Le Pen plans to cut up to €4bn in funding to French charities and associations

Marine Le Pen has proposed cutting billions of euros in public funding to organisations considered ‘politicised’, a plan that could affect charities, cultural groups, trade unions and local associations providing services used by people across France, including foreign residents.

The Rassemblement National’s (RN) latest budget plan aims to save €2bn in 2027 by reducing state subsidies to associations it says do not serve the public interest.

The savings would rise to €3.7bn a year from 2028 until 2031, according to Public Sénat. 

The party, however, has not yet published a separate financial estimate for its more recent proposal to exclude politically active associations.

“There is an ecosystem, a myriad of associations that receive public subsidies and are funded by French taxpayers, who already struggle to pay their taxes, and these are a myriad of politicised far-left associations,” Ms Le Pen said in an interview with Franceinfo on October 21.

She said that these ‘politicised’ associations should not receive public subsidies, whether from the national government, regions, departments or municipalities.

On October 8, RN MPs tabled an amendment during the examination of the 2027 Finance Bill that would require associations receiving public subsidies to refrain from any action or communication intended to support or oppose a political party, elected representative or election candidate.

It also proposed suspending tax advantages for donations to organisations found to have breached the requirement. The amendment was rejected.

Ms Le Pen has not defined what would make an association ‘politicised’, or how this would be assessed in practice.

Which organisations could be affected?

The RN has identified several organisations it believes should not receive public funding.

Senator Edwige Diaz, who leads the party’s group in the Senate, has already named the Planning Familial, which provides information and support on contraception, sexual health and reproductive rights, and the Ligue des droits de l’Homme, which campaigns on civil liberties and human rights.

“The Planning Familial has a role in society, but without political neutrality, it will have to do without state subsidies,” she said, according to Public Sénat.

Cultural organisations, charities supporting migrants and refugees, environmental organisations and groups campaigning on social issues could also be targeted if political neutrality became a condition for receiving funding.

For example, during debates on the 2026 budget, the RN submitted an amendment targeting funding for the Trans Musicales music festival in Rennes.

Trade unions have also been drawn into the debate. RN MP Sébastien Chenu initially suggested that public funding should be withdrawn from politically active organisations, including unions, saying the CGT trade union should rely on membership fees instead.

However, he later said that “trade unions are not associations exactly like the others and, in those cases, they would be subject to checks on their accounts like political parties,” in an interview on LCP’s (La Chaîne Parlementaire - Assemblée nationale) programme Lundi, c’est politique.

What could it mean for everyday life in France?

France has around 1.27 million associations, according to a 2025 review by the Inspection générale des finances. Of these, more than 314,000 receive funding from the state or local authorities.

Associations deliver services and activities across France, from sports clubs and cultural events to social support, education, language classes and help for vulnerable people.

If such a reduction were applied, it could force some of them to reduce activities, increase membership fees, rely more on donations and volunteers, or close services altogether.

This would depend on how the proposed political-neutrality test was applied.

For foreign residents, it could affect local associations they have come to rely on for practical support, such as groups offering French-language classes, cultural activities, help with administrative procedures and social integration.

More broadly, it could determine how freely associations could continue to speak out on public issues without risking the loss of funding. Many act as intermediaries between residents and public authorities, bringing forward problems that affect their communities.

With France’s 2027 presidential election approaching, a debate could focus on who would decide whether an organisation is politically neutral, and how.