved a 94% reduction in recidivism. That is 3% for project participants, compared to 49% of youth receiving traditional juvenile justice interventions. What aspects of the project do you think have had the greatest impact on success?  

I think that the greatest impact has come from our ability to keep youth out of the justice system altogether—from having the experience of being handcuffed. Research is clear that the trauma of arrest and court can really increase the likelihood of reoffending, and so by deflecting young people before that point, we’re really interrupting that cycle. 

Additionally, the holistic supports, including case management, family counseling, and healing circles, makes huge difference. Being able to ground the intervention in community and in tools and resources that families can carry with them beyond the program is essential for them to recognize their inherent strengths and how to access additional resources when they need them.  

What have you learned by centering the voices of those that are directly impacted?  

Listening to youth and families is at the heart of everything that we do at LifeWorks, and the Travis County Transformation Project is no exception. We firmly believe that youth and families are the experts of their own lives, and we really try to listen and to let them guide the way—and we have the honor walking alongside them.  

When this project was being developed, folks told us that that conflict was directly tied to the stressors that they were facing in the home and challenges like food insecurity, housing instability, and financial strain. That’s why we built in case management. Families told us that the lack of accessible and affordable mental health services were a barrier, and so that’s why we built in the family counseling component. They told us that social isolation made conflict worse, so that’s why we brought in the healing circle approach—to help those in the program choose folks in their lives that are meaningful, natural supports and involve them in their journey toward healing. It was through listening that we were able to build a program that families want to participate in and that truly meets their needs. 

What’s next for the program, and are there plans to replicate it? 

Yes, and it’s one of the things that I’m most excited about. Communities across Texas and the U.S. have already been reaching out about replication. We are also partnering with the University of Texas at Austin to do a formal evaluation and ultimately create a formal implementation guide to support other communities in doing this work. 

On top of that, we’re looking at how we can potentially expand the model locally, whether that is through expanding the age range of participating young people, expanding it to other types of charges, or even adapting the model to be able to use a similar deflection approach for families that would otherwise become involved with the child welfare system.  Our hope is that communities everywhere can adapt this model to their unique needs, so that fewer youth are being pushed into the juvenile legal system and more families can access the healing and support they deserve.  

Listen to the full interview online. 

Meet with Liz Schoenfeld and hear from the Travis County Transformation Project team at SPARK 2025. Make sure to register by Sept. 20 to save with the early bird rate. 

It’s time to ditch the word “nonprofit.” The social sector powers 12.5 million jobs and contributes $1.4 trillion to the U.S. economy, yet outdated systems, myths, and funding models limit its full potential. Today, Social Current, a partner to 1,800+ human and social service organizations in the U.S., Canada, and beyond, launches Five & Rising, a bold national movement to change that.

Five & Rising is designed to unleash the sector’s full economic power and rewrite the rules for how it’s funded and valued.

“Five & Rising is here to break the limits placed on our sector and to prove what’s possible when we stop treating it as a secondary player in the economy,” said Dr. Jody Levison-Johnson, president and CEO of Social Current. “These pilot communities will demonstrate that when we invest in the real cost of impact and trust local leaders to innovate, we unlock change that ripples far beyond their borders. What they build will raise the bar for the entire nation.”

Five & Rising takes its name from the social sector’s 5.2% share of U.S. GDP. It is both a reminder of the sector’s economic force and a statement that this is only the beginning.

Inspired by the documentary UnCharitable, directed by Stephen Gyllenhaal, which challenges conventional thinking about how the social sector should operate, Five & Rising will work with communities across the country to co-create systems that match the sector’s true scale and unleash its ability to deliver lasting impact.

“I’ve seen firsthand how the stories we’ve told about charity have limited what’s possible,” said Gyllenhaal. “It’s time we rewrite the narrative—one that reflects the truth: the social sector is a force of innovation, impact, and economic power. Five & Rising is how we break the old frame and finally fund real change.”

About the Pilot Communities

To be considered as a pilot community, applicants identified the issue they most wanted to address, the rationale behind it, and what they hoped to achieve. They also shared what excites them most about this opportunity and why their community’s involvement is essential.

Today, Five & Rising proudly unveils its three inaugural pilot communities. Together, these communities represent the bold ideas and deep engagement the movement was designed for. They will serve as proving grounds for scalable strategies that can transform how the social sector is funded, valued, and supported.

Center for Community Impact (Northwest Ohio)
Building Shared Infrastructure for Rural-Serving Organizations
In Northwest Ohio, the Center for Community Impact is proving that collaboration is the innovation in rural America. By co-creating shared systems, collaborative strategies, and readiness that attract investment, and by launching leadership boot camps to strengthen capacity and a shared services ecosystem, they show the rural social sector is not just ready to lead, they are already rising.

ChangeMakers Hawai’i (Hilo, Hawai’i)
Centering Indigenous Wisdom and Trust-Based Philanthropy
In Hawai’i, ChangeMakers is driving economic equity and justice through community engagement, financial access, and support for purpose-driven professions. Through Philanthropono, a capacity-building initiative grounded in Indigenous knowledge, they are elevating the leadership of Indigenous-led nonprofits by partnering with funders to simplify grants, expand unrestricted multi-year funding, and build authentic relationships, they are creating a replicable, equity-driven model for trust-based philanthropy that can thrive in historically marginalized communities nationwide.

Progressive Life Center (Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware)
Redesigning Foster Care as Healing Infrastructure
Across Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Delaware, Progressive Life Center (PLC) is working to transform foster care as a healing, family-centered system. PLC is leading a cross-sector coalition of caregivers, providers, policymakers and those with lived experience to stabilize care, reduce risk, and replace surveillance with support. PLC is tackling systemic fragility, naming the true cost of care, promoting trauma-informed approaches, and creating a model of sustainable, equitable care that can be replicated nationwide.

“These incredible organizations are already creating meaningful change in their own communities,” added Levison-Johnson. “From strengthening rural networks, to transforming foster care, to elevating Indigenous-led solutions, they are proving what’s possible. As they build and scale their work, their successes will offer models and inspiration that can benefit communities across the country.”

Social Current, along with a group of cross-sector partners and allies will support the three pilot communities every step of the way by providing technical assistance, securing sustainable investment, helping to shape a national roadmap and building systems that deliver a lasting impact.

In their first year, Five & Rising pilot communities will engage in a yearlong capacity-building curriculum that will equip them to dismantle harmful myths about the sector, strengthen organizational resilience through new approaches to fundraising and governance, and amplify influence through advocacy, communications, and cross-sector partnerships. That knowledge will enable them to bring philanthropy, government, business, social enterprises, and community members together to confront root causes of local challenges, co-create bold strategies, and launch shared action plans.

This approach ensures communities are strengthening from within and building collective solutions, creating a playbook that can be scaled nationally to reimagine philanthropy and unlock the full power of the social sector.

About Five & Rising
Five & Rising is a national movement led by Social Current to unleash the social sector from the restrictions that limit its impact. Working with communities across the country, Five & Rising co-creates bold funding models, challenges broken norms, and builds the infrastructure needed for systemic change. Five & Rising is more than a campaign; it’s a call to rethink how the social sector is funded, valued, and supported. Learn more and join the movement at FiveAndRising.org.

Three on-demand leadership courses are now available through Social Current’s online learning community. These courses are self-paced and include eight hours of learning. Participants can complete each course’s four sections over four weeks, but have access for an entire year. These trainings were developed by The Center for Creative Leadership (CCL)®, a top-ranked, global, nonprofit provider of leadership development.

Managing Virtual and Hybrid Teams
While working remotely has its advantages, it can also be challenging. Today’s leaders need to effectively lead a large spectrum of teams, including co-located, virtual teams and situations where some members are dispersed and some in the same location. These teams need a strategy for thinking differently, communicating digitally, and making sure people feel included, connected, and aligned to perform at their best. Course takeaways include:

Innovation Leadership
Effective leaders need to champion innovation. Understanding design thinking concepts can help leaders target and champion innovation more effectively. Course takeaways include:

Burn Bright: The Resilience Advantage
This course will help leaders approach their energy and performance with a new mindset and invigorated toolset. In each of four sections, participants will complete multiple lessons designed to encourage engagement and interaction. Course takeaways include:

Learn more about Social Current’s Leadership and Organizational Development expertise and solutions.

For questions and technical assistance, contact Social Current.

September through November is the official season for Voter Education. Mark these dates on your calendar, learn why supporting voter registration is crucial to sustaining a healthy democracy, and gain tools to lead these efforts in your community.

National Voter Registration Day: Sept. 16, 2025

National Voter Registration Day is a nonpartisan civic holiday. The mission of this day is to support democracy by creating awareness of voter registration opportunities and ensure all eligible Americans are registered to vote and ready for their next election. Since its inception in 2012, National Voter Registration Day has helped more than 6 million people register to vote.

Millions of Americans are unable to vote each year because of financial barriers, limited access to transportation, and difficulty registering to vote. The voter registration process can be complex, and for those who have moved, changed their name, or are registering for the first time, it’s often a source of confusion and anxiety. National Voter Registration Day seeks to address these issues by providing a single, coordinated day of action. It brings together a diverse coalition of thousands of organizations, including community-based organizations, corporations, and libraries, for a nationwide effort to register voters and educate the public on election information.

National Voter Education Week: Oct. 6-10, 2025

National Voter Education Week (NVEW) is an annual, nonpartisan campaign held during the first full week of October. It’s a concerted, open-source effort by a coalition of organizations to provide voters with information and tools so they can confidently participate in elections.

The main purpose of NVEW is to bridge the gap between registering to vote and casting a ballot. Many eligible voters are registered but face barriers or have questions about the voting process. Organizations can address these issues during NVEW by helping voters find their poling locations, locate candidate information, and make an election day plan.

Why It’s Crucial for the Social Sector to Participate

For community-based organizations, participating in voter education activities is a natural extension of their mission. These organizations are often among the most trusted institutions in their communities and are uniquely positioned to reach people who might be missed by traditional political campaigns.

