Final Showdown on Tax Bill Now Looms in Congress
Congress is moving closer to a decision on the most important and largest piece of federal tax legislation for nonprofit organizations in years. Charities and their lobbyists are in overdrive as they try to influence House and Senate members — including lawmakers who will work out vast differences…
By GRANT WILLIAMS
Contributor
President Bush Seeks Charity Tax Breaks
The federal budget proposal President Bush submitted to Congress this month could have an impact on how much charities raise in private donations. As he has done for the past several years, Mr. Bush proposed a package of tax incentives designed to spur charitable giving. He also asked Congress to…
By Elizabeth Schwinn
Contributor
Religious Groups Getting More Federal Grants
Religious organizations received a growing number of federal grants from 2002 to 2004, although the dollar amount of federal funds going to such groups fell, according to a new study. The Roundtable on Religion and Social Welfare Policy, part of the Rockefeller Institute of Government at the State…
By Harvy Lipman
Contributor
Bush’s Proposed Budget Could Hit Charities Hard
Washington The federal budget President Bush has proposed for 2007 marks another step in his long-range effort to shrink government spending and could result in significant cuts to the federal ALSO SEE: The Nonprofit World and President Bush’s Budget: Key Proposals programs on which many charities…
By Elizabeth Schwinn
Contributor
Red Cross Gets Chided by Congress
Washington A blistering report issued last week by an 11-member House committee investigating the preparation for Hurricane Katrina and the responses to its devastation focuses primarily on failures by government at all levels, but it also charges that charities were ill-equipped for a disaster of…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Three Large Charities End Solicitations for Katrina Relief as Total Tops $3-Billion
With about $3.2-billion raised to help Hurricane Katrina victims — and contributions still coming in — three of the largest charities that solicited such donations have now stopped raising money for Gulf Coast relief efforts. The American Red Cross, which received nearly $2.12-billion, more than…
By Leah Kerkman
Contributor
Six Months After Katrina, United Way Leader Still Searches for Normalcy in Daily Routine
Ask G. Gary Ostroske, president of the United Way for the Greater New Orleans Area, about his post-Katrina life and he answers with a big sigh. “It’s been a ....” He pauses and releases a breath. “It’s been interesting, I’ll say, in the least.” Mr. Ostroske returned to the Crescent City five months…
By Ian Wilhelm
Contributor
Charity leaders strive to adapt to post-Katrina New OrleansNew Orleans Since Sharon Alexis returned here in November, her life has been an almost daily struggle. She spends her time scrubbing the floors of her flood-damaged house, searching for contractors who won’t overcharge her, and calling her…
By Ian Wilhelm
Contributor
Gold-Medal U.S. Speed Skater Brings Publicity and Donations to Youth Charity
When Joey Cheek of North Carolina won the gold medal for speed skating in Turin last week and donated his $25,000 U.S. Olympic Committee bonus to a charity, the news sped around the world almost as fast as he had circled the ice. During news interviews, Mr. Cheek praised Right to Play, a charity in…
By Noelle Barton
Contributor
Charities in Combined Federal Campaign Face Government Review
Washington The Government Accountability Office is examining nonprofit organizations that raise funds through the Combined Federal Campaign — the annual charity drive for federal workers — to see if organizations have failed to pay federal taxes, including payroll taxes. Meanwhile, the federal…
By GRANT WILLIAMS
Contributor