Ms. Powell Jobs has privately said her philanthropy needed to practice more austerity, according to people who heard her remarks.
Laurene Powell Jobs, one of the wealthiest people in the world, cut just under 30 employees at Emerson Collective last week, in one of the first widespread layoffs at the philanthropy since she founded it 14 years ago.
The cuts, which were described by seven people with knowledge of the matter, amounted to more than 10 percent of the organization, which runs a network of political, artistic, athletic and journalistic ventures.
In recent months, Ms. Powell Jobs, 61, has suggested in Monday staff meetings that budget cuts were coming at Emerson Collective, three people who heard her remarks said. Last month, just after President Trump imposed sweeping tariffs that sent markets reeling, she said she believed the philanthropy needed to practice more austerity.
Several people who were laid off said some of Ms. Powell Jobs’s senior aides had indicated that the cuts were not solely a business decision and that political forces were also at play. During the layoffs, some aides referred to the political climate, saying that the organization was rethinking its strategy and that some roles were no longer necessary, the people said.
The layoffs reflect the business and political pressure that institutions like Emerson Collective face, especially as Mr. Trump pressures nonprofits that he sees as liberal. Many organizations in the world of liberal philanthropy became concerned after he singled out Harvard last month for a revocation of its tax-exempt status.
In a statement, Emerson Collective said that the causes for the “realignment” were solely financial conditions and that political considerations played no role. The organization is a limited liability company, not a traditional nonprofit.