Our amicus brief reflects our core belief in philanthropic freedom – the right of Americans to choose how and where to spend their charitable assets – and our commitment to safeguard the freedom of donors and private foundations to carry out their diverse charitable goals and missions, in order to preserve their distinctive contributions. Donor privacy and confidentiality are essential to a vibrant civil society, and unwarranted state incursions into private charitable giving will chill the exercise of First Amendment freedoms which insure that donors may give even to controversial philanthropic causes—such as the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s —without fear of harassment and reprisal. Donor privacy also protects those who choose to give anonymously for a variety of good reasons, including deeply held moral or religious beliefs, a sense of humility, a wish to lead a more private life, and the desire to minimize solicitations from other organizations.
