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When disaster strikes a community, disaster relief funds administered through community foundations offer an efficient way to quickly get aid to those who need it. But it’s important to understand how the Internal Revenue Code requires these charitable funds be used, which can vary depending on the…
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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…
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…
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…
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.
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…
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…
Self-Defense Exception: A legislative proposal to modify the private foundation excise tax on net investment income under IRC section 4940 would qualify as a self-defense issue, because it affects a private foundation’s duties. Private foundations may therefore communicate with the legislature, its…
It is extremely rare for an organization to lose its tax-exempt status. When it happens, it's typically the end result of a three-step process: (1) The IRS conducts an examination of the tax-exempt organization; (2) the IRS issues a letter to the organization proposing revocation; then (3) the…
The Economic Scenario Planning (ESP) model is designed to help community foundations of any size and shape create five-year forecasts and plan for multiple scenarios. Community foundations using the model cite important benefits, often revising goals or making operating model changes as a result.…