Nonprofit Organizations and Counterterrorism Measures

Feb 8, 2016

Top 400 Taxpayers See Tax Rates Rise, But There’s More to the Story

As Americans were gathering party supplies to greet the New Year, the Internal Revenue Service released their annual report of cumulative tax data reported on the 400 tax r...

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Feb 4, 2016

Chlorine Bleach Plants Needlessly Endanger 63 Million Americans

Chlorine bleach plants across the U.S. put millions of Americans in danger of a chlorine gas release, a substance so toxic it has been used as a chemical weapon. Greenpeace’s new repo...

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Jan 25, 2016

U.S. Industrial Facilities Reported Fewer Toxic Releases in 2014

The Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data for 2014 is now available. The good news: total toxic releases by reporting facilities decreased by nearly six percent from 2013 levels. Howe...

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Jan 22, 2016

Methane Causes Climate Change. Here's How the President Plans to Cut Emissions by 40-45 Percent.

UPDATE (Jan. 22, 2016): Today, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released its proposed rule to reduce methane emissions...

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Expert: Rulings Diminish Charitable Giving and Impact

Jan 6, 2009 by Kay Guinane

Donors are growing increasingly weary as court decisions against charities have created an environment of suspicion for numerous Muslim charities. The decrease in contributions will lead to smaller numbers of people receiving relief.

Verdicts such as the one delivered in the Holy Land Foundation trial have caused many Muslim charities to suffer decreases in charitable giving. Since September 11, 2001, several Muslim charities have been shutdown by the government for having connections to Middle Eastern countries.

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Another Charity "Closed" by Banks

Jan 6, 2009 by Kay Guinane

In the wake of criticism received by Lloyds TSB for closing the account of Interpal, a UK based charity, Barclays bank is discontinuing the account of a predominantly Islamic charity, Ummah Welfare Trust. Muslims across the region are requesting a reversal of the closing and are organizing a boycott if demands are not met.

Ummah Welfare Trust raises funds for humanitarian aid projects and orphanages in several countries including Afghanistan, Kosovo and Iraq. It also financially supports Interpal, a nonprofit undergoing its third investigation by the UK Charity Commission.

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USAID Announces its Partner Vetting System

Jan 6, 2009 by Kay Guinane

USAID has released a notice of its proposed "Partner Vetting System" (PVS) for nonprofit and charitable groups. This policy creates unnecessary and potentially dangerous barriers for humanitarian groups from providing relief in global hot spots. Its final implementation will be determined by members of the Obama administration.

Highlights from the proposed PVS:

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Dangerous Partnership: Humanitarian Aid Groups and the Military

Dec 23, 2008 by Kay Guinane

A new plan outlined by the Department of Defense (DoD) and USAID that forces humanitarian groups to collaborate with the military is being called "potentially lethal" by critics of the plan. Representatives from organizations, including InterAction, CARE and International Relief and Development, are outraged at the new policy that they believe will reduce the effectiveness of charitable groups from providing urgently needed aid as they will be too closely connected to the military.

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Exhibits and Transcripts from the Second HLF Trial

The attorneys for the Holy Land Foundation have released several exhibits and portions of transcripts from the recent trial. The documents contain evidence supporting the defendants' argument that USAID continued to support the same groups, hospitals and programs targeted by the government.

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'Twas the Night before New Year

'Twas the night before New Year
And all through the Nation
The people were hopeful
Looking toward Inauguration.

Nonprofits were happy
Their voices might be heard
And silencing through
Rules and surveillance may be deterred.

We've been taking great care
To preserve nonprofit speech rights
Now we reflect on the past year
And the battles we had to fight.

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Preemptive Arrests at RNC Threaten Political Organization

Dec 16, 2008 by Kay Guinane

8 activists who helped organize demonstrations at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul have been charged with 4 felony counts and, if convicted, face over two decades in jail. These charges are establishing a dangerous precedent for restricting future political organization, demonstration and free speech. These arrests were prior to the September convention as an attempt to undermine anti-RNC protests in St. Paul. The 8 activists, now known as the RNC8, are being charged with:

Count 1 - conspiracy to riot in the second degree in furtherance of terrorism

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60 Years Later, Universal Declaration of Human Rights Endures

Dec 11, 2008 by Kay Guinane

The United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights sixty years ago on December 10, 1948. A revolutionary document in its scope and language, its impact on promoting and protecting human rights of every individual around the world cannot be understated. The 33 rights proclaiming all human beings are born with inalienable rights and fundamental freedoms is regarded as the cornerstone of governments, organizations and people working tirelessly to reduce or eliminate poverty, torture and slavery.

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American Foundations' International Grants On the Rise

Dec 9, 2008 by Kay Guinane

A new report finds that American foundations donated to international causes in 2007 more then ever before. The forecast for 2008 giving, despite the global economic downturn, is surprisingly optimistic. "International Grant Making IV: An Update on U.S. Foundation Trends" was co-produced by the Foundation Center and the Council on Foundations. The report found that American foundations gave an estimated $5.4 billion in 2007, up almost a half billion from 2006. International grants also saw a significant increase, up 50% from 2002.

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Interpal Nearing Forced Closure Due to Allegations

Dec 9, 2008 by Kay Guinane

Interpal, a UK based nonprofit, is facing being shut down after its bank was told to close its account by a major London clearing bank. Originally set for December 8, the deadline for closing the account has been extended to January 30, 2009. Interpal's bank, the Islamic Bank of Britain was notified by Lloyds TSB that all transactions of the charity were to cease due to ongoing allegations in the UK and the United State's inclusion of the charity on a terrorist related organization list from 2003.

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