By Rod Williams, December 2, 2025 - I am in the process of completing my end-of-year giving and for those who may be doing the same or are those who are normally not very charitable and are thinking of becoming so, I wanted to suggest you consider the organizations I list below.
I don't make a distinction between supporting the cause of freedom and charitable giving. To my way of thinking, there is no better use of my money than in helping to conserve the American Founding. I want to leave the world a better place than I found it and I want future generations to know the blessings of liberty, justice, a free-market economy, and a world not dominated by authoritarian and totalitarian tyrants. I believe freedom is the greatest gift we can leave our descendants. The way I view it, making a campaign contribution to someone who will advance the cause of freedom is as worthwhile as giving to Saint Jude's or the Alzheimer's Foundation.
I am not a wealthy man, and my contributions are modest by the standards of some, but for the last dozen years are so, I have had more disposable income than I have had in earlier periods of my life, so I have increased my giving.
Like last year, I am not feeling quite as generous as I have felt in years past. I am not sure why, exactly. With the reelection of Donald Trump and seeing how he is shredding the Constitution, and day by day imposing his authoritarianism on the nation, I think that helping thwart this march toward authoritarianism is the most important use I could make of my money, but I don't really know where it is best to spend it to that end. I refuse to support candidates or causes that advance a woke, progressive, socialist agenda. I want to oppose Trumpism and yet not advance the left.
Prior to the Republican Party becoming the Party of the Trump cult, I contributed to the RNC, the Senate Republican fundraising organization, the House Republican fundraising organization, and the Republican Governors Association and the State Party and the local Party. I also supported individual conservative candidates and I supported prominent conservative organizations such as the American Conservative Union, also known as CPAC, and the Heritage Foundation. I have recently seen no candidates worthy of my support and several of the Republican and conservative organizations that I used to support have abandoned the principles they long advocated and now advance the cause of authoritarian nationalist populism, so I no longer give to them. So, that money is looking for a home.
I wish there was a prominent PAC dedicated to advancing traditional conservatism within the Republican Party and financing candidates to primary the Trump acolytes, but I don't see one, so I am holding a lot of my funding in reserve until I find the right place to put it to work.
While organizations like CPAC and Heritage have gone Trump, there are still several think tanks and other organizations advancing conservatism and I have increased my contributions to these. I think it is important to fund the organizations that continue to promote free market ideas, constitutionalism, and liberty. Liberty is now threatened from the Trumpian right and the progressive woke left. Those promoting liberty need to be supported.
In addition to the list below, I also help a couple of individuals financially. If you have a family member or an acquaintance in need whom you could help, that may be where your charity should begin. If people helped other people directly, there would be less demand for the welfare state. Personal giving creates a community bond, and you know if the recipient is deserving. Often, churches help fellow church members in this way. I am not a member of a faith community, but I think that supporting one's local congregation can be a good way to give.
Unfortunately, sometimes charity does more harm than it does good, both foreign and domestic charity. A good documentary that makes this point is Poverty Inc. Before giving, I ask myself if this organization just perpetuates dependency, or does it respond to a crisis, or support actions that really help people long-term. Sometimes it is hard to know.
When I give, I want to make sure I am not being scammed and that the organization I support does more than just perpetuate itself. A lot of organizations spend more money raising money than they do funding their goal. A good source for checking an organization's efficiency is Charity Navigator and Charity Watch.
Another thing I consider when giving is that I don't want to support and encourage bad behaviors. I never give money to beggars holding signs on the side of the road. In addition to encouraging bad behavior, they may be trying to scam you. I don't want homeless people freezing on the streets, so I support organizations like The Salvation Army and The Nashville Rescue Mission, but do not support panhandling.
I also do not contribute money to organizations that insult my values. For several years, I gave money to an organization that saves places of natural beauty in Tennessee and preserves critical habitats. I still think they do a worthwhile job doing what they do. However, in one of their email communications about three or four years ago, they went off-topic and expressed their support for Black Lives Matter and pledged a commitment to equity and diversity, and social justice. I support tolerance, equality, and non-discrimination, but not contemporary woke concepts of social justice and equity. I marked them off of my giving list. There was also another organization I stopped supporting for the same reason. I am not going to support any organization whose values I do not share and that insults my values.
