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In This Issue
Report from 2007 Foundations on the Hill From Nancy Jamison, SDG Executive Director: SDG went to Washington, DC on February 28 for Foundations on the Hill (FOTH)! Participating in this national effort was an amazing experience, and a powerful step forward for San Diego Grantmakers’ involvement in the growing focus on philanthropy-related legislation. Last year, the Jacobs Family Foundation was our solo representative. This year, we had a much larger delegation: in fact, the second-largest from California! I joined Valerie Jacobs, Norm Hapke, and Shirley Adams of The Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation/Jacobs Family Foundation; Bob Kelly and Bruce Blakley of The San Diego Foundation; and Neil and Peggy Otto of Otto Family Foundation. It was an extraordinary experience to communicate with legislators alongside nearly 400 foundation and regional association colleagues from 44 states and the District of Columbia (more than ever before). We met with Congressional staff members in all five San Diego offices and discussed the charitable provisions of the Pension Protection Act of 2006 and the proposed Philanthropic Caucus, as described below. We also shared a bit about the depth and breadth of the good work of SDG members. Our delegation agreed that it will take a long-term effort to develop a strong relationship with our House Representatives, enabling us to have a voice when issues impacting foundations and nonprofits arise. After FOTH, I participated in a conference with the other Regional Associations of Grantmakers from around the country. A federal policy panel included Kristen Bailey, recently appointed by new Senate Finance Chair Max Baucus as the Policy Advisor for tax-exempt organizations. Her remarks demonstrated that while there will indeed be continued attention to the oversight of tax-exempt organizations, there is also an interest in working with our sector to develop creative solutions to the nation’s challenges. Other expert speakers noted that self-regulation can be of great benefit in building trust and credibility, mitigating the atmosphere of suspicion created by newsworthy bad actors in the sector. Thus, it appears that now is the perfect time for SDG to follow in the footsteps of many other regional associations in developing our own set of Guiding Principles for our membership. I look forward to engaging in a robust and enlightening discussion about ethical standards in grantmaking: MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR A VERY SPECIAL THIRD THURSDAY BREAKFAST ROLLOUT OF THE SDG GUIDING PRINCIPLES PROJECT: MAY 17, 2007. Here is a brief summary of the issues we highlighted during FOTH:
In the PPA of 2006, Congress defined donor-advised funds and added new rules for these important charitable giving vehicles. Community foundations, particularly small and mid-size community foundations, are struggling with this new definition of donor-advised funds and with how some of the new rules limit their ability to carry on charitable activities that benefit their communities.
As required by last year's law, the IRS and the Treasury Department are conducting a study on donor-advised funds and supporting organizations that must be presented to Congress, along with any recommendations for action, no later than August 17. The IRS is requesting comments on the impact of recent restrictions on sponsors of donor-advised funds and on supporting organizations, changes to payout requirements, donor rights and benefits, and the advantages and disadvantages of perpetual existence as related to donor-advised funds, supporting organizations, and other types of charities and charitable giving arrangements. Comments are due by April 9. Independent Sector and COF will both be drafting and submitting comments and encourage grantmakers to share their thoughts. The IRA Charitable Rollover provision that became law last August enables older Americans to use retirement savings to support their favorite charitable causes without suffering adverse tax consequences. During the first four months of the provision, charities reported that as a result of this new incentive, they received over $50 million to support their work. Through 2007, taxpayers age 70½ or older can make tax-free distributions of up to $100,000 from their IRAs to charitable organizations. However, gifts to donor-advised funds, supporting organizations, and private foundations do not qualify for the incentive, and the rollover will disappear at the end of 2007 unless new legislation is passed.
