Protecting Nonprofit Rights

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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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**AIDS Prevention and the Global Gag Rule

After the near total failure of the Bush administration?s faith based initiative in the Senate (see the last Watcher), House Republicans managed a small victory with a $15 billion bill to help stop the spread of AIDS in Africa.

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IRS Seeks Comments on Guidance, Practices to Prevent Fund Diversion for Terrorism

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is seeking public comments on how it can improve guidance and oversight in order to prevent diversion of charitable assets for terrorist activities. Announcement 2003-29, which will be formally issued May 19, focuses on grants to international charities, but also asks about the appropriateness of issued by the Treasury Department last November. These practices are recommended for all charities, but were released without a public comment period.

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IRS Announcement 2003-29

BNA published the text of IRS Announcement on International Grant-Making and Activities by Domestic Section 501(c)(3) Organizations, below: International Grant-making and International Activities by Domestic 501(c)(3) Organizations: Request for Comments Regarding Possible Changes Announcement 2003-29

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Court Strikes Down Blanket Issue Advocacy Ban in Campaign Finance Law

On May 2 a special federal three-judge panel ruled some parts of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA) unconstitutional, while upholding others. There is good news for nonprofits engaged in genuine issue advocacy, since the court struck down the blanket ban on broadcasts that refer to federal candidates within 60 days of a federal election or 30 days of a primary.

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IRS Halts Audits of Charities That Lobby

In a joint statement, seven nonprofit groups, including Alliance for Justice, Charity Lobbying in the Public Interest, Council on Foundations, INDEPENDENT SECTOR, National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, National Council of Nonprofit Associations and OMB Watch, praise the Internal Revenue Service's decision to halt an audit program of charities that lobby pending a review of the program.

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OMB Watch Comments on Pilot Web Portal for Federal Grant Announcements

OMB Watch filed comments in October 2003 on the pilot web portal for federal grant announcements, based on suggestions made by nonprofits from around the country. October 11, 2002 Elizabeth Phillips, Office of Federal Financial Management Office of Management and Budget, Room 6025 New Executive Office Building Washington, D.C. 20503 Re: FedBizOpps Data Elements Comments, Vol. 67 Fed. Reg. No. 155, Pages 52554-52556 Dear Ms. Phillips,

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State Action on Grant Streamlining

Back to main Grant Streamlining page Post Your State's Grant Annoucements to Grants.gov The federal government would now like to expand the information offered on Grants.gov to include the grant opportunity information from States, Foundations and Associations who provide aid to the grant community.

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Court Hears Arguments in Challenge to Legal Aid Restrictions

On Friday April 18, 2003, the Federal District Court in Brooklyn, New York, heard arguments on a challenge to regulations which force legal aid offices receiving federal funds to establish separate offices and staff if they wish to spend their non-federal funds on activities that are ineligible for federal funding. These include lobbying, participating in agency rule-making, claiming court ordered attorneys' fee awards, and filing class actions on behalf of low-income clients and communities.

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IRS Restores Exempt Status of Gingrich Groups

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has reversed its 1998 revocation of 501(c)(3) tax exempt status for the Abraham Lincoln Opportunity Foundation (ALOF), a nonprofit associated with former U.S. Rep. Newt Gingrich (R-GA), in a "special review" process for "sensitive and difficult" cases. ALOF was a Colorado based organization formed by Howard "Bo" Calloway to help inner-city youth, but had been inactive for years before it became involved with funding Gingrich's televised citizen workshops in 1990.

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Opposite Sides of Faith-Based Debate Publish Consensus Statement

While Congress has been unable to agree on what standards should apply to religious organizations that receive government funding for social services programs, the Working Group on Human Needs and Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, composed of experts with diverse views, has published Harnessing Civic and Faith-Based Power to Fight Poverty, a statement of 38 specific consensus recommendations. The top priority is increased government funding for social services programs. The project is sponsored by the Roundtable on Religion and Social Welfare Policy.

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Resources & Research

Living in the Shadow of Danger: Poverty, Race, and Unequal Chemical Facility Hazards

People of color and people living in poverty, especially poor children of color, are significantly more likely...

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A Tale of Two Retirements: One for CEOs and One for the Rest of Us

The 100 largest CEO retirement funds are worth a combined $4.9 billion, equal to the entire retirement account savings of 41 percent of American fam...

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Blowing Smoke: Chemical Companies Say “Trust Us,” But Environmental and Workplace Safety Violations Belie Their Rhetoric

Large chemical companies a...

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Gasping for Support: Implementation of Tougher Air Quality Standards Will Require New Funds for State Agencies

New scientific research shows that the current levels of...

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