This political era is full of new and evolving dangers for organizations doing civic engagement and organizing work, from specious legal persecution to threats of political violence. This panel will reflect on how organizations are adapting their approaches to organize and protect their communities and even go on the offensive. We’ll hear from organizers running courageous initiatives that hold a clear vision for a more free and fair multiracial democracy while protecting their communities from and confronting increased legal and physical threats. From training veterans to deescalate situations when white nationalists come armed to protests or the polls (Common Defense) to building local Black community power in the face of the SCOTUS decision on affirmative action (Black-Led Movement Fund) and fighting for abortion access in rural Texas after the fall of Roe (National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice), social movement leaders are widening the circle of safety and advancing alternatives to oppressive and regressive policies. The conversation will invite philanthropy to reframe its notions of “risk” and encourage funders to invest consistently in the organizations and communities that are defending democracy and boosting civic participation across race, class, gender, geography, and other identity markers.