Ariz. Says Elderly Targeted in $750,000 Charity Scam
The state’s attorney general has shut down three related telemarketing companies that bilked $750,000 from seniors with Alzheimer’s and other memory-related conditions by claiming to be raising money for veterans charities, The Arizona Republic reports.
Nonprofit Advocates Optimistic About Ryan as Speaker
The charity world is equally upbeat about the House Ways and Means Committee, where they expect the next chairman to be friendly toward philanthropy.
By Alex Daniels
Contributor
Researchers Question Success of Utah Social-Impact Bond
A Utah preschool program funded by investment bank Goldman Sachs that was touted last month as the first “social-impact bond” to yield returns for an investor may have significantly overstated the results on which the payout is based, according to The New York Times.
Ariz. Drops Planned Parenthood From State Charity Drive
After more than 30 years on the list of charities participating in Arizona’s State Employees Charitable Campaign, Planned Parenthood was excluded this year from the workplace fundraiser by a policy committee that said the group did not fit the drive’s “mission or standards,” the Phoenix New Times and the Arizona Daily Star report.
GOP Seeks IRS Audit of Clinton Foundation Health Affiliate
The Republican National Committee called Tuesday for the IRS to review the finances of the Clinton Health Access Initiative, which said this week it would not refile past tax returns to correct apparent errors in its reporting of government grants, Reuters reports.
Failure of Health-Care Co-Ops Refuels Obamacare Debate
More than half of the nonprofit health insurers established with federal assistance under the Affordable Care Act have now gone under, adding fire to the partisan fight over the health-care law, The New York Times and The Washington Post report.
N.C. Energy Giant Wants Nonprofit Fined for Solar Project
Duke Energy, the nation’s largest power utility, is urging North Carolina regulators to levy fines that could exceed $120,000 against a nonprofit for selling power from solar panels to a church, in alleged violation of a state law limiting power sales to public utilities, the Charlotte Observer and the Winston-Salem Journal report.
Mich. Charity Gaming Take Plummets as Regulators Crack Down
Nonprofits in Michigan have lost millions of dollars in revenue in recent years as the state has tightened restrictions on “poker rooms” and other casino-style fundraising events authorities say had become rife with fraud, reports the Detroit Free Press.
Audit: U.K. Gave Now-Shuttered Youth Charity $70 Million
A British government audit found that Kids Company, a high-profile nonprofit that collapsed in August, continued to receive multimillion-dollar taxpayer-funded grants despite warning signs about its management and spending, BBC News reports.
Judge Rejects Ala. Bid to Cut Off Planned Parenthood Funding
Following similar rulings in Louisiana and Utah, a U.S. District Court judge in Alabama ordered the state to restore Medicaid money for Planned Parenthood clinics, saying Gov. Robert Bentley’s attempt to do so would likely violate federal rules, reports the Los Angeles Times.
Chicago City Council Approves Lucas Museum Zoning
The vote came after negotiations ended over parking, tailgating, and advertising around the proposed lakefront museum site, The Chicago Tribune reports.
N.Y. Attorney General Settles With Company That Collects Used Clothing
The Yonkers, N.Y.-based Thrift Land USA used the names of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Rockland County and I Love Our Youth on its collection bins, allegedly without donating any items to the nonprofits, reports New York station WNYC.
House Committee Calls for Impeachment of IRS Chief
Four days after the Justice Department closed its investigation of Internal Revenue Service scrutiny of conservative groups seeking nonprofit status, a group of congressional Republicans called Tuesday for the tax agency’s leader to be impeached over the issue, reports The Washington Post.
Report: U.S. Used Christian Aid Group for N. Korea Espionage
The Defense Department used Humanitarian International Services Group as a front to spy on North Korea for nearly a decade as part of a highly classified intelligence program, according to investigative news website The Intercept.
Doctors Without Borders Says Yemen Clinic Hit by Airstrikes
The global aid charity said Tuesday that bombing by the Saudi-led coalition battling rebels in Yemen destroyed a medical facility it operates in that country’s northern Saada province, The Wall Street Journal and the Associated Press write.
Pope’s U.S. Visit Was a ‘Shot in the Arm’ for Catholic Charities, Says Group’s Leader
Sister Donna Markham, the head of Catholic Charities USA, tells The Wall Street Journal she is hoping to build on the momentum created by Pope Francis’s recent visit to further serve the poor.