Here’s why it’s so important:

How Your Organization Can Support Voter Registration

Nonprofits can participate in National Voter Registration Day in many ways, from small-scale efforts to large, coordinated events. The key is to remain nonpartisan and make voter registration as easy as possible. The IRS explicitly allows 501(c)(3) organizations to conduct nonpartisan voter registration drives.

Here are some examples of how to can get involved:

By participating, organizations can play a vital role in strengthening democracy and empowering the people they serve.

Voter Registration Resources

Whether you want to launch a campaign or just provide some print or digital resources, there are numerous resources to help you participate in this year’s voter education activities.

Toolkits and Guides:

Trusted Voter Support Organizations:

Social Current Solutions

Government Affairs and Advocacy

Social Current offers training, tools, and consultation to help community-based organizations navigate the complexities of government relations, mobilize their communities, and influence legislation. Learn more about our Government Affairs and Advocacy solutions.

Knowledge and Insights Center Resources

Business, Media, & Research Databases
From thousands of premium journals to the latest social sector news and media, Social Current Impact Partners and KIC subscribers have access to a wealth of evidence-based resources to support them in addressing any leadership challenge.

About the Knowledge and Insights Center
Social Current’s Knowledge and Insights Center equips social sector professionals with the research and resources they need to stay current on trends, implement best practices, and improve their organizations. It specializes in vetting information sources and systematizing information so that it is easy to understand. Gain access to the Knowledge and Insights Center by becoming a Social Current Impact Partner or purchasing access.

The Quality Improvement Center on Helplines and Hotlines recently launched a website that offers practical, research-based solutions for child protection hotlines and community helplines to support all families in reaching their full potential. The website includes answers to common questions about child welfare, helplines, and hotlines, as well as curated news, op-eds, reports, and research briefs about hotlines, helplines, and the front door of the child welfare system.

The purpose of the Center is to develop practical strategies to keep children safe, target child protection resources effectively, and help families thrive. The Center is administered by Evident Change in partnership with Social Current and the Children’s Trust Fund Alliance as part of a cooperative agreement with the Children’s Bureau.

It has three goals:

To address these goals, the Center will:

By working together, we can support CPS agencies and mandated reporters to protect children from harm, create better pathways to meet families’ needs, and ensure all children and families have the chance to thrive.
To learn more, subscribe to the Center’s announcements and visit the website.

On Sept. 2, by a vote of 11 to 7, the House of Representatives Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies appropriations subcommittee approved the 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. The bill allocates significant funding toward:

Notable funding decreases include:

Additionally, Child Care and Development Block Grants and Head Start will be funded at equal levels to fiscal year 2025. Behavioral health programs focused on criminal and juvenile justice and homelessness prevention will also be streamlined.

For additional information, the Appropriations Committee issued a summary of the bill’s main provisions.

Executive Branch Rescinds Foreign Aid Funding

The White House Budget Office advanced a proposal to rescind $4.9 billion in funding allocated to the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

Typically, Congress would be offered 45 days to process the request. However, the proposal was advanced while Congress members had returned to their districts for August recess and with fewer than 45 days until the fiscal year ends.

The Government Accountability Office has previously determined that the maneuver, often referred to as a “pocket recission,” is illegal as it attempts to bypass Congress’ constitutional power to approve a budget and appropriate funds. Pocket recissions have also been criticized by Congress members who similarly claim that it is a violation of congressional authority.

CMS Issues Guidance to Expand Access to Affordable Catastrophic Health Coverage

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued guidance intended to expand access to catastrophic health coverage. The guidance also aims to streamline access for people who are ineligible for advance payments of the premium tax credit or cost-sharing reductions.

Catastrophic plans are designed to protect consumers from very high medical costs in the event of serious illness or injury and generally have lower monthly premiums as a result. They also offer full access to preventive services without cost-sharing requirements. The guidance aims to improve healthcare access as health insurance premiums are expected to rise significantly for the 2026 plan year.

CMS Issues Final Rule to Expand Access to Prescription Drug Information by Certain Medicare Beneficiaries

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule, effective Oct. 1, intended to enhance transparency for patients and providers participating in Medicare Advantage, Medicaid Managed Care, Medicare Part D, Health Insurance Marketplace, and commercial plans. Specifically, the rule aims to improve access to prescription drug information for physicians and patients to ease the identification of the most appropriate and cost-effective treatments. Through deregulatory actions, the rule will enable Medicare recipients to compare drug prices, view their out-of-pocket costs, and access information on prior authorization requirements.

Sector Updates from the Judiciary  

Federal Court Issues Temporary Restraining Order to Prevent Agencies from Enforcing Grant Conditions

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California issued a temporary restraining order, preventing agencies, including the Departments of Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, and Health and Human Services, from conditioning congressionally approved grant funding.

