News from the Hill Ryan is Elected Speaker of the House Yesterday afternoon, Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI-1) was elected as the next Speaker of the House. This marks the conclusion of a month-long process for the GOP to select a viable candidate for this position. With Ryan’s ascension to…

News from the Hill Nonprofit Leaders Urge Congress to Act on Extenders On Wednesday, the Council on Foundations and Independent Sector organized a briefing with the House and Senate Philanthropy Caucuses on Capitol Hill to urge Congress to take immediate action on making permanent the three…

Due to the Columbus Day holiday and this week’s Congressional recess, today’s edition of Washington Snapshot will be slightly abbreviated. News from the Hill Upcoming Philanthropy Caucus Briefing As our readers know, the Council on Foundations has been very active in reviving the Philanthropy…

News from the Hill Who will be the Next Speaker of the House? Yesterday, in a significant and surprising move, the leading Republican to replace John Boehner as House Speaker, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA-23), announced that he was withdrawing his candidacy for the position. This has caused…

Breaking News: Secretary Duncan to Step Down Just today, U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced that he will be stepping down in December from the position, which he has held since the beginning of the Obama Administration in 2009. It is expected that President Obama will…

Breaking News: Speaker Boehner to Retire at End of October Just as we were preparing to send Snapshot to our readers, we received word that Speaker of the House, Representative John Boehner (R-OH-8) will retire from Congress at the end of October. This announcement came during a meeting with GOP…

In 2012, the Department of Treasury and the IRS issued proposed regulations applicable to private foundations seeking to make grants to foreign organizations using equivalency determinations. At the time, the Council submitted comments in support of the rules, and urged Treasury and the IRS to…

Executive & Regulatory News New Guidance on Mission-Related Investing This week, the Treasury Department released long-awaited guidance on mission-related investments (MRIs), which the Council requested this year in our 2015-16 Treasury Priority Guidance Plan comments. The Council, along with…

This week, the Treasury Department released long-awaited guidance on mission-related investments (MRIs), which the Council requested this year in our 2015-16 Treasury Priority Guidance Plan comments. The Council, along with the Council of Michigan Foundations and Mission Investors Exchange,…

In remembrance of the 9/11 attacks that occurred 14 years ago today, the Council would like to take a moment to extend our thoughts to all those who were affected by the tragic events of that day. News from the Hill Sen. Grassley Maintains His Skepticism of DAFs In an interview with the Chronicle…

Due to the Labor Day holiday, this week’s edition of Washington Snapshot is slightly abbreviated. We wish our readers an enjoyable Labor Day! News from the Hill Congress is in recess through the Labor Day holiday and will return to Washington on September 8th for a busy end-of-year legislative…

As a reminder to our readers, Washington Snapshot will be taking a break next week. Join Us on 9/9: Nonprofit Media Event at the Newseum Join the Council on Foundations, nonprofit media organizations, foundations, journalists, academics, and other stakeholders for a conversation on Wednesday,…

Yesterday, the Charitable Giving Coalition issued a press release urging Democratic presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, to reconsider funding her college affordability plan at the expense of millions of Americans who rely on services made possible through the charitable deduction. As many of…

As a reminder to our readers, Washington Snapshot will be taking a break next week and the week of the 28th. Activate in August With many Members of Congress out of town and back home in their districts for the August recess, much of the action has shifted away from Washington and toward local…

Council Releases August Advocacy Toolkit This Tuesday, the Council hosted our Washington Update LIVE! webinar to discuss the importance of building relationships with your lawmakers so that they understand the value of philanthropy in their districts and states. Featured speakers: Maggie Gunther…

News from the Hill Senate Finance Committee Markup of "Tax Extenders" Package This Tuesday, the Senate Finance Committee convened to markup a bill that would renew 52 of the “tax extenders,” including the charitable provisions, for the 2015 and 2016 tax years. As our readers will recall, these…