Corporate Giving Programs and Foundations
Corporate Philanthropy refers to the investments and activities a company voluntarily undertakes to responsibly manage and account for its impact on society. It includes investments of money, donations of products, in-kind services and technical assistance, employee volunteerism, and other business transactions to advance a social cause, issue, or the work of a nonprofit organization. Corporate foundations and corporate giving programs traditionally play a major role in these areas.
Due to the large number of resources on our website, we highly recommend you use the site navigation or the search feature to find what you are looking for.
Employer Disaster Relief Funds Are Not Donor-Advised
Legal Compliance Guidance
Responding to requests from the Council on Foundations and Independent Sector, the Internal Revenue Service on December 4, 2006 issued interim guidance on several of the donor-advised fund issues arising from the Pension Protection Act of 2006. The IRS notice is available at http://www.irs.gov/pub/…
Military Aid: How Grantmakers Can Support Military Personnel
Americans may disagree about various aspects of war, but there is broad support for helping the men and women who are fighting in wars and the families they have left behind. Dedicated assistance groups are working to provide aid to military personnel and their relatives. This article surveys the…
Providing Relief in Times of Disaster - Grants to New Charities
Legal Compliance Guidance
Ideally, grantmakers will work with an existing charity or other well-established organization to provide disaster relief. But in the months after a disaster, it is not uncommon to see new charities cropping up in efforts to meet the immense and diverse needs of the affected communities. The…
Grants to Government
Legal Compliance Guidance
The private foundation executive director was concerned. Members of her board were going to make grants to promote public housing and economic development but none of the groups involved were the typical 501(c)(3)s to which the foundation normally made grants. One possibility seemed to be making a…
Matching Gift FAQs
Fundamentals
What are the administrative/legal requirements for matching gift programs?
Is there a minimum or maximum to the corporation's or foundation's match?
Are there any gifts that should not be matched?
What kind of gifts can the corporation or foundation match?
What about matching gifts to…
Providing Relief in Times of Disaster
For many foundation managers, meeting community, regional, or even global needs is a primary aspect of everyday business. But when disaster strikes, foundations may find the need to quickly provide relief while accurately navigating a new set of grantmaking rules. These guidelines outline the basic…
Re-Grants by International Intermediaries That Are Not Public Charities
Legal Compliance Guidance
In international grantmaking, private foundations often make grants to organizations (“Initial Grantees”) that, in turn, re-grant those funds to other non-public charity organizations or individuals (“Secondary Grantees”).
Legal issues arise when a private foundation makes a grant to an Initial…
Funding Charitable Work in Sanctioned Countries
Legal Compliance Guidance
Since the terrorism attacks on September 11, 2001, grantmakers and other charitable organizations have become quite familiar with the work of the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in the area of anti-terrorism concerns. OFAC has been one of the key U.S. government…
Grantmaking in an Age of Terrorism: Compliance Strategies
Legal Compliance Guidance
Since the November 7, 2002 publication by the United States Department of the Treasury of its “Anti-Terrorist Financing Guidelines: Voluntary Best Practices for U.S.-based Charities,”1 grantmakers have grappled with the problem of how to comply with their legal obligations under Executive…
Handbook on Counter-Terrorism Measures: What US Nonprofits and Grantmakers Need to Know
Legal Compliance Guidance
A plain-language guide to Executive Order 13224, the Patriot Act, embargoes and sanctions, IRS rules, Treasury Department voluntary guidelines, and USAID requirements.
Legal Framework for Global Philanthropy: Barriers and Opportunities
Legal Compliance Guidance
Prepared by the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law, this report provides a summary of the legal constraints in global grantmaking and draws on illustrative examples from the U.S., Europe, and other regions. It also outlines potential options to address these barriers.
NGOsource
External Resource
NGOsource improves the efficiency of international grantmaking and aims to achieve a significant increase in cross-border philanthropy by centralizing, streamlining, and standardizing the equivalency determination process for U.S. grantmakers. NGOsource is a project of TechSoup and was started with…
Election Year Politics: What Foundations Need to Know
Legal Compliance Guidance
The election season, particularly in presidential election years, brings with it both opportunities and challenges for private foundations and public charities. Grantmakers can use this opportunity to increase civic involvement, provide nonpartisan information about candidates and educate…
Rules of Advocacy & Lobbying: Private Foundations
Legal Compliance Guidance
The rules of advocacy and lobbying for private foundations differ somewhat from community and public foundations.
As a private foundation, the law allows the following:
Advocacy
Lobbying
Funding Lobbying
Advocacy
Yes, private foundations may engage in advocacy activities as described under…
Foundations for Civic Impact: Advocacy and Civic Engagement Toolkit for Private Foundations
Toolkit
This toolkit is designed for private foundations that want to support grantee involvement in civic and policy activities to increase organizational capacity and impact. While its primary focus is on the grantmaking activity of foundations, the toolkit also addresses rules and guidance for policy…
Dos and Don'ts of Contact Between Company Foundation Employees and Legislators
Legal Compliance Guidance
Companies and their private foundations must carefully navigate the dos and don’ts of contact between foundation employees and legislators.
How should the company foundation's grants and activities fit into the sponsoring company's efforts to develop strong relationships with government officials…