States and counties filed the lawsuits alleging that the Trump administration imposed “vague and unauthorized conditions” on grant funds, which violated the Separation of Powers doctrine, the Spending Clause, the Fifth and Tenth Amendments, and the Administrative Procedure Act. Specifically, grantees were required, “to certify that they prohibit diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, prohibit the promotion of gender ideology and elective abortion, and promote federal immigration enforcement efforts.”

Judge Seeborg determined that the plaintiffs are likely to suffer irreparable harm by requiring grantees to certify compliance with “likely unconstitutional conditions or [surrender] key federal grant funding.” The judge also emphasized the potential harm to communities, as plaintiffs require clarity about their budgets and programmatic capacities to deliver public services.

Education Department Reaches Agreement to Release Frozen Education Funding

Beginning the week of July 28, the U.S. Department of Education will begin releasing funding for the current federal and education fiscal year for the following programs:

The decision to release frozen federal funding stems from an agreement the federal government made with 24 states and the District of Columbia. The U.S. Department of Education agreed to release any remaining funds between Oct. 1-3 to resolve a previously filed lawsuit. The lawsuit was filed following a notice sent to state-level school departments nationwide from federal officials, detailing that the above education funding was being returned to the federal government.

Federal Judge Declines to Reinstate Funding for a Maine Reproductive Health Care Provider

The U.S. District Court for the District of Maine permitted the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to proceed in halting Medicaid payments to Maine Family Planning, a network of 18 clinics that operate across the state.

The loss of funding follows the passage of H.R. 1, the recent budget bill, which prohibited Medicaid funding for organizations primarily engaged in family planning services that have received more than $800,000 from Medicaid in 2023.

Maine Family Planning filed the lawsuit, alleging the withdrawal of Medicaid payments would cause the organization and its clients irreparable harm. Maine Family Planning stressed that Medicaid dollars are not directed toward its abortion services, but toward primary care services. The loss of funding would prevent the clinics from offering cervical cancer screenings, contraception, and primary care to low-income residents.

Judge Walker determined that Maine Family Planning failed to demonstrate the irreparable harm cited and further affirmed Congress’ right to “withhold federal funds and otherwise disassociate from conduct that is not enshrined” as a constitutional right.

Payments to Maine Family Planning will not resume, as litigation continues.

Federal Court Temporarily Pauses State Law Prohibiting DEI Initiatives in Schools

The U.S. District Court of New Hampshire issued a two-week temporary restraining order against a portion of a New Hampshire state law prohibiting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs within local school districts. As a result of the verdict, certain school districts will not have to report any contracts or activities involving DEI initiatives until Sep. 18.

The requirement was issued through HB2, the state’s budget package. It prohibits any DEI initiatives in schools and public agencies that seek to improve outcomes for individuals who are grouped by age, sex, gender identity, race, or disability. Schools are required to report to the New Hampshire Department of Education any DEI-related programs and contracts they provided, detailing if any were funded through state allocations. Districts that failed to comply would be subject to financial penalties.

Judge McCafferty issued the temporary restraining order because of the harm school districts would face if they violate the law, even unknowingly. Additionally, the judge maintained that the state failed to demonstrate that it has the authority to withhold funding if schools fail to comply with the law’s deadline to report to the state’s Department of Education.

Subscribe to the Policy and Advocacy Radar to receive our biweekly policy roundup, which includes commentary on issues in Social Current’s federal policy agenda, opportunities to take action, and curated news and opportunities.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi recently issued guidance to educational institutions, state and local governments, and public and private employers reiterating the Trump administration’s January directive that all programs, policies, and activities must comply with existing federal anti-discrimination laws. 

The memorandum details that federal funding recipients may be liable for discrimination and funding revocations if they knowingly fund the unlawful practices of contractors, grantees, and other third parties. 

To minimize the legal risk of violating federal anti-discrimination laws and having federal grant funding revoked, the Department of Justice recommended the following, 

  1. Ensure inclusive access to all workplace programs, activities, and resources.  
  2. Document legitimate rationales to demonstrate that decisions are unrelated to protected characteristics. 
  3. Avoid exclusionary training programs and ensure trainings are open to all.  
  4. Include nondiscrimination clauses in contracts and specify that federal funds cannot be used for programs that discriminate.  
  5. Monitor third parties that receive federal funds to ensure ongoing compliance. 
  6. Establish clear anti-retaliation procedures and create safe reporting mechanisms and include these policies in employee handbooks and program guidelines. 

HHS Revives Task Force on Safer Childhood Vaccines 

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the reinstatement of the Task Force on Safer Childhood Vaccines, a federal panel created by Congress to improve the safety, quality, and oversight of vaccines administered to children in the U.S. 

The taskforce will issue regular recommendations regarding the development, promotion, and refinement of childhood vaccines that result in fewer and less severe adverse reactions than those vaccines currently on the market. Recommendations will also center improvements in vaccine development, production, distribution, and adverse reaction reporting. HHS will transmit its first formal report to Congress within two years, with updates every two years thereafter. 

CMS Begins Oversight Process to Verify the Citizenship of Medicaid and CHIP Recipients 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) initiated an oversight initiative to ensure that enrollees in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) are U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, or have a satisfactory immigration status.  

