India Announces Extension of FCRA Eligibility
September 26, 2023 On September 25, 2023, India’s Ministry of Home Affairs announced an extension of the FCRA registration certificates pending renewal, either until March 31, 2024, or until their renewal application has been processed, whichever is earlier. Importantly, all organizations with registration certificates previously set to expire by September 30, 2023 and who have… CONTINUE READING >>
A Firsthand Look at Ukrainian Humanitarian Response and Upcoming Challenges
November 30, 2022 Russia continues to target key Ukrainian infrastructure, leading to electricity outages, supply chain disruptions, and increased challenges for global civil society to provide humanitarian aid. It is expected that a second wave of up to 750,000 more Ukrainian refugees may cross the border into Poland alone over the next three months. Without… CONTINUE READING >>
CAF America Helps Charities in the Middle East Access Much-Needed Funding, Despite Complex Restrictions
November 22, 2022 Many donors are intimidated by the challenges of supporting charities and charitable activities in the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region. Extensive registration requirements, regulations on foreign funding, and a complex sanctions landscape can lead many funders to avoid giving in the region altogether. In this heightened risk environment, CAF America… CONTINUE READING >>
UN’s Sustainable Development Strategy Discounts the Potential of Philanthropic Giving
July 29, 2022 This month’s High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development is the main event of the International Sustainable Development community. For 9 days over 3 weeks, delegations to the UN, civil society groups, and a bevy of other Major Groups and development thought leaders descended on New York City to discuss the world’s… CONTINUE READING >>
Changing the World Through Play
Published on June 30, 2022 Active play and education when working hand and hand can go far in advancing community development. Coaches Across Continents (CAC), an NGO registered in both the USA and UK, links all three through their unique Self-Directed learning model that educates people through play to identify, address, and solve problems specific… CONTINUE READING >>
Welcoming Ukrainian Refugees in Bulgaria
Published on June 14, 2022 Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, the United Nations estimates that 7 million people have fled the country to seek refuge in neighboring countries while 8 million have been displaced within Ukraine itself. BCause Foundation, a nonprofit organization (NPO) based in Bulgaria and a member of the CAF… CONTINUE READING >>
Fighting Cancer with Bottle Caps
Published on June 13, 2022 Banco de Tapitas A.C., a charity located in Mexico, emphasizes that every individual has the personal responsibility to recycle and ensure that plastic no longer reaches our oceans. While promoting environmental change, the organization has linked recycling to saving the lives of children battling cancer and in 2021 alone, provided… CONTINUE READING >>
Donors Warned to Prepare for Global Food Crisis
June 8, 2022 Sparked by the war in Ukraine and general climate-related impacts on harvests, international organizations are sounding the alarm as war in Ukraine and climate change shocks fuel a global food crisis. A June 6, 2022 report released by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP, a… CONTINUE READING >>
Developing Digital Learning in India
Published on June 7, 2022 During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, children around the world struggled to continue their education in the midst of lockdowns and quarantine. Particularly in India, widespread school closures and a lack of technological development within the education system left teachers wondering how they could effectively reach their students. CLT… CONTINUE READING >>
Fighting Hunger in Colombia
Published on August 20, 2021 A 2018 United Nations study found that food insecurity is a deadlier crisis than AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined: 9 million people die each year from hunger and hunger-related diseases. Banco de Alimentos was founded in 2001 to reduce food insecurity in the Columbian capital of Bogotá. A staggering 16.4%… CONTINUE READING >>
The Game Changers
Published on August 1, 2019 Participating in an after-school debate or a Model United Nations club, or being part of a basketball team are experiences many remember as an exciting foundation of their youth. However, for youth at risk—as are over 75% of school kids who have experienced violence—engaging in an after-school program can be… CONTINUE READING >>
Indigenous Women in Guatemala Lift Themselves Out of Poverty
Published on October 15, 2018 Guatemala is the most populous country in Central America. More than half of all Guatemalans live in poverty. A similar percentage of the country’s residents are under age 19. In such an environment, young women are disproportionately vulnerable, especially if they are part of a historically persecuted indigenous communities. In… CONTINUE READING >>
OFAC Announces New General Licenses for Afghanistan
Updated February 28, 2022 On February 25, 2022 the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) released General License 20. The General License authorizes all transactions involving Afghanistan or its governing institutions that were previously prohibited by Global Terrorism Sanctions Regulations, 31 CFR part 594 (GTSR), the Foreign Terrorist Organizations Sanctions Regulations, 31 CFR part… CONTINUE READING >>
New Sanctions on Russia: What Donors Need to Know
Updated on July 14, 2022 CAF America continues to monitor the growing number of U.S. sanctions on Russia. We remain committed to facilitating regulatory-compliant grants to charity partners that follow CAF America’s policies and all relevant U.S. laws and regulations. During this period of rapid change, CAF America is here to help interpret what these… CONTINUE READING >>
