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 >>
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 >>
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 >>
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 >>
Celebrating International Cat Day and Global Conservation Efforts
August 8th is International Cat Day! This day is a celebration of one of the animals most widely-beloved by humans: the cat! Since 2002 when the day was instituted by animal welfare groups, many of us cat fans take the time to do something special on August 8th. Whether it’s simply showing some extra love… 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 >>
Giving to Canadian Charities? Make Sure You’re in Compliance
From time to time, our conversations with donor clients or charity partners reveal certain misconceptions within the philanthropic sector. One issue that continues to surface is that giving to Canadian charities is easy. Alas, it isn’t so simple. This piece addresses the erroneous belief that grantmaking into Canada does not require any due diligence. While… CONTINUE READING >>
Beyond the Medals
By Alisha Greenberg, Founder of Rounding Third, LLC If you are anything like me, you were glued to the television much of this month following the action in PyeongChang. I look forward to the Olympics as a sports fan and even more so as a sports impact leader. Sports impact, or the benefit that sports… 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 >>
Granting to China Made “Easy?”
The China Overseas NGO Management Law, officially the “Law of the People’s Republic of China on Administration of Activities of Overseas Nongovernmental Organizations in the Mainland of China” went into effect January 1, 2017. The law requires that foreign NGOs coordinate their efforts with the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) and provides the framework within… CONTINUE READING >>
CAF America Hosts Diaspora Philanthropy Summit
On November 2nd-3rd, CAF America had the immense honor of hosting its Diaspora Philanthropy Summit at the organizational headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia. With CAF Canada and Boston University’s Pardee School of Global Studies African Studies Center as partners, the Summit brought together representatives from diaspora groups from across the world and served as an incubator for… CONTINUE READING >>
CAF America Celebrates UN Day
On October 24, 2017, the CAF America team gathered in our headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia to celebrate the 72nd birthday of the United Nations. As an organization that helps Americans support important causes across the world, CAF America has been aligning our grantmaking with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) since 2016. As a staff,… CONTINUE READING >>
Charity Spotlight: Haribon Foundation
In Philippine Tagalog, Haribon means King of the Birds. Within the archipelago nation, there lives a true Haribon – one of the largest, most powerful, and rarest birds in the world – the Philippine Eagle. The majestic bird makes its home along the lush forests and coastlines of the Philippine archipelago – one of the… CONTINUE READING >>
Fiscal Sponsorship: What Does it Mean for You?
As the leader in global giving, CAF America often receives questions from both prospective donors and charities asking whether we offer fiscal sponsorship services. The existing definition of “fiscal sponsorship” leaves significant space for interpretation, however, it is a term that has been resurfacing with increased frequency. We want to take this opportunity to dig… CONTINUE READING >>
How to Give Abroad: The Mechanisms of International Grantmaking
As we have written before, Americans are increasingly looking internationally to put their philanthropic dollars at work. Once strategies were set, corporations, financial firms, community foundations, wealth advisors, and individual donors alike have found themselves searching for tax-effective solutions to give abroad. As you may guess, identifying the best options for international charitable giving is… CONTINUE READING >>
ED Certificate a License to Give?
Update: The IRS has since released Rev. Proc. 2017-53 that serves as final regulations on Equivalency Determination. The final regulations require that, among many other things, the party undertaking the ED also include anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing checks. This is a welcome addition to the equivalency determination process. Please see the excerpt below from… CONTINUE READING >>
Pledging to Give: The Power of Example
Within the next 45 years, nearly $59 trillion dollars is up for grabs. Don’t run to check your bank account balance or buy a lottery ticket just yet though, as unfortunately, this money is already earned. What this number references is the greatest intergenerational transfer of wealth to ever occur. The much cited study “A… CONTINUE READING >>
“Just Charity”? The Nexus of Impact, Philanthropy, and Investment in the African Context
When we decided that we should take a closer look into U.S. giving to Africa, we were confronted with a troublesome specter called generalization and the looming notion that we would join the ranks of those who talk about Africa as a homogenous nation and not a complex continent with 54 distinct countries. Alas, with… CONTINUE READING >>
Latest from the UN: CAF America Participates in Global Development Week
September is always a hectic time in New York City. The United Nation’s annual meeting of the General Assembly (GA) occurs every year in September and brings with it a whole host of international government officials, corporate executives, international organization employees, and of course, civil society members and philanthropists. This year, however, the massive… CONTINUE READING >>
Charity Spotlight: Samriddha Pahad UK
Imagine you live in a region of the world that is so remote that you’ve never seen, let alone heard of, a bank. You have very little opportunity to make a living, through no fault of your own. The concepts of self-starter, entrepreneur or business owner might not be completely foreign to you, however, without… CONTINUE READING >>
Philanthropy in the Asia-Pacific Region: A Mosaic of Giving to Bangladesh and the Philippines
In today’s interconnected world, global philanthropy is more within reach than ever before. The challenges of distant countries and peoples feel acutely tangible through live videos, images, and stories that we can access with the tap of a finger. This means that donors in the US can not only witness a natural disaster occur while… CONTINUE READING >>
Tracking the Funding: An Update on Financing the SDGs
As we are nearing the end of the Sustainable Development Goals’ (SDGs) first year of existence and the planning work towards achieving these goals is fully underway, two main questions remain as common concerns on everyone’s mind — critics and proponents alike — how will we finance these goals and how will we track developmental… CONTINUE READING >>
