Former Head of Chicago Charity Charged With Theft
The former leader of a group to help low-income homeowners pay their mortgages was charged Monday with misusing donations, The Chicago Sun-Times reports.
States Tightening Food-Stamps Rules as Economy Recovers
Food pantries are anticipating a jump in clients as the improving economy prompts states to return to pre-recession restrictions on eligibility for able-bodied adults to get federal nutrition assistance, writes The New York Times.
Ex-Ala. Clinic CFO Agrees to Plead Guilty in Fraud Case
The former executive with two Alabama health centers will plead guilty to fraud, money laundering, and other charges arising from the suspected steering of millions of federal dollars from the nonprofits to private business connected with the clinics’ CEO, reports The Birmingham News.
Court Blocks Mo. Limits on Nonprofits Helping People With Obamacar
A U.S. appeals court has blocked portions of a Missouri law that placed sharp restrictions on organizations working to help uninsured people sign up for health coverage under the Affordable Care Act, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Fla. House OKs Bill to Allow Adoption Groups to Reject Gays
The Florida House of Representatives passed legislation Thursday that would allow the state’s private adoption agencies, most of which are church-run, to turn down same-sex couples on the basis of a “religious or moral” objection, Tampa television’s Bay News 9 and the Associated Press report.
Opinion: Inquiry Into Risky Financial Moves Sends a Message to Nonprofits
New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s investigation of prestigious private college Cooper Union reflects a regulatory strategy of “stress testing” organizations showing signs of fiscal trouble and should set off “a ringing alarm for nonprofit boards,” New York Times financial columnist James B. Stewart writes.
India Freezes Greenpeace Funds Over Foreign Donations
Amid a larger crackdown on activist groups that have campaigned against major industrial projects, the government temporarily suspended Greenpeace India’s registration Thursday, saying the environmental organization has underreported foreign contributions and used them without official approval, The Washington Post and Reuters report.
Critics Question IRS Shortcut for Small Nonprofit Applicants
The Internal Revenue Service’s recently introduced 1023-EZ short form for organizations applying for tax-exempt status is coming in for heavy criticism, including from large nonprofit umbrella groups, charity regulators, and tax lawyers who contend it opens the door to fraud, The New York Times writes.
L.A. Move to Hike Minimum Wage Raises Fears for Nonprofits
A proposal that could raise the city’s minimum wage by up to 69 percent is sparking concerns among social-service charities that it would price them out of labor market unless they get a boost in government funding, the Los Angeles Times writes.
N.Y. State Sues Charity Boards Over Brooklyn Evictions
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced Wednesday that the state is suing trustees of two Brooklyn charities, alleging that they removed homeless and low-income residents from buildings they owned in order to sell the properties, the New York Post reports.
U.S. and Saudi Arabia Put Sanctions on Pakistani Charity
The Treasury Department and Saudi authorities accuse the Al-Furqan Foundation Welfare Trust of funneling money to Al Qaeda, the Taliban, and other terrorist groups under the cover of aid work, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Cybersecurity for Charities: 1st Step Is Knowing How Very Vulnerable You Are
Tight budgets and lax attitudes leave organizations at risk, but low-cost strategies can make them safer.
By Megan O’Neil
Contributor
N.C. Lawmakers Consider Slashing Nonprofits’ Sales-Tax Break
The North Carolina Senate is weighing legislation that would reduce the amount of sales tax nonprofits can annually recoup from the state from tens of millions of dollars to tens of thousands, The Times-News of Burlington, N.C., reports.
Red Flags Didn’t Stop Payments to Troubled L.A. Foster Charity
Little People’s World, a Los Angeles-area foster-care nonprofit whose operators were indicted on embezzlement charges in September, continued to receive millions of dollars in taxpayer funds in recent years despite government investigators’ warnings of alleged financial misconduct and child abuse, writes the Los Angeles Times.
New Chinese Law Would Introduce Tax Breaks for Charities
A proposal under consideration by Chinese authorities could significantly ease regulatory burdens on nonprofit groups, open new avenues for fundraising, and offer tax exemptions to charities and their donors, Reuters reports.
Justice Dept. Will Not Pursue Lois Lerner Contempt Case
A federal prosecutor said Ms. Lerner, the former head of the Internal Revenue Service’s nonprofit division, will not face criminal contempt charges for refusing to answer congressional questions about the agency’s alleged targeting of political organizations, The Washington Post and Politico report.