Washington, D.C. – Democracy Forward filed suit against the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) today, seeking to compel the release of information about its September 2025 cancellation of a number of grants for nonprofit organizations as part of an unlawful political viewpoint purge, unrelated to the grant-funded activities of the organizations. The documents, which were requested under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), could shed light on communications and guidance surrounding the termination of these grants – announced in concert with an article in the online conservative publication The Daily Caller – which boasted about the cancellations on the basis of retribution for a focus on “diversity, equity, and inclusion.” None of the terminated agreements were implementing or otherwise funding DEI initiatives.
“The Trump-Vance administration doesn’t get to pick and choose which public information act requests it responds to – there is a legal obligation to hand over public documents when the owners of those documents – the public – ask for them,” said Skye Perryman, President & CEO of Democracy Forward. “We shouldn’t have to go to court to get this administration to comply with even the most basic public records laws, and yet, here we are again. It is illegal for the government to engage in viewpoint-based discrimination, and the records we seek will shed light on how this violation happened.”
On September 23, 2025, DOI suddenly issued termination notices to organizations advancing conservation work in communities around the country, including the Institute for Applied Ecology, The Institute for Bird Populations, and the Mid Klamath Watershed Council. The 79 cancelled grant agreements, totaling nearly $14 million, funded important work to protect and manage the nation’s natural resources and cultural heritage. In December, Democracy Forward and Tonkon Torp filed a lawsuit on behalf of the three organizations in the U.S. District Court in Oregon, seeking the court’s help in restoring the grants.
Also in December, Democracy Forward requested all public documents from DOI relating to communications between DOI staff and The Daily Caller, and though the request was initially acknowledged by DOI, the Department failed to produce the documents as required by law.
The case is Democracy Forward Foundation v. Department of the Interior, et. al. and the legal team at Democracy Forward working on the case includes Anisha N. Hindocha, Daniel McGrath and Robin Thurston.
Read today’s filing here.
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Democracy Forward Foundation is a national legal organization that advances democracy and social progress through litigation, policy, public education, and regulatory engagement. For more information, please visit www.democracyforward.org.
