The Special Standing of Community Foundations as Sponsors of Donor-Advised Funds (original) (raw)

The Evolution of Community-based Philanthropy

PhiLab Blog, 2021

The past year has brought into sharp relief the ways in which global trends, phenomena, and crises play out in local spaces. For community foundations, like many civil society groups, this spotlight on the local has had a significant impact on the way they operate and relate to their stakeholders.

Philanthropy and community development: the vital signs of community foundation?

Community Development Journal, 2016

Increased funding pressures on community development and reductions in governmental funding for community support suggest potent roles for philanthropy as a funding source, and the possibility of changing relationships between community development and philanthropy. Focusing on English community foundations and their implementation of the Canadian Vital Signs initiative, which is geared towards assessing communities' vitality and social priorities, our article explores whether, and how, such changes may be occurring. Using the literature on the respective value of 'unsettling' and 'settled' third sector organisations to community development, we reflect on the roles and contributions of community foundations to community development through community philanthropy. Vital Signs reports' content indicates donor-led community philanthropy associated with ameliorative rather than fundamental social change positions, as well as uncertainty surrounding community leadership in this context. We identify community foundations as 'settled' organisations within the community development spectrum and as reflecting the 'directed' community development form. In this instance, it appears that the philanthropycommunity development gap that we suggest is at best being partially bridged. Nevertheless, and paradoxically, these organisations' achievement of financial security through community donorship could also strengthen their community leadership roles in 'unsettling' ways, so doing more to lessen philanthropy and community development's separation.

Community philanthropy: a new model of development

It has always been a weakness for many small non---government organisations that donors tend to 'own' them and their programmes in the communities where they work. But a new model in development-community philanthropy-is emerging through forms of community foundations shaped by local context.

Donors working together: The story of the Global Alliance for Community Philanthropy

2019

From 2013 – 2019, six U.S.?based donor organizations, all active internationally, came together with the support of the GFCF to work as an alliance to build and promote community philanthropy as a global movement. There were three underlying factors that made this initiative unusual:The Alliance was a mix of private and public donor entities, who do not often work together in this way.It was based on a commitment to work collaboratively over a number of years around an idea.A key motivation was to promote new approaches to community philanthropy as an important part of the development portfolio to donors operating internationally.Surely, this makes it a story worth telling – not just to see if the collaboration achieved its goals, but also to explore what it means to be part of an 'alliance' and what lessons this Alliance may have for other donors across the globe seeking to collaborate in new ways to make a difference

Donor-Advised Funds: The Case for Consistent Principles

2015

Each and every sponsoring organization maintaining donor-advised funds – as well as each donor – is subject to a host of requirements under existing law to ensure that charitable funds are used exclusively for charitable purposes. Beginning with the requirements of the “operational test” for tax exemption and continuing through focused penalty provisions (which are not yet fully implemented), the foundation is in place to enforce compliance and prevent abuses, with much room for additional regulatory guidance and enforcement. Ensuring that charitable funds are properly used depends on rigorous employment and enforcement of these rules of general application, and not on arbitrary classifications and labels imposed on sponsoring organiza-

Philanthropic Foundations: From Promise to Sustainable Contributions

Over recent decades, philanthropic foundations have grown in numbers, scale and policy relevance. Yet their roles and contributions in the context of national and international politics and policies remain unclear, particular in view of the profound challenges G20 countries face in terms of social cohesion, governance, and the need for policy innovations. Drawing from the growing literature on philanthropy and recent research projects by the authors, we identify key roles for foundations, make a case for transparent, pro-active management style, and, in terms of an overall regulatory framework, propose policy recommendations towards enabling environments for philanthropy.