Public Policy

  Council CEO Vikki Spruill and special guest speakers analyzed the results of the 2016 election and discussed what it all means for the philanthropic sector. Connie Schultz, a Pulitzer Prize winning columnist, shared her thoughts on the election and its impact on our nation. What does the…

Executive & Regulatory News President Obama Highlights First Department of Education Pay-for-Success Projects Speaking at a national town hall on improving outcomes for at-risk youth, President Obama highlighted the announcement of two new pay-for-success awards from the Department of Education…

News from the Hill Bill to Delay Overtime Regulations Passes the House Last week, we reported that the Regulatory Relief for Small Businesses, Schools, and Nonprofits Act (HR. 6094) was introduced to delay the Department of Labor (DOL) overtime rules from taking effect until June 1, 2017. Late…

In this week's Washington Snapshot: Congress Passes Bill to Fund Government Through Early December; Bill Introduced in House to Delay Implementation of the DOL Overtime Rules; Policy Preview: Opportunities in Child Welfare; Self-Dealing & Family Foundations: What If the Brady Bunch had a…

Join the Council on Foundations on Tuesday, October 11, at 12pm ET for a special briefing on work at the Federal level to improve outcomes for children in need. Christine Calpin, Managing Director of Public Policy at Casey Family Programs, will highlight current opportunities to improve Federal…

Philanthropy’s Role in Strengthening America’s Democracy This event is a preconference session at the 2017 Annual Conference. Join a timely, topical, and interactive afternoon that will provide both a forum for a conversation about the state of democratic practice in America, and a review of the…

News from the Hill Voter Perceptions of the Charitable Sector This week, the Council joined partners Independent Sector and the Alliance for Charitable Reform/Philanthropy Roundtable for a breakfast in cooperation with the House Philanthropy Caucus. We were excited that Congresswoman Debbie…

News from the Hill Ways & Means Subcommittee Holds Hearing on University Endowments As our readers will recall, we reported last week that the Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee was set to hold a hearing to scrutinize college and university endowments this week. The hearing, featuring…

News from the Hill Congressional Leaders Champion Social Investment Representatives Tom MacArthur (R-NJ) and John Delaney (D-MD) are working to educate their colleagues on the value of social investing and the role of philanthropy in leveraging private capital to create social good. The pair have…

Executive & Regulatory News IRS Releases 2016-17 Priority Guidance Plan Last week, the Department of Treasury released its priority guidance plan for 2016–2017. The priority guidance plan identifies and prioritizes tax issues that the agency aims to address through regulations or revenue…

Washington Snapshot will be taking a break next week during the August Congressional recess. We will return on Friday, August 26th. News from the Hill Your Lawmakers are in Their Home States & Districts! With Congress in recess, it has been a pretty slow news week on Capitol Hill. Instead of…

For foundations that offer charitable remainder annuity trusts (CRATs), a new revenue procedure (Rev. Proc. 2016-42) offers a sample provision that may be included in the governing instrument of the trust (CRAT) and provides that the IRS will treat the sample provision as a qualified contingency…

Just Announced: Speakers for Upcoming Webinar Join Philanthropy Caucus member, Congressman Steve Cohen (D-TN), Adena Hill of the Southeastern Council on Foundations, and Council staff at 2pm ET on August 9th to discuss the importance of building relationships with your lawmakers. We’ll also learn…

News from the Hill New Tax Leadership for Senate Finance Democrats On Tuesday, Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR) announced a new tax leadership team for Senate Finance Committee Democrats. Victor Fleisher, of the University of San Diego, and Tiffany Smith, currently on staff…

This post originally appeared as an op-ed in The Guardian on July 16, 2016. There is no doubt that the U.S. is suffering from what feels like the unravelling of social order. Recent shootings in Louisiana, Minnesota, and Texas have heightened deep-seated tensions relating to race and criminal…

News from the Hill Delayed Release for Hatch Corporate Integration Proposal Our readers will recall that Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT) of the Senate Finance Committee was expected to release his corporate integration proposal before the August Congressional recess. As it turns out, the proposal was…