#non-profits

[the-garbanzo-annex-jr]

by Andrew Bernard

“It has become clear that the explosion of antisemitic activity on college campuses has been supported and encouraged by bad actors who, in many cases, have used tax-exempt organizations for those purposes,” he said. “The violence and hatred directed at Jewish Americans and in support of terrorist organizations like Hamas are not some organic uprising.” 

“There are well-orchestrated efforts by anti-American and anti-Jewish organizations within the United States that provide financial and logistical support to those who harass and threaten Jewish students,” he added.

Students for Justice in Palestine, American Muslims for Palestine, the Tides Foundation and the People’s Forum were among the groups that Smith and others listed as playing a particularly pernicious and potentially illegal role in supporting both anti-Israel protests and Hamas.

“I’ve made a formal request to the IRS demanding they revoke the tax exempt status of an organization named the People Media group,” Smith said. “This organization funds a publication by the name of the Palestine Chronicle that employed a so-called journalist, who was caught actually imprisoning Israeli hostages in Gaza.”

In June, the Israel Defense Forces rescued two hostages, who were found to be held by Abdullah al-Jamal, a contributor to the Palestine Chronicle and an occasional spokesman for Hamas. 

The Chronicle stated in June that al-Jamal was a “freelance contributor,” who wrote for the publication on a “voluntary basis.”

[girlactionfigure]

For the first time, the Belgian Justice Ministry confirms that Hamas uses non-profit organisations to lobby and raise funds in Belgium.

We urge the Belgian government to conduct a thorough investigation and hold those involved accountable.

- - - - - 

🇧🇪Pour la première fois, le ministère belge de la Justice confirme que le Hamas utilise des organisations à but non lucratif pour faire du lobbying et collecter des fonds en Belgique.

Nous exhortons le gouvernement belge à mener une enquête approfondie et à demander des comptes aux personnes impliquées.

act_il_france🇧🇪

[tomorrowusa]

Another crooked far right Republican.

Republicans become outraged at the thought of raising the minimum wage. But the fanatically pro-Trump Republican National Committee committeewoman from California Harmeet Dhillon paid herself $120,000 for a two-hour work week. And that's just the tip of a corrupt iceberg.

Since becoming an RNC committeewoman for California in 2016, she made hundreds of appearances in conservative media, predominantly Fox News. From 2019, these appearances were often based on lawsuits sponsored by that non-profit she helms, the Center for American Liberty (CAL), and aimed at rightwing bugbears like Covid restrictions, leftist street protesters and gender-affirming healthcare. The Guardian has found that at least $1.32m has been transferred from the CAL to her law firm, Dhillon Law Group, in a move one charity expert described as “problematic”. Additionally, state and federal filings show Dhillon takes a $120,000 salary from CAL for a two-hour work week. Meanwhile, the non-profit has entered into a close relationship with a well-heeled rightwing foundation whose financial generosity has been matched by a seat on the non-profit’s board. CAL was founded in 2018, initially under the name Publius Lex, by California lawyers with extensive connections to Republican politics and rightwing legal organizations, according to state and federal filings.

There a variation of "double dipping" going on here.

Dhillon’s position as CEO in a non-profit whose biggest contractor is Dhillon Law Group is a “conflict of interest”, according to Joan Harrington, a fellow at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at the Santa Clara University, and an expert on non-profit law and ethics. Harrington added that non-profits can navigate this, and that “the board can accept conflicts of interest if they are brought to the board’s attention annually”. But another ethical problem “the board can’t fix”, Harrington said, is the issue of compensation.

In the world of Trump-style business practices, ethics is for losers.

[Mark] Trammell, the executive director [of CAL], wrote on the extensive use of Dhillon Law that “the organization’s day-to-day legal operations are managed by me, its executive director”, adding, “I select the law firms the Center for American Liberty partners with on its public interest litigation.” Trammell also wrote: “We select law firms based on their expertise, geographical location, and interest in representing our clients at nonprofit legal rates.” But Harrington added that “transparency protects donors, and this is not a transparent situation”. With Dhillon acting as CEO and legal contractor, running cases sponsored by the non-profit, and making Fox News appearances in both guises, Harrington said: “It looks like Dhillon Law and the non-profit are overlapping to the extent that its hard to tell the difference.”

[moontyger]

Up for a potential fast-track vote next week in the House of Representatives, the Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act, also known as H.R. 9495, would grant the secretary of the Treasury Department unilateral authority to revoke the tax-exempt status of any nonprofit deemed to be a “terrorist supporting organization.”

