Okla. House OKs Bill to Restrict Humane Society Fundraising
State lawmakers approved a measure Tuesday that would ban animal-welfare groups from fundraising in the state for “political purposes” and from using money collected in Oklahoma outside the state, the Tulsa World reports.
More Democracies Taking Aim at Nonprofits, Campaign Group Says
Western and democratic countries are beginning to mirror authoritarian states in the developing world in seeking to rein in nonprofit advocacy groups that criticize government actions and policies, the leader of a global civil-society alliance tells the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Experts Question Tax Handling of Gifts to Clinton and Trump Charities
Tax experts tell The Huffington Post that some speaking fees Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton passed on to family charities should have been reported by the presidential candidates as personal income because they were donations given in return for a service.
Met Museum Will Reword Signs in Deal on Admission Donations
Signs at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art will change to say that a $25 donation for admission is “suggested,” not “recommended,” as was previously the case, The New York Times and Hyperallergic report. The museum was sued in 2013 by a member and two tourists who said the vague signage misled visitors about the museum’s pay-what-you-wish admissions policy.
Election Won’t Hamper Charitable Giving, Says Study
Nearly 80 percent of donors surveyed said they plan to donate the same amount to favorite causes this year as in 2015.
By Timothy Sandoval
Contributor
Trump Says IRS Audit Is Preventing Release of His Returns
Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump, under pressure from GOP rivals to make his tax returns public to back up claims about his net worth and philanthropy, said Thursday that he has been blocked from doing so by an Internal Revenue Service audit, CBS News reports.
Ex-N.Y. Council Leader Embraces New Role Serving Homeless
The Wall Street Journal writes about former New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn’s transition to leading WIN, a charity that operates 11 shelters for homeless families in the city.
Opinion: Public Pays Price for Knight’s Stanford Largesse
Phil Knight’s $400 million gift to fund Stanford University graduate-school scholarships “should reignite a dormant debate” over the cost to taxpayers of elite colleges’ burgeoning endowments and massive philanthropic support, a Los Angeles Times columnist writes.
N.J. Towns Line Up to Challenge Hospitals’ Tax Exemptions
A dozen municipalities across New Jersey are seeking to collect taxes from nonprofit hospitals in the wake of a court ruling last year that resulted in one town securing a $15.5 million tax payment, NJ Advance Media reports.
Aid Charities Say Anti-Terror Laws Hampering Help to Syria
Western countries’ counterterrorism laws, particularly those aimed at interrupting financial flows to jihadist groups, are making it harder for charities to deliver food, medicine, and other vital supplies in militant-held parts of Syria, according to the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Independent Sector CEO Praised as Data Savvy and Collaborative
A one-time Catholic research fellow, Dan Cardinali represents a pivot in leadership for Independent Sector.
By Rebecca Koenig
Contributor
N.Y. Charities Find Government Contracts Don’t Cover Costs
With the collapse last year of a large and mostly taxpayer-funded New York City charity, other area nonprofits are growing wary of the financial squeeze that can come with relying primarily on government human-services contracts, The Wall Street Journal reports.
U. of Buffalo Faculty Question Campus Foundation’s Spending
The University of Buffalo Foundation plows nearly 40 percent of its spending into salaries for its own staff and university employees, compared to about 7 percent for student scholarships, The Buffalo News reports, citing an analysis by a campus faculty organization.
N.Y. Watchdog Seeks Review of de Blasio Ties to Nonprofits
A government watchdog group has filed a complaint with New York City elections officials requesting an inquiry into Mayor Bill de Blasio’s relationship with nonprofits backing his administration’s agenda, The New York Times reports.
Impact Investing Might Help Nonprofits Overseas Asphyxiated by Their Governments
As governments like Russia and China cut off charitable support from the United States and elsewhere, nonprofits might benefit from donors’ growing interest in blending investments and social-good work.
By EDWIN REKOSH
Contributor
Chicago Catholic Charities Seeks Budget Push From Pews
Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago is calling on priests and congregants to press Illinois legislators to resolve a monthslong budget impasse that has left the state owing more than $25 million to the nonprofit, reports the Chicago Tribune.