Budget Policy Issues

Budget and spending decisions by governments affect all Americans and these decisions can have immediate and serious consequences for the people nonprofits serve and the communities in which they operate.

Federal Budget and Appropriations

The National Council of Nonprofits monitors federal budget proposals and the appropriations process to identify trends and proposals that will advance or hinder the ability of charitable nonprofits to advance their missions.

State Budget and Spending

Budget and spending decisions by governments affect all inhabitants and these decisions can have immediate and significant consequences for the people nonprofits serve and the communities in which they operate.

• State Charitable Giving Incentives: The tax laws in many states encourage individuals to give to charitable organizations whose missions they support by providing an itemized deduction or tax credit.
• Mandatory Volunteerism: Legislative proposals that would impose a “volunteerism” requirement for individuals before they could receive such existing benefits as unemployment insurance, Medicaid services, SNAP (food stamps) assistance, and welfare benefits.
• Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR): a state budget and tax-policy process that limits growth of state and local revenues to a restrictive formula, such as capping total spending and taxing to the rate of inflation plus change in population.