Jointly organized by the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center and the American Tax Policy Institute

Directions to Urban Institute.

The philanthropic sector currently faces a difficult challenge: Recent changes to the tax law leave only about 10 percent of households, mainly with higher incomes, with incentive to donate to charity. This increasingly dominant influence of wealthy donors has drawn criticism, and leaders of the philanthropic sector have expressed concern about diminishing public trust in the sector’s efforts. In addition, a lack of resources limits regulators’ abilities to police this influence, thus bad actors threaten the sector’s reputation.

All this occurs against a backdrop of vexing societal challenges—climate change, rising inequality, loss of faith in government—that call for the philanthropic sector’s involvement. To address these issues, the sector is creating new philanthropic vehicles and approaches and considering legal and structural changes.

On Tuesday, February 18, a conference jointly organized by the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center and the American Tax Policy Institute, featuring panels of experts and a keynote address by Chronicle of Philanthropy editor Stacy Palmer, will deepen the discussion by addressing the following:

• Has charitable giving become the province of the rich, and, if so, what are the consequences?
• What policies would more efficiently and fairly encourage charitable giving?
• Can the Internal Revenue Service regulate the philanthropic sector, and should reform account for the Internal Revenue Service’s capacity?
• How has the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 affected charities?
• How will generational change affect philanthropy?

9:30 a.m. Welcome and Introduction

• Ellen P. Aprill, Professor of Law and John E. Anderson Chair in Tax Law, Loyola Law School, Loyola Marymount Universityl; Vice President, American Tax Policy Institute @EllenAprill
• Mark J. Mazur, Robert C. Pozen Director, Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center @TaxPolicyCenter

9:35 a.m. Oversight of Nonprofits

• Karin Kunstler Goldman, Deputy Bureau Chief, Charities Bureau, Office of the New York Attorney General
• Nina Olson, Executive Director, Center for Taxpayer Rights
• Marcus S. Owens, Partner, Loeb & Loeb LLP
• H. Art Taylor, President and CEO, BBB Wise Giving Alliance @H_Art_Taylor
• Elizabeth Young, Senior Manager, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (moderator)

11:00 a.m. Impact of the TCJA on Nonprofits

• Joseph J. Cordes, Professor of Economics, Public Policy and Public Administration, and International Affairs, and Codirector, Regulatory Studies Center, George Washington University
• Catherine E. Livingston, Partner, Jones Day
• Ruth M. Madrigal, Principal, KPMG
• Alexander L. Reid, Partner, Morgan Lewis @alex_reid
• Ellen P. Aprill, Professor of Law and John E. Anderson Chair in Tax Law, Loyola Law School, Loyola Marymount University; Vice President, American Tax Policy Institute @EllenAprill (moderator)

12:15 p.m. Lunch

12:30 p.m. “Trust in Nonprofits and Philanthropy: Why It’s Eroding and What’s Next”

• Stacy Palmer, Editor, Chronicle of Philanthropy @stacypalmer

1:15 p.m. The Future of Charitable Giving

• Hillary Bounds, Vice President of Legal, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
• Roger Colinvaux, Director, Law and Public Policy Program, and Professor of Law, Columbus School of Law, Catholic University of America
• Jill R. Horwitz, Vice Dean for Faculty and Intellectual Life and Professor of Law, University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law @jill_horwitz
• C. Eugene Steuerle, Institute Fellow, Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center @EugeneSteuerle
• Laura Tomasko, Policy Program Manager, Urban Institute @lauratomasko (moderator)

2:30 p.m. Event Concludes

Event Materials

• Agenda
• Speaker Biographies
• Panel I: Oversight of Nonprofits
  • Presentation by Nina Olson 
  • Most Serious Problem - 1023EZ (Report by the Taxpayer Advocate Service)
  • State Regulation and Enforcement in the Charitable Sector (Report Coauthored by Karin Kunstler Goldman)
  • Charity Oversight: An Alternative Approach (Article by Marcus Owens) 
  • Hacking Nonprofit Collaboration (Report by Art Taylor)
• Panel II: Impact of the TCJA on Nonprofits
  • Congress Repeals Nonprofit Parking Tax and Modifies Private Foundation Tax on Net Investment Income (Article by Alexander Reid and Chelsea Rubin)  
  • Interim Guidance on Taxing “Excess” Executive Compensation of Exempt Organizations (Report by KPMG) 
  • UBIT—Times, they are a’changing…. (Article by AICPA)
  • Republican tax law hits churches (Article published by Politico)
  • Fundraising Effectiveness Project 2019 (Quarterly Reports on Giving Data)
• Keynote by Stacy Palmer: "Trust in Nonprofits and Philanthropy: Why It’s Eroding and What’s Next"
  • The Trust Crisis (The Chronicle of Philanthropy)
  • Why the Decline in Individual Donors Should Matter to Institutional Philanthropy—and What to Do about It (Article by Shena AshleyI) 
  • Stop Focusing on the Charitable Deduction. Tax Policy Isn’t Causing the Long-Term Slide in Giving. (The Chronicle of Philanthropy) 
  • As Distrust in Big Philanthropy Grows, Here’s How Leading Foundations Are Demonstrating Their Value (The Chronicle of Philanthropy) 
  • To Stem the Decline in Charity Supporters, Pay More Attention to Young Kids (The Chronicle of Philanthropy) 
  • 2020 Vision: Key Trends for the Year Ahead (Special Report by Chronicle of Philanthropy)
• Panel III: The Future of Charitable Giving
  • Fixing Philanthropy: A Vision for Charitable Giving and Reform (Report by Roger Colinvaux) 
  • The Restatement of the Law, Charitable Nonprofit Organizations (Project Feature by Jill Horwitz, Nancy McLaughlin, and Marion Fremont-Smith)
  • The Promise of Family (Chan Zuckerberg Initiative 2019 Annual Letter) 
  • Reflecting on the first two decades of our foundation (Gates Foundation 2020 Letter)
  • Wealth, philanthropy and politics — considering 'wealth tax' proposals (Op-ed by Ellen Aprill featured in The Hill)
  • Challenges and Opportunities for Charities after the 2017 TCJA (Report by Eugene Steuerle)
  • Tax Incentives for Charitable Contributions (Chartbook by TPC Staff)

Support for this event is provided by the American Tax Policy Institute.

Support for this event is provided by the American Tax Policy Institute. For more information on the Urban Institute’s funding principles, go to www.urban.org/fundingprinciples.
We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals, including individuals with disabilities, to engage fully. Please email [email protected] if you require any accommodations or have any questions about this event.