It’s been a week since the bombshell admission by IRS Exempt Organizations (EO) Director Lois Lerner that the IRS had targeted for special scrutiny conservative groups seeking tax-exempt recognition under Section 501(c)4 of the Internal Revenue Code. NPQ has been reporting on this all week, and the story has moved so fast that the Treasury Department investigation report that precipitated the furor has almost been lost in the rush.
The firestorm unleashed by Friday’s admission by IRS officials that the agency had targeted some applications for tax-exempt recognition based on political keywords like “conservative” and “Tea Party” continues.
Much of the most valuable programs and services of the federal government are delivered by nonprofits. That goes double for U.S. humanitarian and development assistance, where NGOs are critical players in delivering foreign aid to countries in need. Shouldn’t the USAID budget be a top priority advocacy item for the U.S. nonprofit sector?
Rick Cohen collects a cavalcade of columnists who have spoken out against the President’s proposed 28% cap on deductions. Their domination of op-ed writing has framed much of the policy debate around modifying the charitable deduction.
In Part II of the Cohen Report’s review of President Obama’s proposed Fiscal Year 2014 budget, Rick Cohen examines elements of the budget with specific meaning for nonprofit sector capacity and productivity. Together with Part I here, examine the picture that the budget paints for nonprofits—challenges that go to the fundamental role of nonprofits in society and to the willingness and ability of the federal government to protect and sustain nonprofit capacity.
While attention is given to the impact of sequestration on furloughed air-traffic controllers, some cuts leave a more visceral wound on the body politic—and specifically the nonprofit sector.
The President’s FY2014 budget proposal is out! What does it say to the nonprofit sector? Rick Cohen does a deep dive into the budget to find implications for nonprofits—much more than the charitable deduction. Read Part I here, Part II next week.
As a candidate, President Barack Obama spoke of fixing a “broken” Department of Veterans Affairs bureaucracy, but a new report finds things have only gotten worse.
Donald Trump and Newt Gingrich have provided a useful service in explaining—unwittingly—the limitations of philanthropy in replacing governmental funding.
Organizing for Action, the 501(c)(4) nonprofit social welfare group run by Obama reelection team advisors has had a change of heart on accepting corporate money.
Through the work of his Atlanta-based nonprofit, former President Jimmy Carter has led a post-presidency life that has measurably moved the nations of this world toward peace.
The nonprofit sector reacted with parochial panic about proposed changes to the charitable deduction, but shouldn’t it have paid more mind to the devastating blow dealt by sequestration budget cuts? Were we tricked?
Organizing for Action, the nonprofit political advocacy organization born from President Barack Obama’s reelection campaign, may be making the campaign finance mess worse.
Nonprofit watchdog group Common Cause says that Organizing for Action, the nonprofit that sprang from President Barack Obama’s reelection campaign, should be shut down.
“When somebody asked me about the sequester, I said it’s stupid, stupid, stupid,” said Erskine Bowles. Yet many in Congress don’t seem particularly concerned about their fiduciary duties.
With the clock ticking on a potential budget sequestration, a new survey finds that a majority of Americans are opposed to government funding cuts to almost every program.
Big Bird, the most famous resident of “Sesame Street,” shunned the limelight during the presidential election, but now appears in a PSA with First Lady Michelle Obama.
Sunlight Foundation Policy Director John Wonderlich criticizes President Barack Obama’s follow-through, or lack thereof, on campaign finance reform and government transparency.
Last year, the Violence Against Women Act wasn’t reauthorized for the first time since its inception in 1994, but there are signs that the tide may be shifting back the other way.
Although both the defense budget and domestic programs would face a massive cut in the case of budget sequestration, media coverage appears slanted toward a focus on defense.
Democratic Party leaders are now considering selling information from supporters to credit card companies and retailers like Target. Is this the brave new world of information solicitation?
The Obama administration, which pledged to be the most open and transparent in history, is turning out to be one of the most secretive, according to actor John Cusack.
What did President Barack Obama say about sequestration? Independent Sector sounds the alarm about the charitable deduction, but where is the concern for America’s social safety net?
A secret U.S. Department of Justice white paper suggests the U.S. government can kill Americans suspected of being terrorist leaders without due process or evidence of attack plans.
A new Obama administration proposal would exempt religious nonprofit employers from having to pay for contraception coverage while including coverage for employees who want it.
In a call with nonprofit leaders, Jonathan Greenblatt, special assistant to the president, indicated that the White House is opposed to the pending domestic program budget cuts.
Longtime activist Norman Solomon says that progressive advocates must remember that their role is to put pressure on President Obama, “not to fall in meekly behind” him and his policies.
