Private Foundations

Comparative information detailing the cultural, legal and historical environments of foundations in international settings has been scarce - until now. Written by scholars from six countries, this text covers philanthropic foundations in the world's busiest commercial centers - the U.S. and Eastern and Western Europe. It reports on the structures and mindsets that shape foundations' gift giving, and discusses different aspects of foundation management. Case studies of the French and Italian foundation communities and a comparative legal chapter are especially notable.

Now your foundation can be fully informed about the basic legal requirements affecting private foundations and avoid the perils lurking in nonprofit tax law traps. Private Foundation Law Made Easy clearly shows you how, with information on reaping the charitable and tax advantages of your private foundation. Filled with straightforward guidance, author Bruce Hopkins?a leading authority on the laws regulating private foundations?demystifies this topic for you and your board members with practical legal information in easy-to-understand English.

This completely revised edition of the classic 1981 Handbook, sponsored by the Council on Foundations, provides a thorough look at the issues facing the staff and boards of private foundations in the U.S. Author David E Freeman offers sound advice on how to establish, staff, and govern foundations, and provides insights into legal and tax guidelines. The Handbook is an excellent how-to guide for those who work in private foundations or serve on their boards.

Private foundations are a special niche of the nonprofit sector. They are allowed to remain relatively tax-exempt in exchange for supporting charitable activities. There are more than 50,000–and growing–private foundations in the United States holding assets worth more than $230 billion. Private foundations are subject to a unique and complex set of (mostly tax) regulations that govern everything from how much money they give away to their investment policies and procedures. This much needed, annually updated manual explicates a wide range of tax rules and regulations for these foundations and prepares them for the increasing scrutiny of the IRS. Co-authored by a lawyer and tax accountant, the revised and expanded second edition of this highly respected guide includes practical tax compliance suggestions and in-depth legal explanations, line-by-line instructions, sample-filled IRS forms, and complete citations.

Imagine all you'd like to accomplish with your philanthropy. Now picture a large portion of your resources never reaching their intended use due to poor strategies, mismanagement, or unnecessary taxes. Today the opportunities in the philanthropic sector are greater and more varied than ever. Private foundations, which offer several estate and tax-planning advantages as well as unparalleled donor control, have become the vehicle of choice for more than sixty thousand individuals and families--and may be ideal for you. Creating a Private Foundation introduces the issues you need to understand and gives the big picture on how foundations work. It tells you exactly what is involved for you, for the causes you care about, for your finances and taxes, and for your heirs. Chapters address the practicalities as well as the implications of founding, funding, organizing, and operating an effective foundation, including growing its endowment, allocating its assets, and selecting professional foundation management help. Roger Silk, James Lintott, and their colleagues, leaders in the foundation consulting arena, have pooled their wisdom in this comprehensive guide for donors and your advisers. If you're looking to make a difference, there is no better guide.