Reflecting on International Youth Day 2016
Last week marked the 17th anniversary of International Youth Day – a day to celebrate young peoples views, lives and futures while also raising awareness about the issues they are facing. This year, the theme for International Youth Day was “The Road to 2030: Eradicating Poverty and Achieving Sustainable Consumption and Production“; dovetailing with Goals… CONTINUE READING >>
Charity Spotlight: Delhi Council for Child Welfare
Suman is a cheerful 6 year-old from Delhi, India. She has been living with cerebral palsy, a congenital disorder of movement and muscle tone that prevents her from standing without assistance. On a daily basis, Suman’s parents take her to receive physiotherapy and speech therapy. Every day presents a new challenge that the family must… CONTINUE READING >>
Latest from FATF: Changes to Recommendation 8
Civil society organizations (CSOs) around the world have recently recorded a victory that could be more than a small step toward regaining access to international funding. Moreover, the 25th of June, 2016, when FATF issued a string of revisions related to the implementation of its recommendations, may even mark – as highlighted by Adam Pickering,… CONTINUE READING >>
A Remarkable Rise in International Giving
The American philanthropic sector welcomed last week the release of the Giving USA 2016 report that shows a considerable growth of charitable giving, with contributions exceeding $373 billion for 2015. A publication of Giving USA Foundation, The Giving Institute & IUPUI, the report focuses on charitable giving trends within the United States and provides valuable… CONTINUE READING >>
Tax relief on charity donations ‘effective’ but often skewed in favour of the wealthy – CAF
May 17, 2016 | New Report Released Tax incentives encourage people and businesses to give more to charity but are too often skewed in favor of the wealthy and causes favored by governments, an international study has concluded. People are significantly more likely to have given to charity in the past month if they live… CONTINUE READING >>
Rwanda and Cricket: A Story of Reconciliation
“At one point, I saw my mother try to run away. She made it out of the door, but they killed her under the tree with machetes. When the killing was done, they pulled all the bodies out of the house and into the courtyard. I couldn’t recognise anyone. They were all cut up. Disfigured…. CONTINUE READING >>
Philanthropy and the SDGs: A Real Opportunity or Just Another Set of Buzzwords?
In September 2015, the 193 Member States of the U.N. unanimously adopted the new global agenda. These 17 goals and 169 targets will decide the world’s common action towards tackling some of the most encumbering problems of humanity during the upcoming 15 years. But who, exactly, is this world that is taking action? The proponents… CONTINUE READING >>
Women at the Heart of Philanthropy and Gender Equality
SDG #5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls On March 8, the world celebrates International Women’s Day. This day has always advocated for an expanded view of women beyond their role in the family. As women’s political, economic, and social achievements are increasingly recognized, the world also remembers how far we still… CONTINUE READING >>
Charity Spotlight: The Finnish Association for Nature Conservation
At the beginning of the 20th century, an estimated 1000 Saimaa Ringed Seals populated Lake Saimaa in Finland. By 1983, only 150 of these seals survived net fishing, which is still to date the biggest threat for the ringed seals. With unwavering and relentless awareness campaigns like that of the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation,… CONTINUE READING >>
Extinction to Preservation: Celebrating Diversity this International Mother Language Day
Perhaps more than ever before, there is a push across the world to preserve some of the 6,000 languages that exist on our planet. This goal is not free of challenge however, as according to the BBC, over 90% of these languages are spoken by only 100,000 people or less. With the rise of English… CONTINUE READING >>
Charity Spotlight: Bright Future International
Bright Future International (BFI) is a charitable organization dedicated to helping underprivileged children around the world. It funds arts and educational enrichment programs for children through partnerships with local and international organizations that seek to instill values of compassion, self-esteem, and the desire to help others. Founded in 2008 by Mr. Anthony Melikhov, a former… CONTINUE READING >>
Charity Spotlight: Nochlezhka
Nochlezhka is a rehabilitation center in St. Petersburg, Russia, that provides holistic services for homeless men and women. The organization, created in 1990 and functioning as a certified charitable organization since 1997, was conceived by a group of compassionate individuals concerned about the situation of the homeless in their city. Since, it has evolved to… CONTINUE READING >>
Africa Leapfrogs its Way to a Long and Prosperous Future
Energy is necessary for the industrialization and economic development of all nations, and according to the World Bank, it is also a key component to reducing poverty. Some 600 million people in Africa still don’t have access to electricity, which means they have limitations on things that industrialized nations take for granted. They don’t have refrigerators to store food, their main activities are mostly limited to daylight hours, and they still have to carry their water and collect wood and other biomass fuels by hand. All of these factors force them to solely focus on their day-to-day survival and restrict their time, their potential to learn, and their ability to develop and work their way out of poverty.
The Changing Landscape of NGOs in China
All eyes have been on China, with one fifth of the world’s population, the second largest economy in the world, and an annual GDP growth rate of ~10%. However, in tandem with such tremendous growth there has been a parallel increase in social and environmental challenges. From excessive coal burning and dangerous levels of pollution (to the point where it is affecting the ability to attract employees in large cities), to huge income disparities and migrant worker challenges as workers flee to the cities to earn a livelihood but do not have the legal right to reside in those cities.
The good news is that the Chinese government is recognizing the important role that nonprofits, and to a lesser extent companies, can play in addressing some of these social issues. There are encouraging signs that the government wants to involve more social resources to resolve social problems together.
We have created a “Top Trends” list based on our knowledge and the experiences of our clients.
