Public Access to Nonprofit Finances: a Timeline
Nonprofits were first required to file annual returns known as Forms 990 to the Internal Revenue Service in 1942.
By SUZANNE PERRY and Anu Narayanswamy
Lawsuit Would Force IRS to Release Nonprofit Tax Forms Digitally
Tired of waiting for data, watchdog groups are creating new ways to shed light on charity operations.
By SUZANNE PERRY
Contributor
Tax-Credit Stalemate Leaves Nonprofit Projects in Limbo
A tax break for investors in low-income areas expired earlier this year, and nonprofit projects are waiting to see if it will be revived.
By Alex Daniels
Contributor
Critics Say New Short Form for Tax-Exempt Status Will Draw ‘Cheats’
Some worry the IRS’s abbreviated application for federal tax-exempt status will ask for so little information, it will invite fraud.
By Alex Daniels
Contributor
Wage Fight Poses Dilemma for Nonprofits Squeezed by State Funding
Because so many charities work with poor people, few contest the idea of raising the minimum wage, but some groups are worried they can’t afford it.
By SUZANNE PERRY
Contributor
Nonprofits Cite Headaches in Government Contract Work
Charities report a complex process with rules that change midway through and late payments that force them to seek other funds to tide them over.
By Alex Daniels
Contributor
War on Poverty Spurs Lifelong Advocacy for Children
The founder of the Children’s Defense Fund started out as a civil-rights lawyer in Mississippi, where she witnessed extreme poverty.
By SUZANNE PERRY
Contributor
New Course Explains IRS Election Laws
A new animated online course can help foundation officials and charity leaders navigate election-related tax laws.
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Report Card for Serve America Act Shows A’s and F’s
Budget woes were a source of failing grades in some areas, but the agency succeeded at forming partnerships with other agencies and helping groups that respond to disasters.
By SUZANNE PERRY
Contributor
Judge OKs Plan to Sell Iranian Charity’s Forfeited Assets
A federal judge in New York has approved a settlement that will see U.S. authorities sell a 36-story Manhattan office tower and other properties owned by a charity implicated as a front for the government of Iran, Bloomberg and the Associated Press report.
Advocates Hope Mentions in TV Scripts Can Boost AmeriCorps
A campaign to promote volunteerism on TV shows reached prime time in a recent episode of “True Detective.”
By SUZANNE PERRY
Contributor
White House and Congressional Budget Plans Battle It Out Over Charitable Deduction
The House plan goes further in seeking to draw tax revenue from nonprofits and sends a strong message about how lawmakers want nonprofit groups to spend money.
By Alex Daniels
Contributor
Nonprofits and Taxes: Key Proposals
President Obama and the House Ways and Means chairman have each crafted plans that seek to raise revenue by imposing new tax rules that affect donors, foundations, and other nonprofits.
Community-Action Groups Survive Political Storms
In the mid-60s, when community-action agencies began springing up across the country, many state and local officials felt threatened by legislation that funneled federal money directly to antipoverty groups.
By SUZANNE PERRY
Contributor
Obama Budget Would Support Anti-Poverty Efforts and Early-Childhood Education
His plan would also use federal money to revive poor urban and rural areas, but it would slash funds to Community Services Block Grants and other programs.
By Alex Daniels and SUZANNE PERRY
War on Poverty Groups Are Still Around but Face New Challenges
Nonprofits, like Three Rivers Community Action, which builds low-cost housing, are working to reinvent themselves to adapt to today’s demands for more accountability and a volatile government-funding environment.
By SUZANNE PERRY
Contributor