Use of Tax-Exempt Bonds on Rise at Non-Profit Groups, Report Says
Foundations, museums, and other non-profit institutions are increasingly using tax-exempt bonds to finance major capital improvements, according to a new report by Standard & Poor’s. The reason: Organizations with a strong financial base (and therefore eligible for favorable bond ratings, which…
By Stephen G. Greene
Contributor
More States Making Hospitals Justify Tax Breaks
Since 1990, eight states have passed laws that require non-profit hospitals to document how they are serving their communities’ health-care needs, a new report says. And in three of those states, hospitals are now required by law to spend a minimum percentage of their revenue on care for the…
By DOMENICA MARCHETTI
Contributor
Boy Scouts to Appeal Ruling in New Jersey Case
The Boy Scouts of America will appeal this month’s ruling by the Supreme Court of New Jersey, which held that the charity violated the state’s antidiscrimination law when it expelled a homosexual Eagle Scout in 1990. The Boy Scouts is also seeking to keep the ruling from taking effect until the…
By DOMENICA MARCHETTI
Contributor
IRS Issues Regulations on Tax Law
The Internal Revenue Service has issued its proposed regulations on how private foundations must comply with a new law designed to give the public greater access to their annual informational tax returns. Last year, Congress passed legislation to make foundations follow the same disclosure…
By GRANT WILLIAMS
Contributor
How Charities and Foundations Fared in the Congressional Tax Bill
ALSO SEE: Tax Bill Shows Appeal of Charities CHARITABLE DEDUCTIONS FOR SMALL GIFTS House of Representatives Senate Compromise Version Passed by Congress Estimated Cost to the Federal Government No provision. Would allow people who do not itemize on their federal income-tax returns to claim a…
Tax Bill Shows Appeal of Charities
Many provisions to foster giving made final version -- or came close President Clinton hates the tax bill Congress passed this month ALSO SEE:How Charities and Foundations Fared in the Congressional Tax Bill because he thinks its tax cuts are too charitable to the rich. But the bill is a big hit…
By GRANT WILLIAMS
Contributor
Following are summaries of recent reports by the Council of Better Business Bureaus’ Philanthropic Advisory Service. The service reports on whether charities meet standards for fund raising, governance, financial management, and public information. The service cautions that it does not approve or…
American Leprosy Missions (Greenville, S.C.): Appointed Matthew Maury, country coordinator for several African nations at Habitat for Humanity International (Americus, Ga.), to be director of community-based ministries. American Red Cross-Cape Fear Chapter (Wilmington, N.C.): Appointed Dean W.…
The following awards have been presented for work in philanthropy, fund raising, volunteerism, and non-profit management: Arts. Americans for the Arts (Washington) has given its 1999 Lifetime Achievement Award to Don Greene, president of the Coca-Cola Foundation (Atlanta), for his long-time support…
IRS Seeks Nominations for New Advisory Panel
The Internal Revenue Service is seeking candidates for a new panel that will advise the agency about issues relating to tax-exempt organizations. Nominees’ names will be forwarded to the Secretary of the Treasury, who will appoint up to 21 people to the Tax Exempt Advisory Committee. Panel members,…
By Stephen G. Greene
Contributor
Republicans in Congress Agree on Tax-Law Changes
House and Senate Republicans have agreed on a compromise tax bill that contains numerous provisions that affect donors, charities, and foundations. The lawmakers tentatively agreed to: * Allow people age 701/2 and older to make tax-free withdrawals from individual retirement accounts for donations…
By GRANT WILLIAMS
Contributor
California Association Takes Aim at Misinformation
Other Publications Facts & Fallacies 1999: Setting the Record Straight on California’s Nonprofit Community, by Deirdre Hennings and Florence L. Green, offers an overview of charities in California and the challenges that lie before them. The authors challenge common misperceptions about the state’s…
By C. Quinn Hanchette
Contributor
London’s ‘Sunday Times’: the Gates Scoop That Wasn’t
The Sunday Times of London touched off a wave of press coverage with its August 1 story on the philanthropic intentions of Microsoft Corporation founder Bill Gates and his wife, Melinda. Under the headline “Gates to give away 65-billion-pound fortune,” the article stated that Mr. Gates’s father,…
By Jennifer Moore
Contributor
‘Time’: the Future of Kennedy’s Charity to Help the Mentally Disabled
While many in the world of publishing and beyond ponder the fate of George magazine following the death of its founder, John F. Kennedy, Jr., Time magazine (August 2) wonders about the future of another Kennedy brainchild -- a charity called Reaching Up, which helps people who work with the…
By Domenica Marchetti
Contributor
Bits: Practac Promotes Discussion Between Non-Profit Professionals and Scholars
* Board Café, the free monthly electronic newsletter for non-profit board members, has a new co-publisher. The National Center for Nonprofit Boards, in Washington, will be joining the Support Center for Nonprofit Management, in San Francisco, in producing the publication. To subscribe: Go to…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Education Advocacy Groups Get a New Web Resource
A new Web site guides activists and educators to information on the Internet about public-school reform. The Public Education Network’s site discusses hot topics in public education -- such as equity in school financing, parent involvement, school governance, and student testing -- and provides…
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor