Global Philanthropy Update - January 2019
The Council on Foundations is excited and ready for new changes in 2019. We are moving back into the heart of Washington, D.C., in February, welcoming our new CEO in March, and celebrating the Council's 70th anniversary at our conference in Miami in April, to name just a few.
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We are also releasing an expanded Country Notes resource library later this month. Country Notes provide detailed information on non-profit laws in 35 countries, thanks to our partnership with ICNL. In effort to better serve our members and the field, we have expanded content around our 13 most-visited countries and created new, members-only resources.
Each expanded Country Note we will now have the following resources:
- A main “hub page” that has links to sub-pages and a member highlight – open to all
- A NGO laws page – open to all and updated annually by ICNL
- A “Getting Started” page with local contacts, links to government charity registries (where available), key regulations to watch, and lists of active Council members – Council members only
- A curated resources page highlighting relevant reports, blog articles, and past webinars/events– open to all
These new pages will be available in the coming weeks – please look out for our launch information in your inbox soon, as well as announcements of other new global resources.
I also hope you’ve registered for the Council’s Leading Together Conference in April – we have a global pre-conference and our annual Global Dinner on Monday April 29th, as well as globally-focused content throughout the conference. We hope to see many of our members and partners in Miami! If you’re interested in sponsoring any of the global content, please contact me at Natalie.ross@cof.org.
Best,
Natalie Ross
Vice President, External Relations
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Webinar: Updates on Global Giving and Non-Tax U.s. Regulations That Impact Funders
January 23 | 2:00-3:00 PM EST
Join the Council’s senior counsel Suzanne Friday as she discusses U.S. regulation and compliance issues outside of the U.S. Tax Code that affect global grantmakers. Topics include regulations like the Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA), Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), U.S. Treasury’s voluntary anti-terrorism guidelines, and more.
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Resources & Reports
As we kick off 2019, here are three things we’re tracking closely as they continue to develop:
- The situation for civil society and international philanthropy in Brazil, following President Bolsonaro’s election. We’ve already seen a new presidential decree on NGOs. More here (PSJP) and here (ICNL).
- The continued focus in Congress on strengthening enforcement by the Department of Justice around the Foreign Agent’s Registration Act (FARA), but without tightening language to ensure the law isn’t used to politically target or unnecessarily burden non-profits and foundations. New language was included in HR1 this month, following more than 12 bills introduced in Congress in 2018.
- New research around funders’ response to shrinking civic space that impacts cross-border philanthropy, including from the Funders' Initiative on Civil Society and Transparency and Accountability Initiative. This new research builds on last year’s report from the B Team on companies and shrinking space and CSIS’s analysis of three global civic space initiatives.
GLOBAL PHILANTHROPY & DEVELOPMENT NEWS
How Big Grants Can Pave the Way to More Investments via Devex
Co-Impact, a collaborative of funders focused on systems change, announced its first grants totaling $80 million, which aim to improve health, strengthen education, and increase opportunity for people in South Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
How Corporates Are Approaching Sustainability and the SDGs via Brookings
Companies tend to prioritize SDGs that align with their core business, rather than taking an all-encompassing approach.
On Philanthropy: U.N. Sustainable Development Goals Falling Short; How to Apply an SDG Lens to your Giving via Denver Post
Foundations and philanthropists are committing billions of dollars to achieve the SDGs, but much more needs to be done. Every philanthropist — whether giving through a family or corporate foundation, donor-advised fund, or personal funds — can apply an SDG lens to their giving.
Questioning Scale as We Know It via Indian Development Review
Do we really understand scale, and the trade-offs we make in the pursuit of it? To many funders in India, scale appears to automatically imply creating a mammoth organization that delivers services across the length and breadth of the country, but other alternative approaches can have impact.