For a presidential administration that wants to be seen as the most open in history, the level of donor transparency for President Barack Obama’s recent inauguration falls short.
This nation’s loophole-ridden tax code is truly an expression of political bipartisanship in service of large corporations. The fiscal cliff bill enshrines one such loophole for another two years.
It’s been a week since the bombshell admission by IRS Exempt Organizations (EO) Director Lois Lerner that the IRS had targeted for special scrutiny conservative groups seeking tax-exempt recognition under Section 501(c)4 of the Internal Revenue Code. NPQ has been reporting on this all week, and the story has moved so fast that the Treasury Department investigation report that precipitated the furor has almost been lost in the rush.
The firestorm unleashed by Friday’s admission by IRS officials that the agency had targeted some applications for tax-exempt recognition based on political keywords like “conservative” and “Tea Party” continues.
Much of the most valuable programs and services of the federal government are delivered by nonprofits. That goes double for U.S. humanitarian and development assistance, where NGOs are critical players in delivering foreign aid to countries in need. Shouldn’t the USAID budget be a top priority advocacy item for the U.S. nonprofit sector?
Caught between the sequester and President Obama’s FY2014 budget proposals, USAID faces calls for reform and restructuring.
In Part II of the Cohen Report’s review of President Obama’s proposed Fiscal Year 2014 budget, Rick Cohen examines elements of the budget with specific meaning for nonprofit sector capacity and productivity. 
While attention is given to the impact of sequestration on furloughed air-traffic controllers, some cuts leave a more visceral wound on the body politic—and specifically the nonprofit sector.
The President’s FY2014 budget proposal is out! What does it say to the nonprofit sector? Rick Cohen does a deep dive into the budget to find implications for nonprofits—much more than the charitable deduction. Read Part I here, Part II next week. 
As a candidate, President Barack Obama spoke of fixing a “broken” Department of Veterans Affairs bureaucracy, but a new report finds things have only gotten worse. 
Donald Trump and Newt Gingrich have provided a useful service in explaining—unwittingly—the limitations of philanthropy in replacing governmental funding. 
Organizing for Action, the 501(c)(4) nonprofit social welfare group run by Obama reelection team advisors has had a change of heart on accepting corporate money. 
Through the work of his Atlanta-based nonprofit, former President Jimmy Carter has led a post-presidency life that has measurably moved the nations of this world toward peace.
The nonprofit sector reacted with parochial panic about proposed changes to the charitable deduction, but shouldn’t it have paid more mind to the devastating blow dealt by sequestration budget cuts? Were we tricked?
Organizing for Action, the nonprofit political advocacy organization born from President Barack Obama’s reelection campaign, may be making the campaign finance mess worse.
Nonprofit watchdog group Common Cause says that Organizing for Action, the nonprofit that sprang from President Barack Obama’s reelection campaign, should be shut down.
“When somebody asked me about the sequester, I said it’s stupid, stupid, stupid,” said Erskine Bowles. Yet many in Congress don’t seem particularly concerned about their fiduciary duties.
With the clock ticking on a potential budget sequestration, a new survey finds that a majority of Americans are opposed to government funding cuts to almost every program. 
Big Bird, the most famous resident of “Sesame Street,” shunned the limelight during the presidential election, but now appears in a PSA with First Lady Michelle Obama.
Sunlight Foundation Policy Director John Wonderlich criticizes President Barack Obama’s follow-through, or lack thereof, on campaign finance reform and government transparency. 
Although both the defense budget and domestic programs would face a massive cut in the case of budget sequestration, media coverage appears slanted toward a focus on defense.
Democratic Party leaders are now considering selling information from supporters to credit card companies and retailers like Target. Is this the brave new world of information solicitation?
The Obama administration, which pledged to be the most open and transparent in history, is turning out to be one of the most secretive, according to actor John Cusack.
A new Obama administration proposal would exempt religious nonprofit employers from having to pay for contraception coverage while including coverage for employees who want it. 
In a call with nonprofit leaders, Jonathan Greenblatt, special assistant to the president, indicated that the White House is opposed to the pending domestic program budget cuts. 
Longtime activist Norman Solomon says that progressive advocates must remember that their role is to put pressure on President Obama, “not to fall in meekly behind” him and his policies. 
For a presidential administration that wants to be seen as the most open in history, the level of donor transparency for President Barack Obama’s recent inauguration falls short. 
This nation’s loophole-ridden tax code is truly an expression of political bipartisanship in service of large corporations. The fiscal cliff bill enshrines one such loophole for another two years. 