India Extends FCRA Eligibility as 6,000 NGOs Lose License
January 4, 2022 On December 31, 2021, India’s Ministry of Home Affairs announced an extension of FCRA registration certificates until March 31, 2022, or until their renewal application has been processed, whichever is earlier. Many FCRA registrations had previously set to expire on October 31, 2021, and subsequently, December 31, 2021 after the Ministry issued… CONTINUE READING >>
Lessons of Charity Resilience in Haiti
On August 14, 2021, Hope for Haiti, a US-based nonprofit focused on improving the quality of life for Haitian people, found its local headquarters in Les Cayes, Haiti at the epicenter of a massive earthquake. The timing of the quake could scarcely have been worse for Haiti, which already faced a healthcare system hobbled by… CONTINUE READING >>
Unpacking India’s CSR Law
India’s Ministry of Corporate Affairs released new guidance on their corporate social responsibility (CSR) law, which legally mandates that companies spend two percent of their average net profit for the past three years on CSR activities. The CSR rules in Section 135 of India’s Companies Act, 2013 provide a broad framework for companies to undertake… CONTINUE READING >>
Granting to International Government Entities
Published on March 25, 2022 Grantmakers seeking to fund international charitable work must be familiar with Equivalency Determination (ED) and Expenditure Responsibility (ER) as tools for establishing the charitable purpose of their beneficiaries and their programs. However, many grantmakers are not aware that there is an additional Executive Order (22 U.S.C. 288) which enables grantmakers… CONTINUE READING >>
Best Practices for Disaster and Crisis Grantmaking
Published on March 2, 2022 The pandemic’s systemic shock has created a new reality that challenges corporations to examine long-term policy changes. A significant aspect of this is how corporations strategize for disaster philanthropy. We can classify disaster philanthropy as reactive, responding to each successive crisis, or as proactive, wherein grants to a charity foster… CONTINUE READING >>
5 questions to answer when planning your international charitable legacy
Legacy giving, or giving by bequest, is one of the best ways for donors to support charities and charitable programs they care about. But not all bequests are made the same: donors should be asking themselves five key questions before settling on a legacy giving plan. 1. What do I want my legacy to be?… CONTINUE READING >>
Investing in Resilience: The Role of Corporate Philanthropy in Future-Proofing Nonprofits
This article is republished here with permission from the original publisher, The Association of Corporate Citizenship Professionals (ACCP). When COVID-19 first appeared on the horizon in February 2020, most of us saw it as something in the realm of a natural disaster—sudden and unexpected, frightening but short-term, and with limited geographic impact. We quickly learned… CONTINUE READING >>
Year-end giving in 2020: New challenges, new opportunities
Originally published in Alliance Magazine by Ted hart, President and CEO, CAF America December is traditionally a time to reflect on the chapter we’re about to close and look with hope and anticipation to the year ahead. It’s also a time marked by gratitude, goodwill, and generosity. So, it is perhaps no surprise that about… CONTINUE READING >>
TUSEV
In response to COVID-19, the Turkish Government implemented several policies restricting CSOs from responding to the global pandemic. Türkiye’s Ministry of Family and Social Services launched a national solidarity and donation campaign to consolidate COVID-19 fundraising and ban donation campaigns initiated by certain municipalities during the crisis. This decree disrupted many charitable projects and increased… CONTINUE READING >>
CAF Southern Africa
The Pivotal Role of Civil Society in South Africa South Africa, as well as the entire world, is facing unprecedented socio-economic consequences, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The South African non-profit sector, is likewise especially exposed, as it navigates a host of unintended consequences. CAF Southern Africa has undertaken a number of research… CONTINUE READING >>
CAF India
Strengthening NGOs – the backbone of the nation – during the COVID-19 crisis In just a matter of a few months, the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed the world to standby mode. In India, the government ordered a complete lockdown on March 25 to prevent the spread of the contagion. While the lockdown has been a… CONTINUE READING >>
CAF America Donors Respond to the Australian Bushfires Through Impactful and Tax-Effective Philanthropy
As Australia reeled under the full brunt of the forces of nature, the world watched in concern. We’ve witnessed many disasters before, but the 2019-2020 Australian Bushfires presented an alarming case of the effects of climate change. The global community mobilized to aid a country in need. From September 2019 and into the new year,… CONTINUE READING >>
How the CARES Act, as supplemented by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, Impacts Charitable Giving
Watch the webinar Updated to include important new provisions outlined in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 in effect as of December 27, 2020. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 is the sixth COVID-19 related bill enacted by the US Congress, being preceded by the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act of 2020, the Paycheck Protection… CONTINUE READING >>
How the CARES Act, as supplemented by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, Impacts Charitable Giving
Watch the webinar Updated to include important new provisions outlined in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 in effect as of December 27, 2020. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 is the sixth COVID-19 related bill enacted by the US Congress, being preceded by the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act of 2020, the Paycheck Protection… CONTINUE READING >>
