· Sustain the diversity and independence of the philanthropic sector. · Encourage the growth of philanthropy and charitable giving. · Maintain transparency and accountability throughout the philanthropic sector.
For 2020, SECF’s public policy agenda is focused on the following areas:
Public policy should encourage and recognize charitable giving by all Americans at all levels. We support efforts to maximize incentives for charitable giving and make them available for all Americans in order to allow greater support of critical community needs.
Community foundations and other place-based funders share a common mission – building long-term, lasting philanthropic legacies for their communities. Donor-advised funds and other tools are among the many ways these foundations help diverse sets of donors support the communities in which they live. We oppose placing limitations on individuals and families that want to work with a place-based or community foundation, including undue or burdensome regulations that would reduce the significant philanthropic investment these individuals and families make.
We support laws and regulations that allow public and private philanthropy to operate in perpetuity, thereby permitting charitable organizations the ability to use endowments to generate long-term responses and support to communities.
Donor-advised funds provide an excellent vehicle for giving by individuals who want to make a sustained, long-term impact but may not have the wealth or time necessary to establish a foundation of their own. We support allowing people to rollover funds from individual retirement accounts (IRAs) to donor-advised funds as an effective way to encourage more individual charitable giving.
Government agencies, including the Department of Treasury, often issue guidance and regulations that affect the day-to-day operations of foundations. We are fully engaged with relevant executive agencies, informing their decisions that impact the sector and advocating for positive regulatory mechanisms.
We oppose any effort to weaken provisions of current federal tax law, including the so-called Johnson Amendment, that prohibit 501(c)(3) organizations from endorsing, opposing or contributing to political candidates.
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· Charitable Deductions (Adopted November 2012) · Private Foundation Excise Tax (Adopted September 2013) · Endowed Philanthropy (Adopted February 2017) · Universal Charitable Deduction (Adopted October 2017) · Independence of Donor-Advised Funds (Adopted October 2017) · IRA Rollover to Donor-Advised Funds (Adopted October 2017) · Political Activity and Philanthropy (Adopted November 2017)
Vice President of Member Engagement