Regulators Shuttering Nonprofit N.Y. Health-Insurance Co-op
Health Republic Insurance of New York, the largest of 23 nonprofit health insurers launched two years ago under the Affordable Care Act, has been ordered to close by state and federal officials after losing some $130 million since the start of 2014, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal report.
Gates Foundation Sues Brazilian Oil Company and Auditor Over Fraud
On Thursday the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation filed a lawsuit against the state-run oil company Petróleo Brasileiro SA and its auditor, claiming that corruption at the company caused the philanthropy to lose tens of millions of dollars, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Red Cross Figures Raise Questions About How It Used Donations, Senator Says
Sen. Charles Grassley has been trying to get the organization to disclose how much of its Haiti money went to disaster relief work and how much was used for other purposes, like overhead expenses and fundraising.
By Rebecca Koenig
Contributor
Fiorina-Advised Nonprofit Touted Obamacare Enrollment
Carly Fiorina, a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, serves on the advisory board of a California nonprofit that promoted enrollment in Affordable Care Act insurance exchanges, The Huffington Post reports, and she chairs a charity that facilitated goods donations to an abortion-rights organization, according to BuzzFeed.
Senate Turns Back Bill to Cut Funding for Planned Parenthood
With eight Republican senators joining almost all of their Democratic peers, the Senate voted 52-47 Thursday against a bill to impose a one-year moratorium on federal money for Planned Parenthood, USA Today and Bloomberg report.
Pope Meets With Nuns’ Charity Fighting Contraceptive Mandate
Pope Francis stopped briefly at a Washington, D.C., home for the elderly operated by the Little Sisters of the Poor on Wednesday, a visit a Vatican spokesman said signaled support for the Catholic charity in its legal battle over the Affordable Care Act’s birth-control mandate, reports The Washington Post.
N.Y. Archdiocese and City Hall Team to Add Shelter Beds
A day ahead of Pope Francis’s arrival in New York, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan announced a partnership Wednesday that will see the Archdiocese of New York provide 150 beds this winter for people who have been living on the street, The New York Times reports.
New British Charity Rules Could Impose Fundraising Bans
Charities that violate proposed British regulations aimed at curbing high-pressure fundraising tactics could be barred from cold-calling or direct mail, the BBC reports.
How the Billion-Dollar College Football Industry Acts Like a Charity
A new book by investigative reporter Gilbert Gaul makes the case that “seat donations” and other tax-deductible gifts to athletic programs make a mockery of the tax code.
By Drew Lindsay
Senior Editor, Special Projects
A Grant Seeker’s Guide to Understanding Foundations
A primer with definitions of different types of foundations from Daniel N. Belin, author of Charitable Foundations: the Essential Guide to Giving and Compliance.
By Daniel N. Belin
Contributor
Senate Measure Would Cut Some Planned Parenthood Funds
The Senate is slated to vote Thursday on a bill that would divert $235 million of Planned Parenthood’s federal funding, about half the annual total, to other women’s health organizations in a bid to avert a government shutdown, The Wall Street Journal reports.
L.A. to Spend $100 Million to Stem Homelessness ‘Emergency’
Amid a double-digit spike in the city’s homeless population, Los Angeles leaders said Tuesday they would declare the situation a “state of emergency” and steer $100 million toward tackling the issue, a move supporters said could ease limits on churches and charities providing shelters, the Los Angeles Times writes.
L.A. Utility’s Nonprofits Keep $11 Million ‘Rainy Day’ Fund
The Los Angeles controller criticized what he termed “hoarding” by two publicly funded affiliates of the city Department of Water and Power that have been at the center of a two-year political feud over their spending and lack of transparency, writes the Los Angeles Times.
In Case of Federal Shutdown, Many Charities Hope Pain Will Be Short-Term
The spigot wouldn’t be turned off immediately, but nonprofits on tight budgets are on edge.
By Alex Daniels
Contributor
Firm Sues Calif. Attorney General Over Scotched Sale of Catholic Hospitals
For-profit hospital operator Prime Healthcare Services has filed suit against California Attorney General Kamala Harris for imposing conditions that led the company to pull out of an $843-million deal to buy six Catholic medical centers, the Los Angeles Times writes.
Britain Weighs Plan to Purge Charities of ‘Extremist’ Trustees
The British government’s proposed counter-extremism strategy would authorize charity regulators to dismiss people considered to be extremists from nonprofit boards, The Telegraph reports.