Ten Questions You Should Ask Before Making a Gift Outside the USA
Published on GrantStation Fifteen years have passed since the world became virtually borderless. Tools like Skype, Facebook, and Twitter have enabled us to be more connected than ever before. Friends and families can now keep in touch even when oceans apart, news can be shared in real time, and action can be immediate. Yet a… CONTINUE READING >>
4 Ways Grantmakers Can Streamline Reporting
Foreign organizations are able to receive tax-effective charitable funding from the US if 1) the US grantor is able to make a good faith determination that the foreign organization is the equivalent of a US 501(c)(3) public charity (the grantor conducts an Equivalency Determination or ED), or 2) the grantor can establish that the funds… CONTINUE READING >>
Reading the Writings on the Wall: International Literacy Day 2019
First celebrated in 1967, International Literacy Day highlights the importance of literacy for the development of individuals and societies at large but also calls attention to a major global challenge and awareness loophole. Literacy levels across the globe have drastically risen in the last couple of centuries. While only 12% of people in the world… CONTINUE READING >>
4 Questions you Should Consider Before Giving Abroad
Whether you’ve traveled to distant parts of the world and were inspired by the inventiveness of the communities you visited, read about an issue in a news article, or maybe just feel a special kinship with a given place, the desire to help somehow can quickly move to the top of your priority list. Supporting… CONTINUE READING >>
Philanthropy done well: the importance of compliance
Originally article posted by Alliance Magazine NGOs and civil society organizations around the world serve many different roles. In some countries organizations seek to augment the public services provided by governments. Still others may be called upon to step in to cover the needs where governments fail, serve as watchdogs holding those in power accountable,… CONTINUE READING >>
Four Trends Dramatically Reshaping Corporate Philanthropy
Guest blog. Read the original on CyberGrants.com Don’t Just Do Good Things. Do the RIGHT Good Things. You see it: The need for corporate philanthropy is skyrocketing. Worthy, urgent causes appear literally overnight. And enterprises like yours are responding in a big way, generating positive impact for a host of beneficiaries via grantmaking, employee donations… CONTINUE READING >>
CAF America Supports our Employees’ Philanthropy
As the leader in cross-border giving, CAF America’s core mission is to enable US donors to support charitable causes around the world. We make this happen through excellence in regulatory compliance, risk mitigation, and reputational protection. This overarching purpose of excellence in philanthropy brings us together as staff members, each of whom is passionate about… CONTINUE READING >>
Can I Give my QCD to a DAF? And Other Questions
QCDs are gaining in popularity and CAF America often receives questions about how they work, especially in the context of international giving. See below the top 5 questions our donors have asked about QCDs. If you have a traditional (non-Roth) IRA, at age 73 you are required to start taking money in disbursements called Required… CONTINUE READING >>
5 Things to Know this Charitable Giving Season
This time of year is often known for the changing colors of the leaves, preparations for family gatherings, and the beginning of the holiday season. More importantly, it’s also the time for many Americans to make their charitable gifts before the end of the year. If you’re considering making some gifts this season, here are… CONTINUE READING >>
Substantiating and Reporting Charitable Contributions: Requirements from the IRS
Effective July 30, 2018, the IRS published final regulations for Substantiation and Reporting Requirements for Cash and Noncash Charitable Contribution Deductions. These updates guide individuals, partnerships, and corporations making charitable contributions on how these contributions should be substantiated and reported in order for them to be legally tax-deductible. These regulations clarify existing regulations by adding new… CONTINUE READING >>
Is your Organization Compliant to Solicit Charitable Gifts in the U.S.?
The United States is a key source of funding for charitable organizations and causes across the globe, but soliciting donations in the US can be a complex and burdensome process. To start, let’s stay within the US borders. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) certifies the creation and oversees the activities of all charitable organizations in… CONTINUE READING >>
General Licenses for Syria, Iran, and Venezuela Offer a Pathway through Sanctions to Address COVID-19 Relief
Updated June 10, 2022 On June 10, 2022 the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued Syria General License 21A, Venezuela General License 39A, and Iran General License N-1. These General Licenses (GLs) replace and supersede former General Licenses’ released for COVID-19 related transactions in Syria (GL 21), Venezuela (GL 39), and Iran (GL… CONTINUE READING >>
Giving to India? Compliance with the Newly Amended FCRA
Published on November 23, 2020 and Updated March 25, 2022 In Brief Donors in the United States may not give directly to nonprofits located in India and receive a tax deduction in the United States. By giving through a 501(c)(3) public charity, such as CAF America, US donors can make tax effective donations to any… CONTINUE READING >>
A Recap of IGS18
Some of the IGS18 Delegates in front of the Washington Monument! “The legal environment impacting cross-border giving is changing, and sadly not always for the better. But such laws are just part of a larger picture, an ever-changing tapestry of environments, both domestically and around the world, that impact our work.Changes to our field can… CONTINUE READING >>
