Insider Blog | Cross-Border & Domestic Giving

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 are used solely for the charitable purposes for which they were made (the grantor conducts Expenditure Responsibility or ER).

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Philanthropy done well: the Importance of Compliance

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, or do the legwork for ensuring that basic human rights are protected. Yet, they are all united in their constant quest for survival.

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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.

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US Capitol Building

How the CARES Act, as supplemented by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, Impacts Charitable Giving

The Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Securities Act, also known as the CARES Act, is the third COVID-19 related bill enacted by Congress being preceded by the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act and the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. The CARES Act includes significant tax relief and charitable giving benefits.

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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.

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11 Facts About Donor Advised Funds and Private Foundations

When evaluating options for best structuring charitable giving, donors often wish to assess the differences and benefits offered by creating a private foundation or opening a donor advised fund (DAF).

While private foundations and DAFs enable strategic and tax-effective charitable giving, they differ enough that they can appeal to different types of donors, be more effective in specific situations, and can even complement each other.

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Investing in Resilience: The Role of Corporate Philanthropy in Future-Proofing Nonprofits

GUEST BLOG | When COVID-19 hit in 2020, I was running the PepsiCo Foundation and we decided to lean in. In collaboration with PepsiCo corporate, the Foundation contributed over $60M in COVID-19 relief to provide nutritious food and other essential services to communities in need—and doubled that assistance by catalyzing another $60M from other funders.

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4 Trends Dramatically Reshaping Corporate Philanthropy

GUEST BLOG | 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 and volunteer programs.

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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 global philanthropy.

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Flags of US and Afghanistan

OFAC Announces New General Licenses for Afghanistan

On December 22, the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) released a series of six General Licenses for the provision of humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan. These General Licenses go far to allow for more funding to aid the Afghan people, but donors should be careful to assess the risks of giving to Afghanistan even with these new permissions.

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Unpacking India’s CSR Law

The rules and regulations on corporate social responsibility in India are constantly changing and companies must keep pace to understand these updates and amend their CSR programs accordingly. 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.

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Gavel and books

General Licenses for Syria, Iran, and Venezuela Offer a Pathway through Sanctions to Address COVID-19 Relief

OFAC is now encouraging individuals and entities with the ability to provide COVID-19 related aid and humanitarian assistance to Syria, Iran, and Venezuela to do so until the expiration of the GLs on June 17, 2022. These licenses provide an opportunity for donors to support regions critically in need, and it is important that these countries are considered within global COVID-19 relief initiatives.

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