CMS is providing states with monthly enrollment reports, identifying individuals whose citizenship or immigration status could not be confirmed through federal databases, including the Department of Homeland Security’s Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program. States are then responsible for verifying individuals’ citizenship or immigration status and requesting additional documentation if needed. CMS has authorized states to take actions when necessary, including adjusting coverage or enforcing non-citizen eligibility rules.  

CMS began issuing the first set of reports on Aug. 19 and expects all states to have received a report within a month.  

Sector Updates from the Judiciary  

Supreme Court Temporarily Approves Grant Terminations  
Supreme Court narrowly agreed to allow the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to terminate $783 million in grants connected to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives by a vote of 5 to 4. The court also upheld a lower court’s ruling, which blocked internal NIH guidance documents barring funding for research that does not align with the agency’s policy priorities. Specifically, the guidance prohibited funding for research connected to DEI, gender identity, vaccine hesitancy, COVID, and climate change. 

NIH’s grants were terminated following these executive orders: 

States, advocacy organizations, and researchers filed lawsuits in response, maintaining that terminating grants violates the Constitution and the Administrative Procedure Act. The District Court for the District of Massachusetts ordered the reinstatement of the grants, citing a lack of reasoned decision-making to explain the cancellations.   

However, the Supreme Court ruled that the district court lacked the authority to order the reinstatement of specific grants. The court majority opinion stated that the federal government would face “irreparable harm” if it paid the money for the grants and then was unable to recover the funds before the litigation was resolved. 

Appeals Court Upholds Significant Reductions in Foreign Aid 
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit overturned a lower court ruling after a district court determined that the Trump administration cannot suspend grants that do not comply with the president’s priorities. The appeals court determined that the nonprofit that issued the lawsuit lacked standing as they were unable to demonstrate a sufficient connection to and harm from the administration’s actions. The justices maintained that only the head of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has the authority to file the lawsuit according to the Impoundment Control Act. 

The decision lifted a lower court’s order that had required the administration to continue processing foreign aid payments with funds Congress had budgeted. However, the judges clarified that their decision does not address the question of whether pausing foreign aid violates the U.S. Constitution by infringing on the spending power of Congress. 

Although the GAO has determined impoundment has occurred in several instances, the agency has not yet filed litigation. Recently, the GAO issued a report determining that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ significant reductions in the rate of disbursement for Head Start funding constituted impoundment. Additionally, the GAO found that the National Institutes of Health’s cancellation of grants and withholding of funds violated the Impoundment Control Act of 1974. Nevertheless, the reports are nonbinding without a court order compelling the agency to release funds.  

Federal Court Prohibits HHS from Sharing Medicaid Data for Immigration Enforcement Purposes 
The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California prohibited the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services from sharing Medicaid data from the plaintiff states for immigration purposes as litigation continues. The plaintiff states include California, Arizona, Delaware, Illinois, and Maine. 

Federal Court Denies Injunction Against Alabama Law Banning DEI Programs in Public Schools  
Students and faculty filed a lawsuit against the governor of Alabama and the University of Alabama’s trustees, maintaining that a recently passed state law violates their freedom of speech by placing viewpoint-based restrictions on what can be taught in classes. S. 129 prohibits public colleges from funding or sponsoring diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.  

S. 129 defines diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives as programs, training, or other events where attendance is based on “race, sex, gender identity, ethnicity, national origin, or sexual orientation.”  Additionally, the law prohibits public colleges from requiring students to affirm or adhere to a list of so-called divisive concepts. One example is that fault, blame, or bias should be assigned to a person based on their race or sex, or that any person should acknowledge a sense of guilt, complicity, or a need to apologize because of their race, sex, or national origin. Another is that people are “inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or subconsciously,” based on their personal characteristics.  

Faculty members stated that they were unsure of how to comply with the law and stressed its potential to limit instruction on other topics, like eugenics. Nevertheless, U.S. District Judge David Proctor determined that the law does not prohibit the teaching of divisive concepts, especially because of the exemptions S. 129 names. The court determined that the plaintiffs had not met the legal burden required to issue a preliminary injunction.  

District Court Determines Florida Law Restricting Pronouns Constitutes Discrimination 
U.S. District Judge Mark Walker determined H.B. 1069, a 2023 Florida law that requires teachers to use pronouns that align with their sex assigned at birth, violates federal civil rights law. Failure to comply may result in disciplinary action, which may include suspension or termination of employment.  

Further action is paused until the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals considers a lawsuit alleging a Title VII violation against a transgender employee of a Georgia sheriff’s office, Lange v. Houston County. 

District Court Extends Preliminary Injunction Against Grant Funding Conditions  
Judge Barbara J. Rothstein recently expanded a previous preliminary injunction, preventing the Trump administration from imposing funding conditions on $12 billion of grant funding. The grants were disbursed to thirty-one cities with the intention of addressing homelessness and transit infrastructure.  

The verdict temporarily prevents nearly a dozen federal agencies from enforcing new rules that would have required cities to align with elements of the Trump administration’s policy agenda to receive funding. 

