Philanthropic naming rights “...are the charitable cousin of corporate - commercial - naming rights.” In Naming Rights: It's a Philanthropic Jungle Out There, we explained that “...huge amounts of money - donated, of course, instead of invested - swirl around the rights to have one’s name catapulted into philanthropic super-stardom. Billionaires jostle for the privilege of contributing to society and being publicly Read More
Guidance on Excess Compensation Rules for 501(c)(3) Execs
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) was enacted at the end of December 2017. It was a rushed effort, with little or none of the usual thoughtful drafting and committee hearings. Voting was so rushed that many lawmakers candidly admitted they had not had a chance to read much of the legislation before it came up for a vote. What emerged is a comprehensive overhaul of the federal tax code that is - frankly and generally Read More
Johnson Amendment: Backdoor Repeal on the Table
During the 2016 presidential campaign, the Republican nominee fired up his evangelical supporters with a promise to repeal the Johnson Amendment, the brief phrase at the end of Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(3) that bans any political-campaign activity. At the first National Prayer Breakfast of the new Administration, he told the gathered group that he would “get rid of and totally destroy” it. In the Read More
Nonprofits to Congress: Ditch Form 1023-EZ
In March and April 2018, the House of Representatives took up and passed legislation, the Taxpayer First Act, H.R. 5443, to modernize certain aspects of the IRS’s operations. Included in this bill is a provision for mandatory electronic filing of the information returns of exempt organizations. During the regular period for public comment, nonprofit leaders expressed support for the electronic-filing aspect of Read More
Form 990: Important Processing Changes
For many nonprofit organizations that operate on a calendar fiscal year, the due date for the annual Form 990, Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax, was yesterday - May 15, 2018. Of course, an organization may choose to file Form 8868, Application for Automatic Extension of Time to File an Exempt Organization Return, to obtain an automatic extension for six months to file a Form 990. In light of some Read More