When foundations descended on Capitol Hill March 25th for the annual Foundations On The Hill visits, the major issue preoccupying foundation executives and trustees was the Obama Administration proposal to limit the deduction for charitable contributions by wealthy individuals. Many were surprised that the first major initiative emerging from an Obama presidency presumed (because of the President's previous experience with foundations and non-profits) to be pro-philanthropy was a seeming strike against charity and apple pie. How could we contemplate any move that might deter contributions to food banks and homeless shelters with unemployment and foreclosure rates escalating rapidly?
The Senators and Representatives with whom the Southeastern Council of Foundations delegation met were quick to reassure us that they felt the proposal defied logic as well. Their reaction at the time was bipartisan and virtually unanimous against the proposal.
In the ensuing months, the non-profit sector--or at least much of it--has championed the notion that capping the deduction for charitable donations is a recipe for poor public policy. Myriad umbrella groups, including the Council of Foundations, American Society of Association Executives and Association of Fundraising Professionals, petitioned Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus with a cogent, collaborative letter urging preservation of the deduction. It has been terrific to see non-profit and philanthropic infrastructure groups unite and, for the most part, speak with one strong voice.
However, there is a danger of the voice of philanthropy being muffled in the larger debate over health care reform to which the limit on deductions has been--at least so far--inextricably linked. And, let's face it, health care reform is sufficiently important that it should dominate the airwaves. But, if the charitable deduction limitation becomes law as a tradeoff for changes in our national health care system, let it not transpire because philanthropy neglected to weigh in forcefully one more time before the vote.
The importance of non-profit infrastructure groups weighing in on this issue cannot be overstated. However, there's nothing more compelling than individual grantmaking foundations and charities articulating poignantly how such a limit on deductions may inhibit the capacity to serve people in the policymaker's own backyard.
Paint the picture, and send it in today!
The Senators and Representatives with whom the Southeastern Council of Foundations delegation met were quick to reassure us that they felt the proposal defied logic as well. Their reaction at the time was bipartisan and virtually unanimous against the proposal.
In the ensuing months, the non-profit sector--or at least much of it--has championed the notion that capping the deduction for charitable donations is a recipe for poor public policy. Myriad umbrella groups, including the Council of Foundations, American Society of Association Executives and Association of Fundraising Professionals, petitioned Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus with a cogent, collaborative letter urging preservation of the deduction. It has been terrific to see non-profit and philanthropic infrastructure groups unite and, for the most part, speak with one strong voice.
However, there is a danger of the voice of philanthropy being muffled in the larger debate over health care reform to which the limit on deductions has been--at least so far--inextricably linked. And, let's face it, health care reform is sufficiently important that it should dominate the airwaves. But, if the charitable deduction limitation becomes law as a tradeoff for changes in our national health care system, let it not transpire because philanthropy neglected to weigh in forcefully one more time before the vote.
The importance of non-profit infrastructure groups weighing in on this issue cannot be overstated. However, there's nothing more compelling than individual grantmaking foundations and charities articulating poignantly how such a limit on deductions may inhibit the capacity to serve people in the policymaker's own backyard.
Paint the picture, and send it in today!
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