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Welcome to the Nonprofit Champion, our biweekly public policy newsletter. This email format provides brief digests of the full articles to help readers quickly access information. For more details about a specific item, see the full newsletter posted online Nonprofit Champion | July 15, 2024.

 
Flyer for the Nonpartisan Voter Engagement Webinar

Join the Free Webinar

The National Council of Nonprofits and Nonprofit VOTE are delighted to present a free webinar: Nonpartisan Voter Engagement “How To” for Nonprofits. Join our national webinar on July 30, 2024 at 3:00 pm Eastern to learn why and how nonprofits should do nonpartisan voter engagement between now and Election Day using the new Nonprofit Voter Engagement Guide, published today. Find out how easy it is to register eligible voters, share reliable information on polling places and voting, and engage with candidates in a nonpartisan way.

Register

Top of the News

What Does the End of the “Chevron Doctrine” Mean to Charitable Nonprofits?

At the end of this year’s term, the Supreme Court rejected a 40-year rule that required judicial deference to the subject-matter expertise of federal departments and agencies when interpreting statutory requirements through regulations. The ruling in Loper Bright Enters v. Raimondo could upend administrative law on federal regulations on everything from food and drug safety, clean air and water, to health care, civil rights, worker rights and safety, education, transportation safety, and more. Specifically, the Court overturned its ruling in Chevron USA, Inc. v NRDC, which had required judges to defer to federal agencies’ interpretations of law.

  • Why It Matters: The Loper Bright decision will likely result in more challenges to federal rulemaking which will in turn delay or alter reforms and relief for people charitable organizations serve. In particular, it is expected that Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service interpretations of tax laws will come under increased scrutiny by the courts, potentially affecting tax-exempt status.

[Read the full analysis]

 
Cover of the Voter Engagement Guide
Published Today: The Nonprofit Voter Engagement Guide

Voting is not something we can take for granted. It’s time for nonprofits to get involved in voter registration, education, and engagement. To help do this, the National Council of Nonprofits and Nonprofit VOTE announce the Nonprofit Voter Engagement Guide to provide a roadmap and step-by-step guide for engaging at every stage of the process while remaining strictly nonpartisan. The Guide lays out the rules of nonpartisanship, how to make a plan, tips for engaging potential voters, and permitted nonpartisan activities.

See the Guide
  • Why It Matters: Charitable nonprofit organizations have a critical role to play in promoting voting as a safe and accessible activity to strengthen our communities. This guide can help organizations engage in elections on a nonpartisan basis, leverage networks for greater impact, and build relationships with elected officials.

Federal News

Fastview
  • EEOC Announces Priorities: The newly released Strategic Enforcement Plan from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) lays out several initiatives to “do more to combat employment discrimination, promote inclusive workplaces, and respond to the call for racial and economic justice” in Fiscal Years 2024-2028. The "vulnerable and underserved worker priority" section of the plan focuses on more categories of workers, such as LGBTQI+ individuals, persons with limited literacy or English proficiency, and workers facing mental health related disabilities.
    [Read more]

  • House Tax Committee Targets Nonprofit Colleges and Universities: Two bills that would impose various taxes and fines on higher educational institutions have passed out of the House Ways and Means Committee on party-line votes. One bill would expand the number of institutions subject to the current Endowment Tax imposed on colleges and universities as part of the 2017 tax law. The other measure seeks to levy a financial penalty against schools that have a civil judgment against them for violating students’ civil rights under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
    [Read more]

  • Review of Tax-Exempt “Churches”: The Internal Revenue Service should review several organizations that do hold religious services, including a conservative think tank, to determine whether they qualify as churches under the Internal Revenue Code, according to a new letter by 40 Democratic Members of Congress. The letter urges the IRS to determine whether existing processes and guidance are sufficient to prevent abuse or improper political campaign activities.
    [Read more]

State & Local News

American Rescue Plan Act Funds for Nonprofits

In less than six months, governments must ink written agreements to obligate their remaining State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) or send the money back to the federal government. Many local jurisdictions – notably in California, Connecticut, Missouri, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin – are getting the job done by making funds available to charitable nonprofits or sharing updates about their programs so that eligible organizations know of this opportunity.

