News from the Hill POTUS Delivers his Final State of the Union Address In his final State of the Union address, President Obama spoke of his hope and vision for the future of the nation. Rather than listing specific policy plans, President Obama emphasized themes that harken back to the early…

Executive & Regulatory News Treasury, IRS Withdraw Proposed Rule for Gift Substantiation Yesterday, the Treasury Department and the IRS announced it has withdrawn the proposed rule that would have created an alternative way for charitable organizations to acknowledge and substantiate gifts…

Washington Snapshot will be taking a break for the next few weeks during the holidays. Our offices will be closed from December 25th—January 1st, but we wish all of our readers a happy and peaceful holiday with family and friends! Snapshot will return on Friday, January 8th. News from the Hill One…

News from the Hill Extender Negotiations Coming Down to the Wire Make Your Voice Heard! Despite efforts to pass a “tax extenders” package with a federal spending bill by today’s deadline, negotiations between Congressional Democrats and Republicans reached a stalemate—forcing the passage of…

Take Action Now on Extenders Hundreds of thousands heard the message! Yesterday marked the kickoff in a series of days over the next three weeks when the Council and our colleagues in the field will commit 5 minutes for philanthropy, and connect with Members of Congress about reinstating the…

Washington Snapshot will be going dark next week in recognition of the Thanksgiving holiday. We wish our readers a happy and peaceful holiday with family and friends. Snapshot will return on Friday, December 4th. Urge Congress to Make Charitable Tax Extenders Permanent The IRA Charitable Rollover…

Don't Miss Out on Community Foundation Week! Yesterday marked the first day of Community Foundation week! CF week has been celebrated every November 12th-18th since 1989 to raise awareness of the critical role of community philanthropy in supporting thriving communities across the country. In…

Community Foundation Week Starts Next Thursday Next Thursday, November 12th marks the beginning of Community Foundation week! CF week has been celebrated every November 12th-18th since 1989 to raise awareness of the critical role of community philanthropy in supporting thriving communities across…

News from the Hill Ryan is Elected Speaker of the House Yesterday afternoon, Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI-1) was elected as the next Speaker of the House. This marks the conclusion of a month-long process for the GOP to select a viable candidate for this position. With Ryan’s ascension to…

News from the Hill Nonprofit Leaders Urge Congress to Act on Extenders On Wednesday, the Council on Foundations and Independent Sector organized a briefing with the House and Senate Philanthropy Caucuses on Capitol Hill to urge Congress to take immediate action on making permanent the three…

Due to the Columbus Day holiday and this week’s Congressional recess, today’s edition of Washington Snapshot will be slightly abbreviated. News from the Hill Upcoming Philanthropy Caucus Briefing As our readers know, the Council on Foundations has been very active in reviving the Philanthropy…

News from the Hill Who will be the Next Speaker of the House? Yesterday, in a significant and surprising move, the leading Republican to replace John Boehner as House Speaker, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA-23), announced that he was withdrawing his candidacy for the position. This has caused…

Breaking News: Secretary Duncan to Step Down Just today, U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced that he will be stepping down in December from the position, which he has held since the beginning of the Obama Administration in 2009. It is expected that President Obama will…

Breaking News: Speaker Boehner to Retire at End of October Just as we were preparing to send Snapshot to our readers, we received word that Speaker of the House, Representative John Boehner (R-OH-8) will retire from Congress at the end of October. This announcement came during a meeting with GOP…

In 2012, the Department of Treasury and the IRS issued proposed regulations applicable to private foundations seeking to make grants to foreign organizations using equivalency determinations. At the time, the Council submitted comments in support of the rules, and urged Treasury and the IRS to…

Executive & Regulatory News New Guidance on Mission-Related Investing This week, the Treasury Department released long-awaited guidance on mission-related investments (MRIs), which the Council requested this year in our 2015-16 Treasury Priority Guidance Plan comments. The Council, along with…