by Natalia Kanem President
The ELMA Philanthropies Services (U.S.) Inc.
Chair, Council on Foundations International Committee
In line with chairing the Council on Foundations’ International Committee, I also serve as co-chair of the Joint Working Group on Accountability in International Philanthropy established last year by the Council and the European Foundation Centre (EFC). This is an exciting new development that answers the need for U.S. international donors to declare a stance in favor of adherence to mission and governance. The working group, whose other co-chair is Luc Tayart de Borms (managing director of the King Baudouin Foundation in Belgium), comprises 16 representatives of foundations and corporate giving programs from both organizations. [More ...]
Legal Dimensions of International Grantmaking
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act:
Compliance Issues for Corporate Donors
By Stephen Curran
Counsel for The Boeing Company
In the area of corporate philanthropy, the current hot topic has been compliance with U.S. antiterrorism laws and regulations. But corporations should be mindful of a second set of laws when making grants outside the United States—those found in the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). As with compliance with antiterrorism laws and regulations, there is no single process that provides for the corporate donor's complete FCPA protection; however, there are some steps corporations can take to help ensure FCPA compliance. Stephen Curran discusses the legal elements of the FCPA and potential due diligence in this easy to understand article. [More ...]
Annual Conference Features George Soros and Ann Veneman
The Council on Foundations’ 57th Annual Conference “Investing in the Vision of Progress,” will be held May 7–9, 2006, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
This conference will convene a wealth of thought leaders in the field of philanthropy including George Soros, founder and chairman of the Open Society Institute and the Soros Foundations Network, who will share his thoughts on how creative grantmaking and partnerships can effect change that is far-reaching and sustaining. Join colleagues who share a global grantmaking perspective for a reception and dinner featuring guest speaker Ann M. Veneman, executive director of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. Other events of interest to international grantmakers include a session on accountability in international philanthropy and the Van Leer Foundations lecture, the first in an annual series of lectures to increase awareness of issues affecting the international community and the role that foundations play in addressing those concerns.
Provision Affecting International Grantmaking Through Donor-Advised Funds On April 6, a frantic push by congressional leaders failed to secure an agreement on the tax reconciliation bill (H.R. 4297), containing a provision that would affect international grantmaking through donor-advised funds, before the beginning of the Spring District Work Period. Conferees are expected to continue work on the tax reconciliation bill when they return to Washington on Monday, April 24. Despite some recent reports to the contrary, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley (R-IA) remains committed to moving charitable reform and incentive provisions as part of tax legislation.
The Council on Foundations has learned that Senate Finance Committee staff plan to make revisions to the reform provision in H.R. 4297 that would currently greatly limit grants from donor-advised funds to international, non-U.S. based charities. Council staff have not, however, seen these changes. If the provision affects your foundation, it is not too late to contact your members of Congress and the tax reconciliation conferees to urge them to withdraw this provision. See instructions and sample letters. For the latest developments and an analysis of H.R. 4297, visit the Council’s Charitable Reform Resource Center.
Treasury Guidelines Working Group Submits Comments
On February 1, 2006, the Treasury Guidelines Working Group submitted comments (in PDF) in response to the invitation for public comments from the U.S. Department of Treasury on the revised “Anti-Terrorist Financing Guidelines, Voluntary Best Practices for U.S.-based Charities” issued on December 5, 2005. The Treasury Guidelines Working Group requested that the Treasury Department withdraw the revised Guidelines and endorse in their place the Treasury Guidelines Working Group's Principles of International Charity (in PDF). [More]
New Russian NGO Law
In January, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the law "On Introducing Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation." The law took effect on April 17 and will significantly affect Russian and international NGOs operating in the country. The International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL) has been engaged throughout this process and recently prepared an analysis of the enacted law. This analysis is available in Russian and English on the ICNL website.
Avian Flu and Philanthropy's Response
From January 16–17, the Council on Foundations convened a two-day symposium in Washington, DC, of grantmakers and public health experts from the public and nonprofit sectors in the United States and Canada to share information and perspectives on the threat of an avian flu pandemic and how philanthropy could respond. The Council worked with Grantmakers in Health to create a program to review possible gaps in preparation, prevention, response and recovery. Participants discussed a realistic and timely role for foundations in the social and public health crisis that could accompany a global pandemic.
Visit the Council website Emerging Issues tab for a summary of the symposium, a discussion/action guide with an overview of U.S. government expectations for local and state response and suggestions to help funders generate action plans, sample agenda for local and regional funder meetings, and other resources.
Discussions around the role of philanthropy in a global pandemic will continue throughout the year. Grantmakers in Health, a nonprofit, educational organization dedicated to helping foundations and corporate giving programs improve the nation's health continues to work on this issue under its public health program area. A follow-up session will be held at the Council on Foundations’ 57th Annual Conference in Pittsburgh on Sunday, May 7, 2006, from 1:30 p.m.–3:00 p.m.
