Last year, the Trump administration restricted nonprofits that recognize gender beyond the binary or that support sexual and domestic violence survivors lacking permanent legal status from applying for federal grant funding. On Sept. 29, a Rhode Island judge overruled these restrictions.
The judge resolved a case filed by the R.I. Coalition Against Domestic Violence, among other organizations, in summer 2025. The lead plaintiff on the case, the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence — a coalition of 10 agencies focused on advocating for survivor-centered policy at a statewide level — received funds available under the Violence Against Women Act. The coalition had been receiving these grants for over two decades.
In a 2026 fiscal budget request, the Trump administration proposed a 29% budget cut to funding for the Office for Violence Against Women, which supports grants to help communities address domestic violence and sexual assault, among other issues.
The cuts would have required organizations to frame domestic violence solely as a criminal offense rather than a systemic issue — a reframing that nonprofit leaders say goes against their mission.
For the RICADV, “that would mean we wouldn’t be doing primary prevention work anymore; that we wouldn’t be looking at the intersections with economic justice and income inequality,” said Lucy Rios, executive director of RICADV. “For that reason, you know, that was a huge problem for us.”
Throughout the litigation process, the RICADV worked with the ACLU of RI’s legal team to provide them with information about the coalition’s funding and programs.
“It was really important that we stood up for all of survivors,” Rios said.
“The Trump administration’s restrictions posed incredibly important constitutional concerns,” said Steven Brown, the director of the the American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island and representative for the plaintiffs in the lawsuit. These include statutory concerns like compliance with the Administrative Procedures Act and violations of the First Amendment in telling specifying how nonprofits act and seek funding, he added.
U.S. District Judge Melissa DuBose ultimately ruled that the proposed cuts violated the Administrative Procedure Act on the grounds of being arbitrary and capricious. The ruling concluded that the U.S. Department of Justice failed to adequately explain its decision to condition grants on gender identity, immigration status and programs related to diversity, equity and inclusion.
“One of the problems is that there was really no explanation,” Steven Brown said. “It just seemed so beyond the pale in terms of its impact on victims of very serious crimes.”
Amy Romero, chief legal counsel at the Lawyers’ Committee for Rhode Island — which also represented the plaintiffs — spoke to a larger trend of decreased funding for nonprofit organizations.
“It’s certainly very chilling,” Romero said. “When federal funding has unlawful strings attached, we are committed to challenging those unlawful strings so that (nonprofits) can get that funding.”
“We are continuing to stay vigilant,” Rios said, adding that RICADV hopes to ensure “there aren’t any barriers put in place for organizations that serve survivors.”
“When we come together and stand for what is right, we win,” she said.