I think in this age of misinformation and attacks on the press that it is important to support journalism, and I subscribe to many more publications than I can possibly read. I subscribe to The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal and some others. I also subscribe to The Tennessean, although it is not much of a newspaper; however, I do not want our city to not have a daily newspaper. If we don't support journalism, the truth will suffer, and corruption will flourish. While there are thousands of blogs and podcasts and pundits, a free society needs boots on the ground digging for the truth. We need more than just opinions; we need facts. I think subscribing to newspapers is a contribution to a better world and preserving freedom. I am not listing these publications as charitable giving but in a sense, it is. I am using my limited resources to advance a worthwhile goal.
I also subscribe to National Review and a couple of other conservative journals that have not succumbed to Trumpism. In addition, I am a paid subscriber to The Bulwark and The Dispatch. I get more than enough of their free stuff on YouTube and newsletters, but I want to support them. Not all analysis can fit in a meme or be expressed in 280 characters. Good analysis and opinion journalism need to be supported.
If you are looking for a place to give, please consider the following.
Rod's End-of-Year Giving List
The Beacon Center is my favorite non-profit and gets the largest single chunk of my charitable giving. It is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, and independent organization dedicated to providing expert empirical research and timely free-market solutions to public policy issues in Tennessee. Time and time again, Tennessee is recognized for being one of the most fiscally responsible and economically free states in the union. Much of the credit for these honors is due to the work of the Beacon Center. The Beacon Center has worked to ensure the Right to Work by pushing to overturn professional licensure laws that serve no purpose but to keep out the competition. They have worked to prevent local government from banning work-from-home opportunities like recording studios in homes in Music City. They have stopped local government from forcing homeowners to build public sidewalks when they remodel their homes. Beacon is responsible for enshrining the protection against being forced to join a union in the State Constitution. Beacon gets much of the credit for the advancement of educational choice in Tennessee. Beacon produces the annual "Pork Report," highlighting the most egregious examples of government waste in Tennessee.
Nashville Rescue Mission: "A Christ-centered community committed to helping the hungry, homeless, and hurting by providing programs and services that focus on a person’s entire life-physical, mental, spiritual, emotional, and social. We are devoted to restoring the whole person through a Christian approach that helps the homeless and addicted learn how much God loves them and gain the biblical insight they need to lead a productive life in and for Christ.
We provide emergency services that meet immediate and practical need for people experiencing homelessness, hunger, disappointment, and regret. By meeting these most basic and immediate needs, not tied to any expectations, we provide “hope for today” in a nurturing environment that reflects the love of God in tangible ways.
Guests are cared for in a safe, supportive environment where they can find refuge and rest. Once their basic and immediate needs are addressed, case managers work one-on-one with each person to identify next steps, including healthcare and treatment options with a goal of helping them change unhealthy patterns of behavior.
If you or someone you know is in immediate need of food, clothing, or shelter, Nashville Rescue Mission serves three hot meals a day and is open 365 days a year. You are welcome here.
Nashville Rescue Mission’s Emergency Services Include: FOOD, SHELTER, CLOTHING, HOT SHOWERS AND PERSONAL HYGIENE, COURTYARDS/DAY ROOMS, CASE MANAGEMENT TRANSFORMATIVE PROGRAMS, EDUCATION/TRAINING."
The Mercatus Center: "A research center at George Mason University that advances knowledge about how markets solve problems and help us lead happier, healthier, and richer lives. For more than 40 years, Mercatus has supported leading talent and scholarship in the mainline economics tradition, applying rigorous research to real-world concerns. Through our continuing efforts to bridge the gap between theory and practice, we strive to realize a world where markets operate at their full potential to increase abundance, civility, and well-being. Your gift to the Mercatus Center ensures free-market ideas are championed in public policy, the academy, and the broader public discourse. 100% of your donation supports educating tomorrow's academic leaders as well as generating peer-reviewed research on today's most pressing issues."
