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Showing: 21 - 28 of 28 results

Equivalency Determination or Expenditure Responsibility

https://cof.org/content/equivalency-determination-or-expenditure-responsibility
Private foundations wishing to make a cross-border grant must ensure that: The grant is clearly for a charitable purpose, and The grant counts as a qualifying distribution for the purpose of meeting the foundation’s annual distribution requirement. The easiest way for a private…

Permissible Exempt Purposes Under 501(c)(3)

https://cof.org/page/permissible-exempt-purposes-under-501c3
This page outlines the range of purposes that qualify an organization for tax exemption under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. It explains how the IRS and courts interpret key terms — especially "charitable" — and how those interpretations shape eligibility. Permissible Exempt…

What is Expenditure Responsibility?

https://cof.org/content/what-expenditure-responsibility
Expenditure responsibility is a five step procedure that is designed to ensure that foundation funds are used for exclusively charitable purposes. The five basic steps that are required for completing expenditure responsibility include: Conducting a pre-grant inquiry including a reasonable…

Grants to Organizations from Donor-Advised Funds: Is Expenditure Responsibility Required?

https://cof.org/content/grants-organizations-donor-advised-funds-expenditure-responsibility-required
Use this flowchart to determine if grants from donor-advised funds require expenditure responsibility.

Creating an Inactive Funds Policy

https://cof.org/content/creating-inactive-funds-policy
Imagine the following scenarios: A donor advisor has not made a recommendation from a donor-advised fund for two years. An agency has requested that your community foundation not make a distribution from an agency endowment until the agency requests a distribution at some point in the…

Accounting for Agency Endowment Funds Held at Community Foundations

https://cof.org/content/accounting-agency-endowment-funds-held-community-foundations
Note The information below was originally developed by the Finance, Administration & Operations Group (FAOG) Accounting Practices Committee and was last updated Aug. 19, 2010. It was updated in 2025 by the FAOG Accounting Practices Committee, in collaboration with Baker Tilly US, LLP, and…

Accounting for Assets Held at Nonprofits

https://cof.org/content/accounting-assets-held-nonprofits
Download this guide as a PDF Nonprofit entities place their investments with community foundations (the Foundation) for a variety of reasons, including investment expertise, efficiencies, and access to planned giving advice, and services. As nonprofit entities seek to place their assets and…

Accounting for Assets Held at Community Foundations

https://cof.org/content/accounting-assets-held-community-foundations
Download this guide as a PDF Nonprofit entities place their investments with community foundations ("the Foundation") for a variety of reasons, including investment expertise, efficiencies, and access to planned giving advice and services. As nonprofit entities seek to place their assets and…

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