The resolution has already prompted strong opposition from a wide range of civil society groups, with more than 100 organizations signing an open letter issued by the American Civil Liberties Union in September.

With Trump set to return to office, it’s more urgent than ever to beat the legislation back, said Kia Hamadanchy, a senior policy counsel at the ACLU.

“This is about stifling dissent and to chill advocacy, because people are going to avoid certain things and take certain positions in order to avoid this designation,” Hamadanchy told The Intercept. “And then on top of that you have a president-elect who’s spent a lot of time on the campaign trail talking about punishing his opponents and what he wants to do to student protesters — and you’re giving him another tool.”

...

No Evidence Needed

Under the bill, the Treasury secretary would issue notice to a group of intent to designate it as a “terrorist supporting organization.” Once notified, an organization would have the right to appeal within 90 days, after which it would be stripped of its 501(c)(3) status, named for the statute that confers tax exemptions on recognized nonprofit groups.

The law would not require officials to explain the reason for designating a group, nor does it require the Treasury Department to provide evidence.

“It basically empowers the Treasury secretary to target any group it wants to call them a terror supporter and block their ability to be a nonprofit,” said Ryan Costello, policy director at the National Iranian American Council Action, which opposes the law. “So that would essentially kill any nonprofit’s ability to function. They couldn’t get banks to service them, they won’t be able to get donations, and there’d be a black mark on the organization, even if it cleared its name.”

The bill could also imperil the lifesaving work of nongovernmental organizations operating in war zones and other hostile areas where providing aid requires coordination with groups designated as terrorists by the U.S., according to a statement issued last year by the Charity & Security Network.

“Charitable organizations, especially those who work in settings where designated terrorist groups operate, already undergo strict internal due diligence and risk mitigation measures,” the group wrote. “As the prohibition on material support to foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs) already exists, and is applicable to U.S. nonprofits, this proposed legislation is redundant and unnecessary.”

If it proceeds, the bill will go to the House floor in a “suspension vote,” a fast-track procedure that limits debate and allows a bill to bypass committees and move on to the Senate as long as it receives a two-thirds supermajority in favor.

Pro-Palestine Groups at Risk

In the past year, accusations of support for terrorism have been freely lobbed at student protesters, aid workers in Gaza, and even mainstream publications like the New York Times. In unscrupulous hands, the powers of the proposed law could essentially turn the Treasury Department into an enforcement arm of Canary Mission and other hard-line groups dedicated to doxxing and smearing their opponents as terrorists.

With very few guardrails in place, the new bill would give broad new powers to the federal government to act on such accusations — and not just against pro-Palestine groups, according to Costello.

“The danger is much broader than just groups that work on foreign policy,” said Costello. “It could target major liberal funders who support Palestinian solidarity and peace groups who engage in protest. But it could also theoretically be used to target pro-choice groups, and I could see it being used against environmental groups.

Costello added, “It really would be at the discretion of the Trump administration as to who they target, with very little recourse for the targeted organization.”

An earlier version of the bill passed the House in April by a vote of 382-11.

[pearwaldorf]

Copper Canyon Press is a local poetry publishing house based out of Port Townsend, WA. You may be familiar with some of their poets, who include Richard Siken, Ocean Vuong, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Natalie Diaz.

For many years their pressmark was the Chinese word for poetry, 诗*. The reason given was that the character combines the concepts of "word" and "temple", which is not true at all and most likely derives from orientalist bullshit and incorrect interpretation of characters as ideograms.

It was the 70s in rural Washington, of course there was going to be this sort of hippie nonsense. It was certainly not meant maliciously, and in the greater scheme of things you roll your eyes and move on with your life.

But. As part of their ongling DEI initiative, stakeholders elected to embark on a multi-year process to design a new pressmark, one that is more abstract and inclusive without the orientalist and appropriative vibes of the original. Their Racial Equity Work Plan details some of the thinking behind why they did this.

It can seem like bikeshedding to people who aren't in the know, and if that was the only thing that changed, it absolutely would be. But the Press is putting in the work, and adding updates as they follow through on list items. This is the sort of transparency other non-profits, especially those who have been taken to task about stated timelines and opaqueness, should strive to emulate.

--

*My Chinese name is 丽诗, which means "beautiful poem". My grandma came up with it, also to align with my English name.