Doctors without borders: "Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) translates to Doctors without Borders. We provide medical assistance to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or exclusion from healthcare. Our teams are made up of tens of thousands of health professionals, logistic and administrative staff - bound together by our charter. Our actions are guided by medical ethics and the principles of impartiality, independence and neutrality. We are a non-profit, self-governed, member-based organization. MSF was founded in 1971 in Paris by a group of journalists and doctors. Today, we are a worldwide movement of nearly 63,000 people."
Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee opened its doors in 1978 with commitment from several community leaders. The purpose of the organization was to provide a central distribution center for companies, groups, and individuals who wished to help provide food for hungry people in Middle Tennessee. During my years of working for a non-profit agency, we were a Second Harvest outlet. This organization provides food, mostly bread, that would otherwise be thrown away, to needy people.
The Fund for American Studies: "(TFAS) is a 501(c)3 educational nonprofit that is changing the world by developing leaders for a free society. Our transformational programs teach the principles of limited government, free-market economics and honorable leadership to students and young professionals in America and around the world."
By offering a portfolio of more than 20 different academic programs, fellowships and seminars, the TFAS Journey helps cultivate future leaders from high school, all the way through to their university studies and professional careers.
Today, there are more than 42,000 TFAS alumni making the difference in their communities and throughout the world by championing the values essential to the preservation and success of a free society."
"The Salvation Army has Been Serving Nashville For Over 125 Years Through Much Needed Social Services And Programs. A 90-bed Adult Alcohol and Rehabilitation Center for men was opened in 1900 and served the community for over 100 years. In 1940, The Salvation Army built and opened the “Red Shield” Community Center – rebuilt in 1984 as the Magness-Potter Community Center which offered Army-administered youth and adult leisure activity programs. Now, the community center houses the United Way-sponsored Family Resource Center, the Red Shield Kids Club after-school and summer day camp programs, the Life Skills Learning Center, the Second Harvest Food Pantry, and the Emergency Services Program. In 1980, the Area Command facility was moved from Demonbreun to Dickerson Pike, receiving the name the “Center of Hope”, and opened a 75-person transient shelter, an emergency shelter for men, and a day and night child care center serving homeless and other families in urgent need. Today, the Center of Hope and the Magness-Potter Community Center, along with the three worship centers, serve Nashville by being strategically placed in the neediest areas of the community. Our services are provided to all of Davidson County, as well as Cheatham, Dickson, Hickman, Williamson, and Sumner Counties. Your donation will directly impact your community.
The Salvation Army has been many things over the years as communities’ needs have changed over the years, but today, the focus of the Nashville Salvation Army is to fight poverty and prevent homelessness in our community through a myriad of comprehensive programs designed to bring a holistic approach to the individual’s or family’s need."
The Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation (VOC) is an educational, research, and human rights nonprofit organization devoted to commemorating the more than 100 million victims of communism around the world and to pursuing the freedom of those still living under totalitarian regimes.
Institute for Justice: "IJ is a nonprofit, public interest law firm. Our mission is to end widespread abuses of government power and secure the constitutional rights that allow all Americans to pursue their dreams. Donations to the Institute for Justice enable us to represent our clients at no cost to them—and to stand with them no matter how long their cases take. And when we win for our clients, we secure precedent that protects the rights of all Americans. IJ’s work is powered by nearly 10,000 supporters from across the country who believe in the Constitution and its ideals. 70% of our funding comes from individuals like you. Please join our fight for freedom and justice today." IJ has been involved in several high-profile fights over the years in Nashville. IJ defended a small music studio owner from efforts of the city to take her property by condemnation for no other purpose than to provide room for expansion of a bigger neighbor. In the pre-ride-share days of Uber and Lyft, IJ defended an innovative entrepreneur who wanted to provide cheaper limo rides and had to fight city hall. IJ has defended homeowners who wanted to work from home.
"The American Enterprise Institute is a public policy think tank dedicated to defending human dignity, expanding human potential, and building a freer and safer world. The work of our scholars and staff advances ideas rooted in our belief in democracy, free enterprise, American strength and global leadership, solidarity with those at the periphery of our society, and a pluralistic, entrepreneurial culture.
