Responding to the Cyclone in Bangladesh (12/4/07)
This resource is intended for grantmakers interested in responding to Cyclone Sidr, which caused severe damage in parts Bangladesh after the storm system intensified to a Category 4-equivalent cyclone on November 16th. Around two million people were evacuated and thousands are missing or injured in the aftermath of the cyclone. At least 3,447 deaths were reported and the Red Crescent in Bangladesh expects the death toll to reach as high as 10,000. [More ...]
Just Added to the USIG Library: GrantCraft Guide on International Giving (11/7/07) In this new guide from GrantCraft, a project of the Ford Foundation, grantmakers describe the benefits and challenges of bringing a global perspective to their work. The guide explains the regulations that govern cross-border grant making and weighs the merits of working through intermediaries and funding directly outside the United States. [More>>]
Responding to Flooding in Southern Mexico (11/7/07)
This resource is intended for grantmakers interested in responding to the humanitarian crisis in the southern Mexican states of Tabasco and Chiapas. In Tabasco, several rivers burst their banks and heavy rains left 70 percent of the swampy region under water. In neighboring Chiapas, a mudslide caused by heavy rains engulfed houses and stranded people in a remote village. [More>>]
November Issue of International DatelineNow Available (11/4/07)
The November issue of International Dateline, the Council's monthly news update for international grantmakers, is now available here. The newsletter contains updates on the Council's international activities, announcements from the field, professional development opportunities and a calendar of major events.
Responding to Recent Disasters
This resource is intended for grantmakers interested in responding to the following recent disasters:
Fall Community Foundation Conference: International Highlights (7/31/07) The Council on Foundations' 2007 Fall Conference for Community Foundations will be held from September 16–19 in San Francisco. With this year's conference theme of “ Eureka! Learn, Lead, and Grow” we acknowledge that the field faces new responsibilities and challenges as communities increasingly look to foundations to lead the way in addressing complex issues. Among the many exciting sessions and events designed for this conference, the following sessions and events may be of particular interest to international grantmakers ...[More>>]
Council on Foundations Responds to a Report by the Treasury Inspector General For Tax Administration (7/31/07)
On May 21, 2007, the Treasury Inspector General For Tax Administration (TIGTA) released the report Screening Tax-Exempt Organizations' Filing Information Provides Minimal Assurance That Potential Terrorist Related Activities Are Identified [pdf] that criticizes the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for not using the FBI's Terrorist Screening Center's (TSC) consolidated watch list to check nonprofit tax filings for possible matches to suspected terrorists and for failing to automate its list-checking process. Council on Foundations' President and CEO, Steve Gunderson, sent a letter [pdf] dated July 23, 2007, to Michael Phillips, Deputy Inspector General of Audit at the Department of Treasury, on behalf of Treasury Guidelines Working Group. The working group is composed of 75 representatives of foundations, operational charities, advocacy groups, legal advisers, and nonprofit umbrella organizations such as the Council, Independent Sector, InterAction and Grantmakers Without Borders. The letter states that the report's recommendations for improvements to IRS's list-checking procedures will do little to combat financing of terrorist activity by U.S. charities but will impose heavy burdens on the IRS that could affect the charitable sector. The letter also challenges the assumption that U.S. charities are a significant source of terrorist funding. The Treasury Guidelines Working Group was created in the spring of 2004 and is coordinated by the Council on Foundations.
Council on Foundations Submits Letter in Response to Chip Poncy's Testimony Before Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (7/31/07) In testimony delivered May 10, 2007, before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Chip Poncy, Director of the Office of Strategic Policy for Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, emphasized close cooperation between the Treasury Department and the charitable sector. Council on Foundations' President and CEO, Steve Gunderson, sent a letter [pdf] dated July 23, 2007, to Committee Chair Senator Joseph Lieberman on behalf of the Treasury Guidelines Working Group. The letter was intended to correct Poncy's misrepresentation of the Treasury Department's relationship with the sector and to express concern over its oft-repeated assertion that charities provide a substantial conduit for terrorist financing. The letter repeats the working group's call for withdrawal of the Treasury Department's Anti-terrorist Financing Guidelines: Voluntary Best Practices for U.S.-based Charities.
New Legal Dimensions Article: Grantmaking Under the U.S.-Mexico Treaty (7/9/07)
Fifteen years after their implementation, the U.S.–Mexico Treaty provisions governing cross-border grantmaking still provide rules for grants to eligible Mexican charities that are more favorable than those for any other foreign grants. Michael W. Durham, from the Washington D.C.-based law firm Caplin & Drysdale, discusses the potential benefits to grantmakers under the treaty, the ongoing efforts to realize those benefits, and the current obstacles to their realization. [More]
July Issue of International DatelineNow Available (7/9/07)
The July issue of International Dateline, the council's monthly news update for international grantmakers is now available here.
New "Principles of Accountability for International Philanthropy" (5/7/07)
Understanding the context in which grants are made is critical to successful international philanthropy. This guide presents principles, good practices, and resources to help funders become more accountable and more effective change agents in the international arena. It is the result of a two-year collaboration between the Council and the European Foundation Centre. [More]
Council Submits Comments to Department of Treasury on Donor-Advised Funds in Response to IRS Notice 2007-21 (4/9/07) The Council on Foundations submitted comments to the Department of the Treasury and the IRS in response to a notice requesting public comment on several substantive issues affecting donor-advised funds and supporting organizations to help the IRS conduct a study of the organization and operation of these charitable vehicles mandated by the Pension Protection Act of 2006 (PPA). [More- pdf]
Treasury Department Posts Risk Matrix for the Charitable Sector (4/9/07)
The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) at the Treasury Department recently posted a "Risk Matrix for the Charitable Sector" [pdf]. The Risk Matrix lists potential risk factors for charitable organizations along with a corresponding level of risk. The Treasury Guidelines Working Group will be convening in the nxt few weeks to develop a response to this document.
Annual Conference International Highlights (3/20/07)
International grantmakers will be presented with an unparalleled line-up of events at the Council on Foundations' upcoming annual conferee in Seattle. Register before March 23rd! [More]
International Dateline March Issue (3/20/07)
Featuring a Legal Dimensions article, announcements for international grantmakers from the Council, notes from the field, and more. [More]
Legal Dimensions of International Grantmaking (3/20/07) Re-grants by International Intermediaries That Are Not Public Charities is the newest installment of Legal Dimensions. This article discusses the legal issues that may arise when re-granting in the international arena. [More]
New USIG Country Note for Uganda (3/2/07) A new country note for Uganda was recently added to the Country Information section of the USIG website. This note is intended to assist grantmakers in undertaking equivalency determinations for grantees based in Uganda. This country note was made possible through the generous support of the The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
Although this section is extensive, it obviously does not include summaries of every country where U.S. foundations and corporations are making grants. Each country note is grant-funded and the Council on Foundations is seeking grantmakers interested in funding the creation of similar notes for countries that are not currently on this list. If you would like more information, please contact Rob Buchanan, director of International Programs at the Council on Foundations. USIG is a project of the Council on Foundations in partnership with the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law.
Survey Results Indicate Support for Centralized Repository of Information on Foreign NGOs (February 7, 2007)
The majority of respondents to an October 2006 survey favor creating a centralized repository of information on foreign non-governmental organizations (NGOs). They say such a repository could help make international grantmaking by U.S. foundations more efficient, less costly, and less onerous. [More]