Corporate Services Update for International Grantmakers
Corporate Currents
The Council on Foundations’ Corporate Services Department periodically publishes Corporate Currents, a series of issue papers for Council members on trends and emerging issues in corporate philanthropy. The January 2006 issue of Corporate Currents features “The Year of the Super Disaster: Corporate Grantmaker Practices and Lessons Learned from the Tsunami, Hurricanes and Earthquakes.” Written by Sarita Venkat, this paper focuses on the various ways companies and corporate foundations responded to disasters in 2005 and what they’ve learned. Rayna Aylward, executive director of the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (MEAF), adds her reflections on the past year and shares her organization’s new disaster relief response policy.
Corporate Compilations Corporate Services' members-only e-mail discussion group connects 170 corporate grantmakers and enables them to communicate directly with each other by posting questions to and soliciting advice from their peers. Synopses of past discussions are compiled into short briefings called Corporate Compilations. These briefings cover a range of topics relevant to international corporate grantmakers including international matching gifts, disaster response policies, and antiterrorism compliance policies. To subscribe to the members-only corporate e-mail discussion list, e-mail Sarita Venkat.
Visit the Corporate tab of the Council website, to access both resources (Council on Foundations' member login is required).
Council on Foundations Request for Proposals for USIG Country Notes
The Council on Foundations seeks proposals from interested parties for a contract to review, update and expand the “Country Information” section of the Council’s United States International Grantmaking (USIG) website. The period of the contract will be from June 1, 2006 to December 30, 2008. Proposals should be received no later than May 19, 2006. Read the Request for Proposals.
A project of International Programs at the Council on Foundations, the USIG Project seeks to promote responsible and effective international grantmaking. A USIG Steering Committee composed of Council staff, members and experts in the field recently approved a new Strategic Plan for 2006-2008. This plan is based on input from a meeting held in December 8, 2005, in Chicago that was attended by more than 40 international grantmaking leaders, program officers, grants administrators, board members, legal advisors, and affinity groups from across the country.
Olympic Speed Skater Joey Cheek Inspires International Philanthropy
A new fund established at the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro supports the charitable interests of Joey Cheek, a gold-medal winning Olympic speed skater from Greensboro, North Carolina. In honor of Joey's donation of his Olympic medal bonuses to Right To Play, an international nonprofit that helps children in disadvantaged countries to grow and develop through sports, the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro, the United Arts Council and United Way of Greater Greensboro established a fund to support the Right To Play and to create opportunities for all children in the greater-Greensboro area to play. Joey Cheek’s original donation of $40,000 to Right To Play has also now been matched several times by U.S.-based corporate funders as well as a Canadian Olympic speed skater, Clara Hughes. Joey Cheek will discuss his international philanthropy and involvement with Right To Play on Monday, May 8, 2006, at the morning plenary session of the Council on Foundations’ 57th Annual Conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
WINGS Seeks its Next Executive Director
Worldwide Initiatives for Grantmaker Support (WINGS), the only global network that focuses on philanthropy support, invites applications for the position of executive director for the period of 2007–2010. The position will be based in Manila, Philippines. The candidate should be a senior leader in a grantmaking foundation, community foundation, corporate giving program, nonprofit organization or government agency, with some international focus. Experience in a membership association or support organization is highly desirable. Read the complete job description.
Alliance March Issue: Sustaining Community Philanthropy: Looking for New Models
The March issue of Alliance focuses on community philanthropy organizations in countries where grantmaking organizations as we know them are thin on the ground. Case studies and interviews with several key supporters of community foundations are also included. Alliance magazine is published by Allavida, a UK-based international NGO.
Council on Foundations Honors Barry Gaberman with 2006 Distinguished Grantmaker Award
The 2006 Distinguished Grantmaker is Barry Gaberman, senior vice president of the Ford Foundation. Mr. Gaberman began his 35-year tenure at the Ford Foundation as a specialist in Southeast Asian affairs and advanced as Ford's deputy vice president for U.S. and International Affairs. He also has channeled his dedication to philanthropy as board member for several foundations, founding member of Worldwide Initiatives for Grantmaker Support (WINGS) and Ford's International Initiative to Strengthen Philanthropy. The award recognizes lifetime achievement in philanthropy.
“Barry Gaberman has demonstrated a lifelong commitment and vision in addressing the importance of being a participant in the global arena, and he is truly a global citizen,” said Steve Gunderson, president and CEO of the Council on Foundations. The award will be presented at the Council's annual conference in Pittsburgh, May 7–9, 2006.
The City University of New York is accepting applications for the Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society’s Senior International Fellows Program for fall 2006. The program provides an opportunity for the professional development of third-sector practitioners from outside the United States who are decision-makers in their professions. The 2006 program will focus on community foundations, corporate philanthropy and diaspora philanthropy. Deadline: June 1, 2006
The Asia-Pacific Centre for Philanthropy and Social Investment at Swinburne University in Melbourne, Australia, invites expressions of interest for the Heloise Waislitz Fellowship in Philanthropy for 2006. The Centre teaches, conducts research and consults in most aspects of philanthropy and social investment, especially grantmaking. Questions? Contact Denis Tracey at detracey@swin.edu.au. Deadline: April 30, 2006.
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