Foundations Oppose Terrorism Restraints

The United States Treasury should drop guidelines aimed at preventing charitable funds from being channeled to terrorists, said the Council on Foundations in a statement released this week.

The Council, a coalition that represents 2,000 nonprofit groups, said it understands the importance of keeping money from terrorists, but added that the current Treasury guidelines do nothing more to prevent the misuse of funds than do existing laws. For instance, charities must already monitor how recipients use their grants.

In addition, an advisory group of the Council on Foundations said the antiterrorism guidelines “significantly exaggerate” how much U.S. organizations contribute to terrorism. It added that complying with the guidelines diverts money that could be better spent alleviating poverty, which is often blamed as a cause of terrorism.

Read the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s coverage of the guidelines here, here, and here.

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