Senators Byron Dorgan (D-ND) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and Representatives Earl Pomeroy (D-ND) and Wally Herger (R-CA) have agreed to sponsor the "Public Good IRA Rollover Act of 2007," which would extend and broaden the current IRA Charitable Rollover by making it permanent, removing the current $100,000 annual limit on donations, making all charitable organizations eligible to receive donations, and providing IRA owners with a planned giving option starting at age 59 1/2. The Senate bill (S. 819) was introduced on March 8: click here (pdf) to read the bill text. Click here (pdf) to read the letter from Rep.s Pomeroy and Herger to their House colleagues regarding the House version. During Foundations on the Hill, foundation and regional association leaders from across the country asked their lawmakers to sign on as co-sponsors of the legislation. In addition, the IRA Rollover Coalition, convened by Independent Sector and the National Committee on Planned Giving, will send a sign-on letter to Capitol Hill supporting the legislation. Click here to add your organization’s name to the letter. New Congressional Caucus on the Nonprofit Sector Foundations on the Hill attendees also urged Congress to create a new Congressional Caucus on the Nonprofit Sector. The purpose of this Caucus would be to 1) inform Members of Congress about philanthropy and the work of the foundations, 2) facilitate communication between Congress and the grantmaking community, and 3) highlight public policies of mutual interest to both grantmakers and Congress. The Examiner has reported that the House of Representatives has formed the Congressional Philanthropy Caucus with Rep. Robin Hayes (R-NC) as co-chair. IRS Finds Errors in Nonprofits' Reporting of Executive Compensation Senate Finance Committee Requests IRS Update Moving back from Washington, DC to something happening here at home: California Assembly Bill Regarding Foundation Giving to Minority-Led Nonprofits Click here to read the complete bill, and click here for The Greenlining Institute's report on the same topic. Child Welfare Funders San Diego Agenda for 2007: Exploring Child Welfare Partnerships Kate Welty, Project Director, Child and Family Policy Institute of California and Child Welfare Co-Investment Partnership, will facilitate this session. We will explore together how to ensure a coordinated, collaborative approach to the investments that are needed to substantially improve the child welfare outcomes of safety, permanency and well-being for foster children in San Diego. Invited Speakers (to date): Mary Harris, County of San Diego Child Welfare Services, Teri Kook, Stuart Foundation, Carole Schaufer, Youth Law Center and Abbey Smith, Alex Smith Foundation. American Marketing Association Cause Marketing Conference Special morning corporate-only track to be held. Further details including program content and registration fees to be available shortly. Homelessness Working Group Guest Speaker: Lori Holt Pfeiler, Mayor of Escondido and Vice Chair, SANDAG. San Diego Neighborhood Funders, Learning Agenda SDG Monthly Breakfast Programs: Third Thursdays April 19 Topic: California Budget Analysis: The Impact on Our Nonprofit Community with guest speaker Jean Ross, Executive Director, California Budget Project. May 17 Topic: SDG Guiding Principles Project Launch Expenditure Responsibility Grants and Grantee Bylaws Guest Speaker: Rosemary E. Fei of Silk, Adler & Colvin. Education Funders Meeting Save the Date! Our speaker will be Grantmakers for Education Executive Director Bill Porter. Redefining Public Safety The San Diego County District Attorney's Office Presents: Senate Bill (SB) 618-Development and Implementation of the Multi-Agency Plan to Prepare Non-Violent Felony Offenders for Successful. Reentry into Society in San Diego. Speakers: District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis, Jeffrey Anderson, Office of the District Attorney Public Affairs Officer and Vaughn L. Jeffery, Office of the District Attorney Chief Operating Officer (ret). All programs are free for SDG members except where indicated. To RSVP, please call (619) 744-2180 or email programs@sdgrantmakers.org. For questions or comments about SDGrantmakers or to submit articles for our online publications, visit www.SDGrantmakers.org or contact Nancy Jamison, 619/744.2180 or Nancy@SDGrantmakers.org. This online update is a service to San Diego Grantmakers members. Copies of past editions are archived here: News You Can Use. If you do not wish to receive these emails, send an email to nancy@SDGrantmakers.org requesting to unsubscribe in the body of the email. |
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Copyright 2006 — SD Grantmakers — All Rights Reserved |
