House Bill Would Expand Incentives for Gifts to Donor-Advised Funds
The increasingly popular giving vehicles were left out of a law passed last year that provided incentives to give to charities from individual retirement accounts.
By Rebecca Koenig
Contributor
Insurance Company Sues Charities for Return of $2.1 Million
A company trustee claims the donations belong to the company’s investors, reports The Waco Tribune-Herald.
New York to Consolidate Welfare and Homelessness Agencies
Mayor Bill de Blasio said reuniting the city’s Department of Homeless Services and Human Resources Administration would offer a “new vision” for tackling entrenched homelessness, reports The New York Times.
‘Panama Papers’ Law Firm Used Red Cross Name to Hide Origin of Funds
The law firm at the center of an international offshore-accounts scandal used the names of charities, such as the Red Cross, to conceal the origin of millions of dollars in questionable accounts, according to the Associated Press. There is no indication that the charities knew the firm was using their names.
Federal Inquiry Into NYC Police Activity Expands to Include Mayor’s Former Nonprofit
Federal investigators are looking into whether real-estate developers and union leaders who donated to a nonprofit that supported the campaign and agenda of New York Mayor Bill de Blasio received special favors, according to the Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed sources.
One Year Later, Hope and Despair Found in Equal Measure in Baltimore
Foundation leaders at a conference in the nation’s capital take a side trip to the scene of one of the nation’s notorious recent clashes between police and an African-American community.
By Rebecca Koenig
Contributor
Stop the Spread of State Laws That Trample on Charity Rights
Proposals in several states would put unconstitutional limits on fundraising, advocacy, donor tax breaks, endowment spending, and more.
By DIANE YENTEL
Contributor
N.Y. Court Tosses Suit Opposing Diller-Funded Park on Hudson
A lawsuit filed last year by a nonprofit critical of billionaire media mogul Barry Diller’s planned park and performance center on a Hudson River pier was dismissed Thursday by a New York State judge, The New York Times reports.
Bill Would Expand Incentives for Gifts to Donor-Advised Funds
The bipartisan measure introduced in the Senate on Wednesday would also change the foundation excise tax on net investment income to a flat rate of 1 percent.
By Rebecca Koenig
Contributor
Oil Firms That Backed Clinton Foundation Lobbied State Dept.
Major fossil-fuel companies that lobbied Hillary Clinton’s State Department on developing resources from Canada’s oil sands have also donated millions to her family charity, according to International Business Times.
N.Y. Nonprofit Sued Over Chemical Attack on Top Executive
The Queens charity leader who was doused with lye last year in what authorities allege was an attempt to cover up a $750,000 embezzlement is suing the organization’s board, claiming it negligently failed to prevent the assault, the New York Daily News reports.
Nonprofit Leader Allegedly Attacked in Embezzlement Cover-Up
A New York City charity’s former bookkeeper was indicted Tuesday for what authorities allege was a $750,000 theft and a chemical attack on the organization’s leader aimed at heading off discovery of the scam, reports The New York Times.
Miami Officials OK $49 Million Bailout for Science Museum
The loan, approved Tuesday by Miami-Dade County commissioners, is aimed at helping the Frost Museum of Science complete construction of a $305 million downtown building, a project held up by a dearth of private fundraising, the Miami Herald reports.
Calif. Man Gets 57 Months for $4 Million Nonprofit Fraud
Accountant Donald Gridiron was sentenced Tuesday to nearly five years in prison for stealing millions of dollars from a New Jersey megachurch and a California golf charity to feed a gambling habit, NJ Advance Media reports.
Colleges Defend Endowment Tax Break in Letters to Congress
In written responses to a Congressional inquiry into higher-education finances, the country’s wealthiest private universities characterized their tax-exempt status as crucial to their academic and research missions and campus upkeep, Bloomberg writes.
India’s Corporate-Giving Law Raises Money but Also Questions
Direct corporate philanthropy has spiked since the country enacted a law two years ago requiring large companies to donate at least 2 percent of their net profits to charity, but the rise has been accompanied by allegations of skewed giving and corruption, The Guardian writes.