CARTOONISTS RIGHTS PLEDGE DRIVE, DECEMBER 2025

CARTOONISTS RIGHTS PLEDGE DRIVE, DECEMBER 2025

Every holiday season CARTOONISTS RIGHTS asks for your direct support in aid of our mission to defend cartoonists whose freedom of expression is threatened simply because of what they draw, leading to their criminalization, displacement, judicial harassment, physical or verbal abuse, or worse.

Coming to the end of a very hard year in our sector and looking ahead to the next, we face two challenges common to all American non-profits with an international remit:

HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT

The USA's withdrawal from humanitarian efforts abroad, DOGE-led cuts to funding, the issuing of total travel bans on multiple nationalities, the near total abeyance of accommodation for refugees and asylum-seekers, disruption to visa applications and the threat posed to legitimately admitted foreign nationals posed by ICE, the knock-on effects of the recent government shut-down, and the mischaracterization of those working in our sector voiced by key figures in government have all led to worsening operating conditions. Independent foundations and alternative sources of grant funding cannot compensate for the absence of the government.

SUPPLY & DEMAND

Inevitably, as alternative providers have experienced a spike in applications their processes have slowed down, at the same time as attempting to restructure what they are able to disburse to maximize its effect. The net result is that many non-profits have in the past year received less than they budgeted for, and took longer to get it, while the numbers in turn asking them for assistance only increased across the board. Victims who might once have been fast-tracked must now be told to stay put and wait for things to improve. Mechanisms intended for emergency intervention have been used to sustain life for months on end, draining their efficacy. And there is a third, more insidious problem specific to our constituency:

SATIRE & FREE SPEECH IN CRISIS
We live under an administration that is unapologetic in its targeting of satirists. Certainly, our day-to-day remains largely focused on cartoonists threatened by authoritarians and extremists in familiar hot spots (Afghanistan, Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Türkiye) but in recent months we've had cause to examine cases in Belgium, Croatia, South Africa, the UK and USA as well. The front lines are being redrawn. It's not incredible to imagine

an American cartoonist soon threatened enough to merit our Courage in Cartooning Award.

We know times are hard and everyone faces high living costs. So, only if you can, please consider donating. Remember, setting up a little each month helps us over the whole year of activity more than one larger payment – although all contributions are very welcome!

And help spread the word by forwarding our social media posts in the coming weeks, and especially on GIVING TUESDAY, 12/02.

Thank you for your support!
Link – https://cartoonistsrights.org/donate

Further information
Cartoonists Rights Network International – CARTOONISTS RIGHTS for short – is a human rights non-profit focused on defense of threatened cartoonists' freedom of expression and founded by Dr. Robert Russell in 1999. An award in Dr. Russell's name is given to cartoonists who exhibit exemplary bravery under duress. Past recipients of the Robert Russell Courage in Cartooning Award include Zehra Ömeroğlu (Türkiye) , Abecor (Bolivia), Badiucao (China), Pedro X. Molina (Nicaragua), and Atena Farghadani (Iran). The prize alternates biannually with the Kofi Annan Courage in Cartooning Award presented by the Freedom Cartoonists Foundation, Geneva. Giving Tuesday i.e. the Tuesday following Thanksgiving in the USA, is a "global generosity movement unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and the world". In recent years it has been observed as an opportunity for non-profits to benefit at the end of what is generally considered to be the busiest shopping period of the year. 

CARTOONISTS RIGHTS is not associated with the registered charity that uses the name Giving Tuesday.

We are 501(c)(3) organization incorporated in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Donations are tax deductible to the full extent allowable under law in the USA. Those wishing to make a deduction for the 2025 tax year should donate before 00:00 01/01/26. A financial statement is available upon written request from the Office of Charitable and Regulatory Programs, Virginia Dept. of Agriculture and Consumer Services. 

Further inquiries should be sent to: director@cartoonistsrights.org