Philanthropy News

Tuesday, November 27, 2018
The Problem With Charitable Giving

NEW YORK, NY -- Starting this fall, and well into the future, medical students at New York University will get free tuition. In a few years, shiny new facilities will welcome cancer patients in Atlanta and brain researchers at Stanford. The announcements about these developments credit generous philanthropists, but fail to mention who else is footing much of the bill: American taxpayers. Like most charitable giving, health care philanthropy is tax-deductible. When wealthy people give away millions of dollars, their tax bills go down. But that leaves the rest of us either to pick up the slack or go without the investments that our government could have made with those funds.

Read @ New York Times >>
Monday, November 19, 2018
Nonprofits Are at Risk as the Wealthy Gain More Philanthropic Clout, Report Argues

WASHINGTON, DC -- The accelerating concentration of philanthropic power in the hands of the affluent puts nonprofits at risk and can be checked only by significant tax-law changes, argues the latest in a series of reports and critiques focused on big philanthropy. Nearly a third of itemized charitable contributions in 2015 came from households earning more than $1 million annually — up from just 12 percent in 1995, according to the new report. At the same time, the share of giving by average Americans has been declining for most of the 21st century, sapping the strength of national nonprofits that rely on small donations and don’t attract support from the affluent.

Read @ The Chronicle of Philanthropy >>
Thursday, November 15, 2018
IRS Announces Higher 2019 Estate And Gift Tax Limits

NEW YORK, NY -- The Internal Revenue Service announced today the official estate and gift tax limits for 2019: The estate and gift tax exemption is $11.4 million per individual, up from $11.18 million in 2018. That means an individual can leave $11.4 million to heirs and pay no federal estate or gift tax, while a married couple will be able to shield $22.8 million. The annual gift exclusion amount remains the same at $15,000. For the ultra rich, these numbers represent planning opportunities. For everybody else, they serve as a reminder: Even if you don’t have a taxable estate, you still need an estate plan.

Read @ Forbes.com >>
Wednesday, September 26, 2018
Announcing the 2019 RSVP Competition Notice of Funding Opportunity

WASHINGTON, DC -- The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) is pleased to release the 2019 RSVP Competition Notice of Funding Opportunity. For decades, RSVP has effectively engaged older Americans in meeting national and community needs that deliver lasting, meaningful results. With this Notice, CNCS intends to fund successful applicants that increase the impact of volunteers age 55 and older, serving in a diverse range of activities in response to local community needs. Notice of Intent to Apply is October 10, 2018.

Thursday, September 13, 2018
The Growth in Total Household Giving Is Camouflaging a Decline in Giving by Small and Medium Donors: What Can We Do about It?

BOSTON, MA -- Research on giving in the United States has now produced definitive empirical evidence to show a decline in the participation and amounts donated by “small” and “medium” (actually, median) donors and an increasing reliance on “large” donors. That lead sentence should make every reader stop and envision the future of philanthropy in our democracy. Nonprfit Quarterly's Patrick Rooney writes in support of a universal charitable deduction.

Read @ Nonprofit Quarterly >>

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