Obama Administration Edition
Philanthropy Today - June 2009
- On April 21, 2009, President Barack Obama signed the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act. The Serve America Act reauthorizes and expands national service programs administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency created in 1993. The Corporation engages four million Americans in service each year, including 75,000 AmeriCorps members, 492,000 Senior Corps volunteers, 1.1 million Learn and Serve America students, and 2.2 million additional community volunteers through the agency's programs: http://www.nationalservice.gov/about/newsroom/releases_detail.asp?tbl_pr_id=1283. It is a great privilege to be able to serve. To see how you can get involved, please visit http://www.nationalservice.gov/.
- An Obama administration official is advising charities not to worry about the White House's plan to limit charity tax breaks for the wealthy and to keep in mind the "broader context" of President Obama's plan. Under the proposal, which has drawn fire for its potential to damage charitable giving, the tax break for itemized deductions would be limited to 28 cents for every dollar spent by couples who earn more than $250,000 (or individuals earning more than $200,000), starting in 2011. Under the current system, taxpayers in the highest tax brackets can get up to 35 cents off.: http://philanthropy.com/news/government/index.php?id=8380
- First Lady Michelle Obama announced in May that the Obama administration plans to create a $50 million "social innovation fund" to help finance and expand promising nonprofit agencies. The fund will offer financial support to nonprofit and community groups that focus on education, health care, and economic mobility, while the administration will encourage foundations, philanthropists, and corporations to help raise additional money for the program. The plan and funding have yet to be approved by Congress.: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/06/us/politics/06michelle.html?_r=1&sq=Mrs.%20Obama&st=cse&adxnnl=1&scp=1&adxnnlx=1241708826-3YG1KDUa8dV9ZTM5M5PyhA
- Charities across the U.S. are seeking to benefit from the administration's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which provides billions of dollars to projects in areas such as the arts, child care, health, homelessness, special education, and job training. The legislation provided about $575 billion in federal money for projects to pull the country out of recession by creating and saving jobs. "The economic-stimulus package is going to be a real lifeline and a stream of hope for many of our nonprofits," says Glen O'Gilvie, chief executive of the Center for Nonprofit Advancement. "The lifeline is not just for the nonprofits who otherwise would have to lay off even more staff, reduce and cut programs, and maybe even close their doors, but also to the community that uses all these great services.": http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30827655/