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U.S. Program Resources

ICNL offers up-to-date, freely accessible information on issues shaping the legal environment for the freedoms of association, assembly, and expression in the United States. Explore our full collection of U.S. resources below. For our trackers and databases, please see this page.

State-Level Terrorism Designation Laws and U.S. Nonprofits     

This briefer examines recent state laws authorizing the designation of domestic organizations as “terrorist” entities. It explains how these laws may affect U.S. nonprofits and their supporters and discusses constitutional concerns these laws raise. In 2026, lawmakers in several states ...

Reforming the Foreign Agents Registration Act to Protect U.S. Nonprofits 

This briefer describes the dangers the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) poses to U.S. nonprofits and the need for comprehensive FARA reform. FARA is a World War II era anti-propaganda statute that requires an “agent of a foreign principal” engaged in ...

Navigating the Foreign Agents Registration Act 

This briefer provides an overview of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) and shares steps nonprofits can take to navigate the Act. It is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. FARA was enacted in 1938 in ...

Federal Terrorism Law and U.S. Civil Society: An Explainer

Federal law does not have a standalone offense of “domestic terrorism.” Federal law does, however, contain terrorism-related provisions that can cover domestic actors. Examples include the offense of providing material support for terrorism and increased penalties for certain crimes if ...

Freedom of Assembly

Since 2017, ICNL has tracked hundreds of state and federal bills that restrict the right to protest. ICNL provides analysis and research on this legislation. U.S. Protest Law Tracker Analysis of U.S. Anti-Protest Bills Legislative Briefer: Anti-Mask Laws and the ...

United States: Protecting Nonprofits from Overbroad Terrorism Legislation

Our Impact In the wake of Hamas’s attack on Israel in October 2023, members of Congress introduced legislation HR 6408 that would allow the Treasury Secretary to designate nonprofits as “terrorist supporting organizations” and suspend their tax-exempt status based on ...

ICNL Comment on Proposed Changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program

The U.S. Program of the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL) submitted these comments in September 2025 in response to the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) from the Education Department on proposed amendments to the implementing regulations for the Public ...

New DHS Rules Affecting Protests Near Federal Property: An Explainer 

On November 5, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the advanced implementation of new rules governing conduct around federal property. Unlike prior rules, which applied only to people on federal property, the new DHS rules extend to conduct ...

National Security, Public Order, & Criminal Enterprise Laws

This briefer examines recent state laws authorizing the designation of domestic organizations as “terrorist” entities and how they may affect U.S. nonprofits and their supporters. This briefer summarizes select federal terrorism offenses and designations that may be relevant to U.S ...

Nonprofits & Tax-Exempt Status

This briefer focuses on avenues by which 501(c)(3) nonprofits can lose their tax- exempt status, analyzes measures in place to prevent politicized investigations by the IRS, and details steps nonprofits can take to protect themselves. The Congressional Investigations Tracker follows ...

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