[Read more]

 
A SLFRF Did You Know?

With time running out for governments to obligate their remaining State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, here are three things you can do to make sure you don’t miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity:

  • Contact your local and county offices – like your City Manager and County Budget Office – to find out what funds are still available.

  • Develop a written or verbal proposal for your nonprofit. We have a template for that.

  • Share this message with your nonprofit networks. 

[Read more]

 
New State Tax Laws in Effect July 1

The beginning of this month triggered the effective dates for new tax laws in more than a dozen states.

  • Income Tax: Taxpayers in Colorado, Georgia, Kansas, North Carolina, and Utah will see lower income tax rates; the Georgia and Kansas laws applying retroactively. Individual taxpayers in Kansas and West Virginia will also be able to take advantage of additional exemptions.

  • Property Tax: A 2005 law that limited municipal property taxes in Maine has been repealed, which may result in increased local property taxes in the near future.

  • Sales Tax: The statewide sales tax in Colorado has been reduced by .13%. Lawmakers in Indiana, North Carolina, and Wyoming have removed transaction thresholds for economic nexus purposes, meaning any seller with sales of $100,000 or more in those states will now be required to collect and remit sales tax to the state. Interstate sales in Tennessee will now be taxed based on destination sourcing.

  • Tax Filings: A new law in North Carolina provides for automatic extension of state income tax returns when the Internal Revenue Service grants an extension of the corresponding federal return.

[Read more]


Read the full newsletter for additional quotes, research, Numbers in the News, and upcoming advocacy events to put the news in greater context and help you frame the debate.

Read more

Nonprofit Library

On funding nonprofit services

  • Nonprofit New York #WHY15 Statement on the Fiscal Year 2025 Adopted Budget, Nonprofit New York, July 8, 2024.

On nonpartisan voter engagement

  • Nonprofit Voter Engagement Guide, National Council of Nonprofits and Nonprofit VOTE, July 15, 2024.

On nonprofits and trust

  • Local Public Charities are Not ‘Dark Money’ Groups, Adam Jespersen, Executive Director of the Montana Nonprofit Association,  Flathead Beacon, June 22, 2024.

On State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds

  • State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Still Available for the Asking. So Ask!, Jessica Mendieta, Nonprofit Champion, May 20, 2024.

  • Accessing State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, National Council of Nonprofits, website updated regularly.

  • Public Data on State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, U.S. Department of the Treasury, July 2024.

On Supreme Court rulings and nonprofits

  • 8 policies that could be vulnerable to new legal challenges, Jacob Bogage, Washington Post, July 5, 2024.

  • The Supreme Court Just Limited Federal Power. Health Care Is Feeling the Shockwaves, Stephanie Armour, KFF Health News, July 1, 2024.

  • The Supreme Court’s homelessness decision will decimate the faith-based nonprofit sector, Hannah Lebovits, Forward, July 2, 2024.

On taxing tax-exempts

  • To Raise Revenue, Tax the Nonprofits, Scott Hodge, Wall Street Journal, June 26, 2024.

  • Rebuttal: Being Tax-Free Doesn’t Mean Being Cost-Free, Jim Klocke, CEO of the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network, Wall Street Journal, July 2, 2024.

Advocacy in Action

Collage of pictures of Tim.
Lessons Learned from a Career Advancing Charitable Nonprofits

The Advocacy in Action section of this newsletter is dedicated to highlighting inspiring stories of individuals and groups that talk the talk and walk the walk, running innovative advocacy campaigns, collecting and wielding data, and championing the public good in multiple ways. Tim Delaney, President & CEO of the National Council of Nonprofits for the past 16 years, exemplifies all of these ideals and more. In recognition of his retirement today, NCN staff asked Tim to share some of the lessons he has learned from building the largest network of nonprofits in North America and leading effective advocacy at the local, state, and federal levels and in all three branches of government.

Read Tim’s essay: Find Fulfillment by Creating Your Future

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