posted on: Wednesday, March 25, 2009

The Hill is alive with the sound of grantmakers.

Yesterday, the Council on Foundations and the Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers kicked off this year’s “Foundations on the Hill” event. “Foundations on the Hill” is an “annual opportunity for grantmakers to meet with their federal lawmakers.” The two-day event includes briefings on the economy and discussions of upcoming legislation followed by meetings with legislators on Capitol Hill.

Today, meeting with their Senators and Representatives in Congress, grantmakers will be advocating around a host of issues, including itemized charitable deductions, the IRA Charitable Rollover, the excise tax and program-related investments to so-called “low-profit limited liability companies” (For more on the Council’s stances, see the Council’s prepared issue papers on each topic.)

As foundations take this opportunity to inform and educate Congress about philanthropy, NCRP seeks to similarly inform legislators of what we consider exemplary practice. As we note in Criteria for Philanthropy at Its Best, an exemplary grantmaker:

• Contributes to a strong, participatory democracy that engages all communities;


• Invests in the health, growth and effectiveness of its nonprofit partners;


• Demonstrates accountability and transparency; and,


• Engages a substantial portion of its assets in pursuit of its mission.

NCRP is not advocating any legislative action on these issues, but Foundations on the Hill presents an important opportunity for foundations and lawmakers to discuss social inclusion, effectiveness and accountability in addition to charitable giving incentives.

We hope that Congress takes note of the exemplary leaders and practices found in our report and uses this opportunity to challenge grantmakers to strengthen communities at this critical time.

Kevin Laskowski is field associate at the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy.