2007 Delegation Talking Points

Community Foundations Proposal

Panel on the Nonprofit Sector - 29 principles

Support for Higher Education

Upstate Funders Go to Washington

On February 28, over 380 individuals from foundations in the U.S. visited their legislators on Capital Hill.   Held in conjunction with the Council on Foundations’ Family Foundations Conference, and the annual meeting of members of the Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers, this year’s Foundations on the Hill event was 50% larger than 2006.   The Upstate New York delegation numbered 9, including the Grantmakers Forum of New York, four family foundations and three community foundations.

Pictured above from left to right seated: Jennifer Leonard, Rochester Area Community Foundation; Kristen Frederick, Community Foundation for the Capital Region; Annette Weld, Halcyon Hill Foundation; standing: Ellie Wotherspoon, Henry Uihlein II and Mildred A. Uihlein Foundation; Tom Schryver and Joanne Florino, Triad Foundation (not pictured: Diana Gurieva, The Dyson Foundation; Andrea Reynolds, Community Foundation of Dutchess County; Liz Wilder, Grantmakers Forum of New York).  

Our delegation (with NYRAG) enjoyed the unique opportunity to have dinner with Russ Sullivan, the staff director for the Senate Finance Committee, which originates most charitable tax legislation for the Senate.   Mr. Sullivan spoke to us informally about Chairman Max Baucus’ (D-Montana) hopes and aspirations for the nonprofit sector.   The dinner was hosted by the Association of Small Foundations.

During Foundations on the Hill, New York delegates spoke with legislators and staff about the high incidence of NYS children living in poverty (26.3%) and referred them to a Brookings Institution study with recommended measures to alleviate it.   We presented improvements to the Pension Protection Act of 2006.   Some members of Congress were unaware that the Act included charitable legislation  Our family foundations advocated for a flattened excise tax, and community foundations urged support of new legislation to permanently enact the IRA Rollover and extend it to donor-advised funds and private foundations.

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The combined New York delegations are pictured above with Senator Clinton’s legislative assistant.  

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Annual Member Meeting and 20th Anniversary Celebration
September 9, 2008

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Family Foundation Brown Bag lunch, New Date: August 26. Register now.

Regional Events and education of interest to funders