Public Policy

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…

Last Chance to Register! Don’t miss your last chance to register for our Washington Update LIVE!: Philanthropy’s Voice in the Policy Process, taking place next Tuesday, July 12 from 2:00-3:00 pm ET. This webinar will discuss the importance of advocacy and highlight opportunities to engage with…

The Council on Foundations would like to wish all of our readers a safe and enjoyable 4th of July! News from the Hill Tax Blueprint Proposes Ideas that Could Impact Charitable Giving Our readers will recall that last week Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) and his Task Force on Tax Reform released their…