The Center Square. The disappearance and decline of journalism concern me. Nashville went from two daily papers to one newspaper that is only a shadow of its former self. While there are lots of people, like me, blogging and sharing opinions, without staff they can seldom break stories. Journalism needs paid boots on the ground. News, especially local news, most often comes down to shootings, car wrecks, sports, and reposted press releases. There are far too few outlets looking for scandals and corruption. The watchdog of democracy has died.
The Center Square is conservative but without the rancor, sensationalism, and conspiratorial mindset of what defines many so-called conservative news sources today.
"The Center Square was launched in May 2019 to fulfill the need for high-quality statehouse and statewide news across the United States. The focus of our work is state- and local-level government and economic reporting. A taxpayer sensibility distinguishes our work from other coverage of state and local issues. As a result of this approach, our readers are better informed about the focus of state and local government and its cost to the citizens whose tax dollars fund governmental decisions.
The Center Square is staffed by editors and reporters with extensive professional journalism experience. We engage readers with essential news, data and analysis – delivered with velocity, frequency and consistency. We distribute our journalism through three main channels at no cost to our partners or readers: a newswire service to legacy publishers and broadcasters. The Center Square is a project of the 501(c)(3) Franklin News Foundation, headquartered in Chicago."
Pre-Born! partners with life-affirming pregnancy clinics all across the nation. In the wake of the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, several states where abortion is still legal have become key destinations for vulnerable women seeking abortions. Planned Parenthood has placed mobile abortion units on the borders of states where abortion is illegal.
Pre-Born! provides ultrasound equipment to pro-life pregnancy crisis centers. Data shows that when an expectant mother sees an ultrasound image of her baby and hears the heartbeat, she most often decides to keep the child.
National Review Institute. "Your support ensures that NRI will continue to preserve and promote the legacy of William F. Buckley Jr. and advance the conservative principles he championed: limited government, free markets, individual liberty, personal responsibility, a strong national defense, and the rule of law. Your philanthropic investment is a vote of confidence in our mission and our methods. "
The Pamphleteer: The Pamphleteer is an arts, culture, and politics publication based in Nashville, TN. Corporate and progressive media dominate the landscape in the state of Tennessee. The word "independent"—typically associated with legacy brands such as the Nashville Scene—means less and less as time goes on. Many of the perspectives from local media outlets you read come from an almost identical perspective, inseparable from the tone and tenor of politics at the federal level. The Pamphleteer seeks to reinvigorate local discourse by offering fresh, regional perspectives on local topics. It is our hope that through our work, we can challenge readers to engage more earnestly in local politics and motivate leaders to reach higher and farther in their efforts to make Nashville a world-class city.
As an independent source of objective policy analysis, we regularly engage policymakers of both parties and help them develop and analyze proposals to improve the country’s fiscal and economic condition. These efforts have reinforced the Committee’s role as an authoritative voice for fiscal responsibility and an educational resource for policymakers and the general public. We are also a trusted budget watchdog that assists journalists across the country in understanding fiscal developments in Washington.
WinTheCenter PAC: "Elections are decided in the center. That’s where most Americans are – and that’s where Democrats must compete and win. Win the Center was built from the momentum of Adam Frisch’s campaign against Lauren Boebert, where a pragmatic Democrat almost unseated an extremist in a Solid Republican district.
We know the path to victory isn’t about chasing the loudest voices – it’s about earning trust in the center, building broad coalitions, and putting our communities over Washington politics. In partnership with WelcomePAC, we’re taking these lessons national, and backing Democratic fighters who can win tough races, beat extremist opponents, and deliver for working families."
This is new for me. I never thought I would be supporting a Democrat PAC, but given the current political landscape, I am willing to support any faction of the political spectrum that is not far-right nationalist populist or far-left woke progressive socialist. I would much prefer a commonsense Republican PAC rather than a commonsense Democratic PAC, but I can't find a Republican one.
I am going to wrap this up, but below are other organizations that I think are worthy of support, to which I have previously contributed or am considering contributing.
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