Federal Court Blocks ACA Religious Exemptions to Coverage for Contraception 
The US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania determined that the Trump administration cannot enforce religious and moral exemptions to an Affordable Care Act rule that requires all employer health plans to cover contraception and related services at no cost to employees. District Judge Wendy Beetlestone maintained that the rules were arbitrary, inconsistent, and an overreach of the agency’s authority. 

The rules, issued in 2018, enabled essentially all for-profit or nonprofit employers and insurers to exempt themselves from following the birth control mandate on moral and religious grounds. 

Federal Court Upholds the Constitutionality of the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program 
The U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling, determining that a pharmaceutical company could not demonstrate that Medicare drug price negotiations had caused irreparable harm. The court also upheld that the program did not violate federal law, including the Medicare Act or the Administrative Procedures Act. 

The Western District of Texas issued a similar verdict, affirming that participation is voluntary and therefore the company’s constitutional right to due process was not violated. Likewise, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals held that the plaintiffs lacked standing to pursue their challenge against the negotiation program in Ohio.  

The Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program was established by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. The law empowers Medicare to use its considerable bargaining power to obtain lower prices for certain medicines, significantly expanding access to treatment options. 

Appeals Court Upholds Arkansas Law Banning Youth Transgender Care  
The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the Save Adolescents From Experimentation (SAFE) Act, Act 626, an Arkansas law barring doctors from providing gender-affirming care, including puberty blockers, hormones, and surgery to transgender minors. 

The decision reverses a lower court ruling and cites a similar verdict issued by the U.S. Supreme Court, which held that Tennessee’s similar law did not discriminate based on sex or transgender status. The Tennessee law, SB1, banned puberty blockers and hormone therapy for transgender teenagers.

The Circuit Court also determined the Arkansas law did not violate parents’ due process rights afforded by the Fourteenth Amendment. The judges cited a lack of historical support entitling parents to obtain medical treatment for their children that a state legislature deems inappropriate. 

Federal Court Partially Blocks Mississippi Law Restricting DEI in Practices in Public Schools 
The United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi blocked the implementation of certain provisions of House Bill 1193, a Mississippi state law that would have prohibited diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices in public schools.  

Specifically, the bill requires public schools to prohibit the discussion of “divisive concepts” related to race, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, and national origin. It also requires schools to prohibit programs, courses, or offices that promote DEI, endorse divisive concepts, or ban diversity training requirements. 

However, U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate determined that the law is unconstitutionally vague, fails to treat speech in a viewpoint-neutral manner, and holds the potential to chill expression and academic freedom. As litigation continues, neither of the previously mentioned sections can be enforced. 

Nevertheless, the preliminary injunction is limited to certain provisions of the law. Schools must uphold sections of the law that prohibit preferential treatment based on race, sex, color, or national origin. Additionally, schools cannot penalize students or staff for their refusal to embrace DEI concepts. 

Federal Court Invalidates the Department of Education’s Title VI Guidance 
The U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland determined that the Education Department’s recent guidance prohibiting educational institutions from engaging with DEI initiatives was unlawful.   

The lawsuit was filed in response to guidance issued by the Department of Education. A memorandum issued Feb. 14 and a certification issued April 3 ordered schools and universities to end all “race-based decision-making” and warned of the loss of federal funding for organizations that failed to comply. 

U.S. District Judge Stephanie Gallagher determined that the memorandum and directive did not follow administrative procedure.  Judge Gallagher also ruled that the guidance violated constitutional rights by placing viewpoint-based restrictions on classroom speech. 

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Across the U.S., nonprofit organizations that provide critical human services, such as foster care, mental health treatment, substance use recovery programs, and elder care, continue to face a liability insurance crisis. Coverage limitations, nonrenewal by their carrier, unaffordable premiums, and carriers exiting the market are among the critical challenges being experienced by providers, regardless of their insurance claim or loss history.

Management liability and cyber insurance costs are projected to fall in 2025 for nonprofits, according to Risk Strategies’ 2025 Insurance Trends Report. However, all other forms of insurance costs are projected to increase 10-30% for nonprofits in the coming year, particularly for general liability (+5-10%), abuse and professional liability (+15-20%), and umbrella (+20-30%) coverage. A 2025 national survey conducted by the National Organization of State Associations for Children (NOSAC) and the Association of Children’s Residential & Community Services reveals the gravity of the situation. Since 2019, respondents reported an average increase of 163% in premiums, with one quarter seeing a premium increase of 200-1800%. Such increases are unsustainable for already under-resourced nonprofits.

Drivers Behind Rising Insurance Costs

Several factors are contributing to this crisis, including:

Resulting Challenges for Providers and Their Communities

Increasing barriers to securing affordable and sufficient insurance coverage poses challenges that are experienced throughout communities.

