Public Policy

Due to the Labor Day holiday, this week’s edition of Washington Snapshot is slightly abbreviated. We wish our readers an enjoyable Labor Day! News from the Hill Congress is in recess through the Labor Day holiday and will return to Washington on September 8th for a busy end-of-year legislative…

Members View the Recording and Slides     Are you concerned about the state of higher education in the U.S.? This webinar features policy and foundation guest speakers who provided an overview of the status of Congressional reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. This legislation…

As a reminder to our readers, Washington Snapshot will be taking a break next week. Join Us on 9/9: Nonprofit Media Event at the Newseum Join the Council on Foundations, nonprofit media organizations, foundations, journalists, academics, and other stakeholders for a conversation on Wednesday,…

Yesterday, the Charitable Giving Coalition issued a press release urging Democratic presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, to reconsider funding her college affordability plan at the expense of millions of Americans who rely on services made possible through the charitable deduction. As many of…

As a reminder to our readers, Washington Snapshot will be taking a break next week and the week of the 28th. Activate in August With many Members of Congress out of town and back home in their districts for the August recess, much of the action has shifted away from Washington and toward local…

  Download the Slides   The Council on Foundations, nonprofit media organizations, foundations, journalists, academics, and other stakeholders held a conversation about the role of nonprofit media in fostering a vibrant civil society in local communities. Nonprofit media…

The Council develops substantive policy positions on behalf of its members; submits regulatory comments and letters to U.S. policymakers, foreign governments, and intergovernmental bodies; and advocates before domestic and international bodies that set policies impacting cross-border philanthropy…

All 501(c)(3) charitable organizations are required to file the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form 990 in accordance with the annual reporting requirements under Sec. 6033 of the Internal Revenue Code. This form asks for detailed information about the activities of the charity for the reporting…

501(c)(3) Charitable Organizations The Johnson Amendment—so-called because then-Senator Lyndon B. Johnson introduced the language in 1954—is the portion of the Internal Revenue Code that holds that section 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations must not “participate in, or intervene in (including the…

Council Releases August Advocacy Toolkit This Tuesday, the Council hosted our Washington Update LIVE! webinar to discuss the importance of building relationships with your lawmakers so that they understand the value of philanthropy in their districts and states. Featured speakers: Maggie Gunther…

  Download the Presentation Slides The National Standards for Community Foundations online application has been live in beta testing since January- how is it going? What feedback has been received? Director of National Standards, Lara Kalwinski, and the Vice President for Development at…

News from the Hill Senate Finance Committee Markup of "Tax Extenders" Package This Tuesday, the Senate Finance Committee convened to markup a bill that would renew 52 of the “tax extenders,” including the charitable provisions, for the 2015 and 2016 tax years. As our readers will recall, these…

Issue Under Section 512(a) of the Internal Revenue Code, nonprofits are subject to tax on gross income, minus directly connected expenses, for activities that constitute an “unrelated trade or business.” The Code offers a three-pronged test for determining whether a particular activity…

November 15, 2017 Supporting organizations are important charitable tools that donors can use to achieve their specific philanthropic goals. Many of the Council’s members utilize supporting organizations to maximize their impact. Often, a supporting organization manages fundraising or…

Issue The private foundation excise tax, which private foundations pay on net investment income annually, is currently a flat rate of 1.39 percent. This percentage took effect in the 2020 tax year after legislation simplified the two-tiered system to a flat rate. Council’s Policy Position The…

News from the Hill The Council Visits the Hill This past Monday, July 13th, representatives from the Community Foundations National Standards Board (CFNSB) and the Council’s Public Policy and Legal Affairs Team met with congressional staff from the House Ways and Means Committee, the Senate Finance…