Andrew Schulz - RE:Philanthropy

A Time to Act on Threats to the Charitable Deduction

In: Advocacy| Foundations On The Hill| Nonprofits

5 Oct 2011

After watching a high-stakes stalemate in Congress over the federal budget this summer, the philanthropic community is now preparing for a critical fight over the role of charitable giving in American society.
Since 2009, the Council on Foundations has fended off repeated efforts by the White House to cap the charitable deduction at 28 percent as [...]

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Massachusetts: The Propriety of Board Compensation

In: Governance| Public Policy

21 Jun 2011

The debate about whether or not charities should legally be able to compensate those who serve on their boards is an important, if not new, discussion. The most recent iteration of this conversation comes courtesy of a proposal to ban director compensation by public charities in Massachusetts. The legislation is being championed by Martha Coakley, [...]

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Tax Package a Mixed Bag for the Philanthropic Community

In: Public Policy

22 Dec 2010

It was with some relief that I watched President Obama sign the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 into law on Friday. Among the provisions that the Council was pleased to see was the extension of the IRA rollover, which allows individual donors to make distributions from an IRA account [...]

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Foundations and Government Too Close? I Say “Not Close Enough”

In: Philanthropy| Public Policy

25 Feb 2010

On Tuesday, February 23, the Hudson Institute hosted another in a series of provocative and informative discussions about seminal issues facing the field of philanthropy. At this event, “Too Close for Comfort? Obama and the Foundations,” the premise behind the question is that foundations sacrifice their independence and their credibility when they seek to build [...]

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Catching the Car

In: Partnerships and Collaborations| Public Policy

20 Nov 2009

[Editor’s Note: On November 18, the Council on Foundations and the Donors Forum (Illinois) hosted “Here and Now: Making Change through Innovative Public-Philanthropic Partnerships” in Chicago. The first part of the event focused on innovative public-philanthropic partnerships in Chicago; the second half centered on partnerships at the national level. Andrew Schulz, the Council’s deputy general [...]

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The Unnatural Act of Collaboration

In: Partnerships and Collaborations| Public Policy

20 Nov 2009

[Editor’s Note: On November 18, the Council on Foundations and the Donors Forum (Illinois) hosted “Here and Now: Making Change through Innovative Public-Philanthropic Partnerships” in Chicago. The first part of the event focused on innovative public-philanthropic partnerships in Chicago; the second half centered on partnerships at the national level. Andrew Schulz, the Council’s deputy general [...]

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Work That is Never Done

In: 2009 Fall Conference

6 Oct 2009

The conference is buzzing with excitement about the casual familiarity with which federal and state officials alike refer to our work and the results we’re achieving. But Ben Hecht, president and CEO of Living Cities, gave voice to a concern that many of us are all too familiar with. Elected officials come and go.

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Investing in Long-term Solutions

In: 2009 Fall Conference

5 Oct 2009

In celebrating San Antonio’s (relative) resilience in weathering the recent economic storm, San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro cited, among other factors, the high quality of the region’s work force. The education and training that produced that result didn’t happen overnight. It’s the product of a long-term investment that began years ago.

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What to Say to a Reluctant Board

In: 2009 Fall Conference

5 Oct 2009

Back in June, I wrote a piece for the Council’s e-journal, Thought > Action > Impact, about some considerations that should go into deciding whether partnering with the government makes sense for your foundation. (Also see Jennifer Leonard’s post “Eyes Wide Open” for more on this topic.) So I was particularly interested when Douglas Kridler, [...]

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A Matter of Scale

In: 2009 Fall Conference

5 Oct 2009

Some wonder whether the model of foundations proving that ideas work and the government taking them to scale is a thing of the past. Ed DeSeve made it pretty clear that at least he still believes the model has viability. So too did HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan. Both praised foundations for their independence and ability to prove that [...]