Proposed Policy Solutions

To address this growing crisis, Social Current has proposed a set of policy solutions aimed at making liability insurance more accessible and affordable:

Without swift and strategic action, the liability insurance crisis threatens to destabilize organizations that families and communities rely on for essential care and support. Social Current emphasizes that this issue demands collaboration across sectors—including insurers, policymakers, and nonprofit leaders—to build long-term, sustainable insurance solutions. By implementing targeted reforms such as public insurance funds, federal mandates and incentives, and pooled insurance models, the sector can protect the future of human services and ensure that communities continue to receive support.

Download this spotlight on liability insurance as a PDF.

Sources and Further Reading:

Social Current Solutions

Risk Assessment & Reduction

Large-scale solutions are needed to address this complex challenge. Unfortunately, risk mitigation at the organizational level does not necessarily translate to lower insurance costs. Yet, individual organizations can reduce their exposure to liability claims through strategic risk mitigation. Social Current offers several resources to support risk management.

Nonprofit Risk Management Center (NRMC)
The Nonprofit Risk Management Center (NRMC) is a nonprofit dedicated to helping other nonprofit organizations understand and manage the various risks they face. Social Current network organizations have access to NRMC’s extensive collections of risk assessments and tools, including in-depth information on insurance coverage. For access, create an affiliate member account and choose Social Current as the affiliate.

Leadership and Organizational Development Consulting
One of the most effective risk mitigation strategies is building a risk-aware workplace culture. It’s more than just compliance; it’s about proactively prioritizing the recruitment and retention of qualified employees, alongside continuous training. Social Current offers customized leadership and organizational development consulting services designed to ensure your team is well-equipped to perform their jobs expertly and reduce risk for your organization.

COA Accreditation
COA Accreditation, a service of Social Current, provides an evidence-based framework for nonprofit organizations to reduce risks. By requiring adherence to rigorous, research-based standards, COA Accreditation requires organizations to proactively examine and enhance their operations across critical areas like legal compliance, financial management, human resources, governance, and program delivery. This systematic approach ensures the development of clear policies and procedures, robust internal controls, and a culture of accountability, minimizing vulnerabilities to legal challenges, financial mismanagement, and operational failures.

Additionally, COA Accreditation fosters continuous quality improvement and the adoption of best practices, leading to more effective service delivery and better outcomes. Achieving COA Accreditation mitigates internal risks as well as builds external credibility and trust with funders, donors, and the public, strengthening the organization’s reputation.

Knowledge and Insights Center Resources

Business, Media, & Research Databases
From thousands of premium journals to the latest social sector news and media, Social Current Impact Partners and KIC subscribers have access to a wealth of evidence-based resources to support them in addressing any leadership challenge.

About the Knowledge and Insights Center
Social Current’s Knowledge and Insights Center equips social sector professionals with the research and resources they need to stay current on trends, implement best practices, and improve their organizations. It specializes in vetting information sources and systematizing information so that it is easy to understand. Gain access to the Knowledge and Insights Center by becoming a Social Current Impact Partner or purchasing access.

Download this spotlight on liability insurance as a PDF.

On Aug. 7, President Trump signed an executive order to strengthen the oversight and coordination of agency grantmaking as a means for increasing the accountability of the use of public funds. The order directs each agency head to designate a senior appointee to create a process to review new funding opportunity announcements and discretionary grants to ensure that they are consistent with agency priorities and the national interest. The order also encourages the use of plain language and interagency coordination to promote consistency and eliminate redundancy.

The executive order specifies that discretionary awards are not to be used to fund, promote, encourage, subsidize, or facilitate any initiatives that compromise public safety or promote anti-American values, racial preferences, illegal immigration, and the denial by the grant recipient of the sex binary in humans or the notion that sex is a chosen or mutable characteristic.

For future discretionary grant agreements terms and conditions, the order encourages language to prohibit recipients from directly drawing down general grant funds for specific projects without the affirmative authorization of the agency. It also recommends requiring grantees to provide written explanations or support, with specificity, for requests for each draw down.

For existing discretionary grants, the order directs agencies to revise their terms and conditions to permit their termination if an award no longer effectuates the program goals or agency priorities. In the case of a partial termination by the recipient, language should be standardized to include the grant’s termination if the agency determines that the remaining portion of the federal award will not accomplish the purposes for which the award was made.

Federal Agencies Pause Policies Restricting Eligibility of Certain Public Benefits

The Departments of Labor, Education, Justice, and Health and Human Services recently released notice of restricted eligibility for specific populations of immigrants and citizens receiving public benefits through the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996. The named benefits include programs that increase access to community mental health care, nutrition, housing support, and early childhood education.

Lawsuits were filed by 20 states and the District of Columbia in response, alleging federal agencies did not follow the required rulemaking process in issuing new immigration verification requirements.

The plaintiffs reached an agreement with the Trump administration to temporarily pause the policies’ enforcement until Sept. 3. The agreement is effective for the District of Columbia and the following states: New York, Washington, Rhode Island, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, and Wisconsin.

Senate Committee Approves FY 2026 Labor, HHS, Education Appropriations Bill

On July 31, the Senate Committee on Appropriations approved the FY 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act by a vote of 26 to 3.

The bill increases discretionary funding for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services by $446 million, compared to FY25. Key funding increases were approved for the Child Care and Development Block Grant, Head Start, and IDEA Special Education State grant programs. Additionally, the bill increases funding for the Substance Use Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery Services Block Grant, State Opioid Response grants, and the 988 Suicide Prevention Lifeline. It restores dedicated funding for the LGBTQ+ youth specialized services line.

The Senate Committee on Appropriations voted to maintain funding for the Administration for Community Living and increase funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). For further information, read the detailed summary of the bill published by Vice Chair of Appropriations Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash).

Head Start Approves Temporary Supplemental Funds for Nutrition and Healthy Eating

The Administration for Children and Families released program instructions outlining the process for Head Start grant recipients to request one-time supplemental funding to promote nutrition services and healthy eating for enrolled children and families. Funds may be allocated toward food service upgrades, materials, supplies and equipment, nutrition education resources, or non-recurring personnel costs.

Grant recipients are encouraged to assess programmatic and community nutrition and health needs and consider the immediate, interim, and long-term impact and associated costs. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and the priority deadline is Aug. 22.

Senate Holds Hearing to Address Elder Abuse & Neglect

On July 30, the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging held a hearing to discuss elder abuse and neglect. Senators and witnesses emphasized the importance of preventive approaches and maintaining a comprehensive network of support, especially since several instances of older abuse and neglect remain undetected.

Specifically, witnesses discussed the importance of Area Agencies on Aging to ensure older adults have access to necessary resources and opportunities for support through trusted relationships. They recommended equipping multidisciplinary teams with specialized training to grow community awareness and increase support for caregivers. Witnesses also encouraged the reauthorization of the Older Americans Act and strengthening the enforcement of federal standards in nursing facilities.

Sector Updates from the Judiciary

District Court Pauses Conditions on Domestic Violence Grants
The U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island issued a temporary restraining order to prevent the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services and Housing and Urban Development from enforcing certain grant requirements. Specifically, the policies enabled the departments to deny funding for programs that support diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

The temporary restraining order is effective for a coalition of 22 organizations that filed the lawsuit as the court considers an injunction.

District Court Dismisses Lawsuit Against Sanctuary Policies
The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Trump administration that alleged sanctuary policies obstruct federal efforts to enforce immigration laws. While sanctuary cities do not have a single definition, they typically refer to a broad range of policies that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement actions.

The Trump administration argued Illinois’ city, county, and state laws restrict information sharing with federal law enforcement officials and prevent immigration agents from identifying certain individuals.

Judge Lindsay Jenkins determined that the U.S. lacks standing to sue over sanctuary policies, as Illinois’ decision to enact the sanctuary laws is protected by the 10th Amendment. The 10th Amendment reserves any power for the states that is not explicitly granted to the federal government or denied to the states through the U.S. Constitution.

District Court Issues Nationwide Injunction Against Birthright Citizenship Executive Order
The U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts issued a nationwide injunction to pause an executive order that would restrict birthright citizenship to newborns with at least one parent who is a U.S. citizen or green card holder.

The lawsuit was filed by 18 states, alleging that they would suffer significant financial harm if the executive order were to take effect and citing the complexities of a patchwork system of citizenship.

Appeals Court Dismisses Lawsuit Challenging Washington Law Regarding Care for Transgender Youth
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit determined that parents do not have the legal authority to file a lawsuit against a Washington law that addresses the rights of transgender runaway youth who seek gender-affirming care at shelters.

The 2023 state law, SB 5599, excuses shelters from notifying parents whose children seek gender-affirming treatment and reproductive health services when the shelters have concerns that a notification could lead to parental abuse or neglect.

The lawsuit also addressed legislation governing outpatient treatment without parental consent and the obligations of state health officials to work with parents of runaway children.

District Court Pauses Medicaid Cuts to Planned Parenthood
The U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts issued a preliminary injunction against a provision of the recently enacted tax and spending bill, H.R. 1. The provision would prevent Planned Parenthood and its members from receiving Medicaid funding if they continue to provide abortions.

U.S. District Judge Talwani determined that the law likely violates the U.S. Constitution by specifically excluding Planned Parenthood’s health centers due to their status as abortion providers. The judge maintained that the law also violates Planned Parenthood members’ equal protection rights under the U.S. Constitution’s Fifth Amendment.

While litigation continues, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services cannot apply the provision to exclude any of Planned Parenthood’s health centers from Medicaid reimbursements.

District Court Pauses Termination of LGBTQ+ Health Research Grants
The U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland issued a preliminary junction, blocking the cancellation of more than $800 million in National institutes of Health (NIH) LGBTQ+ health research grants. The grants funded research considering issues related to gender dysphoria, mental health, and HIV/AIDS care.

The lawsuit was filed by the American Association of Physicians for Human Rights against the NIH and Department of Health and Human Services. The plaintiffs alleged that by targeting only certain, predominantly LGBTQ+-related research projects for funding cuts, the NIH engaged in unlawful discrimination.

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