The Campaign Finance Institute (CFI) held a briefing on Jan. 14 that provided a glimpse of findings in its soon to be published book The Election after Reform. In a special presentation on independent political committees (often referred to as 527s) CFI analyst Steve Weissman said these groups did not become substitutes for party soft money that could no longer be given to political parties under the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA). The findings provided more detail on 527 groups based on data and interviews conducted after the election and compared with data from 2002.

Comments on General Administrative Requirements for Assistance Programs: EPA Administrative Capability Questionnaire EPA ICR Number 0938.10, OMB Control Number 2030-0020 Docket ID Number OARM-2004-0001 January 3, 2005 By Kay Guinane, Counsel, Nonprofit Advocacy Introduction

The enormous outpouring of giving for victims of the tsunami disaster in Southeast Asia is bringing the role of nonprofits in international disaster relief into the public eye once again. Many donors are earmarking their contributions for tsunami relief, raising some concern that disaster relief needs in other areas of the world may suffer.

The National Conference on Citizenship, held Dec. 3 in Washington, DC, examined the role of citizenship in the post-9/11 world. The conference provided a forum to discuss the important role nonprofits play in encouraging citizenship. Read more for a summary of points made at the conference. The conference theme was highlighted by John DiIulio, Jr., former director of the White House Office of Faith-Based Initiatives, who moderated a panel discussion on nonprofits and citizenship in front of 500 educators and nonprofit leaders.