Lab Notes: The Mid-Year Reckoning

We are halfway through 2026. Not almost halfway. Not approaching the midpoint. Halfway. Whatever you said you were going to do in January, you've had six months to do it. And in this month's Essential Leadership Lab cohorts, we stopped moving long enough to look back, so we can move forward with intention. This is the June installment of Lab Notes, our monthly series turning the high-level discussions of the Essential Leadership Lab into actionable insights for the broader nonprofit community. This month, we moved past the polished updates and assessed the gap between our intentions and our reality.

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OMB Is Rewriting the Rules. Nonprofits Need to Weigh In.

On May 29, 2026, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) proposed sweeping revisions to the rules that govern how federal grant dollars flow to nonprofits, as well as to state and local governments and tribal nations. The OMB Uniform Guidance is the foundational rulebook for federal grantmaking. It governs everything from how nonprofits recover their overhead costs to how federal agencies structure grant announcements. For the tens of thousands of nonprofits that partner with the federal government to deliver services in communities across the country, these rules are the operating conditions that determine whether those partnerships are viable.

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Lab Notes: The Unbundling of the Fundraising Profession

Twenty-five years ago, the day-to-day responsibilities of the heads of development teams looked different than they do today. The ecosystem was more contained, and lines of accountability were clear. That same role now orchestrates 30, 50, sometimes 100+ people across internal and external teams, technology platforms, and volunteer networks. The fundraising function hasn't just grown, it's been fundamentally disaggregated.

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Logo of TNPA Leading EDGE.

Leading EDGE Updates | May 2026

Check out our latest TNPA blog post for quarterly updates, including ways to get involved with our community of nonprofits, nonprofit-supporting companies, schools, and students who are passionate about making a difference through the social good sector!

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This Isn’t About SPLC. It’s About All of Us.

The April 21st federal indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has sparked predictable responses along predictable lines. As the Chronicle of Philanthropy reported in an email last week, progressive organizations have rallied in defense. Conservative outlets have amplified the charges. And in the middle, where most of the nonprofit sector actually lives and works, there's silence.

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Top Ten AI Usage Policy Considerations for Nonprofits

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming nonprofit business operations. AI provides great promise with respect to enhancing efficiency, optimizing workflows, analyzing data, and boosting productivity. At the same time, AI presents various legal, ethical, reputational, and other risks. A sound AI usage policy can enable a nonprofit organization to leverage the promise of AI without compromising work product integrity, disclosing privileged, confidential, or proprietary information, eroding its mission, jeopardizing its reputation, or subjecting the nonprofit to undue legal exposure. Leaders in the nonprofit community should consider the following practical advice when developing and implementing an AI usage policy for their organizations.

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The President’s Fiscal Year 2027 Budget: Continued Cuts Will Impact Nonprofits

On Friday, April 2, President Trump submitted his Fiscal Year 2027 budget request to Congress. While this document is a formal submission of the administration’s priorities, it does not reflect what Congress may ultimately approve. And the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Fiscal Year 2026 remains unresolved, which adds another hurdle to a complicated appropriations process during a midterm election year.

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