Rules of Advocacy and Lobbying for Grantmakers

It is easy to get hung up on what you think you cannot do when engaging with policymakers. The good news is, you can do more than you may think!

Though the law varies among different types of foundations, all foundation types can engage in advocacy! The Council on Foundations Legal Team explained all the ways foundations can engage in public policy and advocacy.

Participants learned what constitutes permissible, non-partisan advocacy. We will explore regulations versus legislation, learning the difference and why it matters. Attendees will find out about exceptions to the limitation on lobbying. We will also discuss how grantmakers can support civic engagement, including what foundations can do to educate voters during election year politics and what it means to support or oppose a candidate.

In this webinar, we explored:

• What constitutes permissible, non-partisan advocacy and whether bi-partisan action is as good as non-partisan action
• The difference between regulation and legislation and why it matters
• Exceptions to the limitation on lobbying
• What foundations can do to educate voters and support civic engagement
• What qualifies as support or opposition for a particular candidate

Featuring the Council on Foundations Legal Team: