Finance & Accounting
Is your organization in compliance with filing its Form 990 and the public disclosure rules that apply to charities?
990 Filing for Corporate Grantmakers
Legal Compliance Guidance
Electronic Filing: While the requirements regarding electronic filing of Forms 990 and 990-PF have not changed, the electronic filing requirement for some organizations is still relatively new. For that reason, you may want to revisit the mandatory electronic filing rules to determine whether your…
Public Disclosure Requirements for Foundations
Legal Compliance Guidance
Every organization exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code is required to disclose certain information to the public:
The organization’s exemption application, Form 1023, is subject to public disclosure, along with any documents supporting the application and any letters from…
Learning from the Future: A Resource for Planning Ahead
Publication
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…
Fueling Impact: A Fresh Look at Business Model Innovation and New Revenue Sources
Publication
Do you want to know how community foundations are finding innovative new sources of support, and diversifying their revenue base? How new revenue sources strengthen each community foundation's differentiation and sustainability? Difficult economic times in 2008-2010 have been an important wake-up…
Taking Informed Action in Challenging Times: Helping Community Foundations during Economic Downturn
Publication
Following up on CF Insights' November 2008 report "Making Informed Decisions in Uncertain Times", this report is aimed at helping community foundations take informed action in relation to their operating models and community activities in reaction to the economic slump. The findings are based on…
Align, Adapt, Aspire: Ten Years of Community Foundation Business Model Evolution
Publication
Community foundations understand how the traditional community foundation business model falls short of new aspirations. Sustainability is an ongoing challenge and many community foundations work towards continually adapting their business model to support a changing context and achieve enough…
CF Insights Interactive Strategy Model Toolkit
Toolkit
Building on the Activity-Based Costing methodology, the Interactive Strategy Model (ISM) helps community foundations model the impact of strategic changes on their economics.
Consulting services are available for any of our CF Insights operating model analysis tools. Email cfinsights@cof.org to…
CF Insights Economic Scenario Planning Toolkit
Toolkit
The Economic Scenario Planning (ESP) Model, or “Stress Test,” allows community foundations to create five-year forecasts to answer questions about the potential effects of investment market performance and donor behavior.
Consulting services are available for any of our CF Insights operating model…
Making Informed Decisions in Uncertain Times: Helping Community Foundations during Economic Volatility
Publication, Research
To help community foundations address twin challenges of fewer resources and greater need, CF Insights conducted research by interviewing and collecting survey responses from a cross section of 73 community foundations during the month of October 2008.
How to Calculate the Public Support Test
Legal Compliance Guidance, Publication
A Chapter in Mastering Foundation Law:
The Council on Foundations Compendium of Legal Resources
In the United States, organizations that qualify to receive charitable tax-deductible contributions are described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Tax Code. These organizations are divided into two main…
Extension of Tax Filing Deadlines for Tax-Exempt Organizations in 2020
Legal Compliance Guidance
IRS Notice 2020-23, issued on April 9, 2020, clarifies that tax-exempt organizations are fully included in COVID-19 relief. Specifically, the filing and tax payment deadlines for IRS Form 990 series (990, 990-EZ, 990-PF, and 990-T) normally due between April 1, 2020 and July 15, 2020 are…
Don't Be Caught Off-Guard This Tax Season: A Guide for Navigating the New UBIT Rules
Recording
Does your organization provide parking/transportation benefits to employees or do you already file the Form 990-T? If you answered yes to either of those questions, your organization will owe taxes for 2018 and the filing process is going to be different than it was last year. The Council’s…
Community Foundation Legal Webinar
Recording
View the Webinar Slides
Community Foundations: Gearing up for Year-End
Spend 90 minutes with the Council's legal staff to explore topics associated with year-end. As well, take a moment out to celebrate #CFWeek and gear up for #GivingTuesday!
Topics Include:
Year-end gift…
What to Expect from an Audit
Legal Compliance Guidance, Publication
A Chapter in Mastering Foundation Law:
The Council on Foundations Compendium of Legal Resources
This chapter addresses what foundations should expect from an audit. Nonprofits, including private foundations, are bracing for an uptick in audit activity from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as it…
Foundation Finance and Investment Management
Legal Compliance Guidance, Publication
A Chapter in Mastering Foundation Law:
The Council on Foundations Compendium of Legal Resources
This chapter examines Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act (UPMIFA) and other laws that govern the management and investment of endowments and other foundation financial assets. It also…
2016 Grantmaker Salary and Benefits Report: Administrative and Program Expense Tables
Publication, Research
The 2016 Administrative and Program Expense Tables provide foundations with tools to benchmark their expenses – charitable administrative, program service, and qualifying distributions – against peers in the field. Containing data collected through the Council’s 2016 Grantmaker Salary and Benefits…