Poetry is very important in Chinese culture. Yilin Wang explains some of the context, and why what the British Museum did to her translations and Qiu Jin's poetry was an act of colonialist violence by an institution that damn well knew better and backed down only with the threat of legal action.

[schraubd]

Draw the Lines

Slowly but steadily, there are increasing sanctions on Israeli actors responsible for implementing human rights violations in occupied Palestinian territories. The UK just announced new sanctions against West Bank outposts. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken warned Israel that if it doesn't increase the flow of aid into the Gaza Strip, military aid might be cut off. And in one of the more symbolically (if probably not tangibly) impactful moves, Canada revoked the charitable status of the Jewish National Fund* due in part to its activities in the occupied West Bank. Given the ubiquity in the diaspora Jewish imagination of JNF's little blue boxes, the Canadian decision was a bombshell, and the Canadian Jewish community is reportedly aghast, and claiming that it is being unfairly targeted by a biased organization. I'm not a Canadian lawyer, and so I won't comment on the underlying legal issues. Speaking broadly though, JNF's historical importance does not and should not give it any immunity to violate Canadian non-profit laws or to funnel "charitable" donations to projects that violate Canadian policy, which absolutely can include projects that retrench Israel's occupation of the West Bank and which stymie the project of Palestinian statehood. Blue box or no, there is no right to leverage Canada's tax code to flout Canada's foreign policy priorities regarding Israel and Palestine. The one thing that does give me pause is the claim that the Canadian tax authorities have refused to tell JNF exactly which activities are out of compliance or how to get back into compliance. That seems troublesome. JNF absolutely should be given clear guidance about what it the tax authorities deem to be compliant and non-compliant activities, at which point JNF can decide whether it wants to come into compliance or not (and the public can decide whether the rules are or are not reasonable). Draw the lines clearly about what is and is not permissible, and let the chips fall where they may -- but secret rules smack of punitive targeting. Other than that, though, my general view is that it is up to Jewish charities to stay in compliance with the law, and it is entirely reasonable for the law to declare that aiding the occupation is not a charitable endeavor. * The article on this story did give me one blast from the past moment. It extensively quoted Corey Balsam, head of Independent Jewish Voices, praising the decision to revoke JNF's charitable status. That name rang a bell -- Corey Balsam was who I cited in my White Jews: An Intersectional Approach paper arguing that even non-White Jews were functionally "whitened" by virtue of being Jewish. He made that argument in a graduate school thesis paper, so seeing his name pop up again was a fun "where are they now" moment. via The Debate Link https://ift.tt/8f7DXS4

[coolbeansfangirl]

Volunteering

This past week (April 14-20) was National Volunteer Week in Canada. I had to prepare some social media content for this because the company I work for has a lot of dedicated volunteers. During the week, I’d occasionally scroll through the hashtag and see various organizations thanking their volunteers and highlighting exemplary individuals, as they should. Clearly, the volunteer community is…

[bivepen]

Salvation Army and LGBTQ+

Looking at all the Holiday Season donation asks, and wondering if the Salvation Army (change box outside my grocery store) still turns away LGBTQ+ folks rather than supporting them.

They have a page saying they've changed their ways, but is it the truth?

Inquiring minds (and wallets) want to know.

[charliejaneanders]

My latest newsletter is all about the the debate that tore the trans community apart back in 2001, and why I think we've moved past it. Gather round, kids! It's story time...

[fantastic-nonsense]

hmmm....I'm researching potential grant opportunities for my mom's church belltower restoration project and am not thrilled by the sheer number of grants that are locked behind paywalled websites

[mkdigi]

JOIN US AT THE GARDEN GET DOWN!

The Garden Get Down is a yearly jubilee raising funds for Grow Pittsburgh, one of this city’s greatest assets for their commitment to promoting food that is fresh, healthy, and local.  Developing and maintaining school and community gardens, conducting short workshops on growing and preserving food, providing summer-long Urban Farmers in Training employment, and much more, they’re an invaluable…

[uplymedia]

Decentralized Fundraising: Non-Profits Navigating the Web3 Frontier

In the modern era of fundraising, non-profits grapple with a host of challenges, the most pressing of which involves middlemen and third-party platforms chipping away at valuable donations. However, an emergent technology promises a revolutionary shift. Welcome to the realm of Web3, where the ethos of decentralization offers non-profits a vibrant landscape to thrive in. For business owners…

[allatariel]

Call your reps and tell them to vote NO on HR 9495 so they aren't labeled as "terrorist organizations" by bigots in power

[hadesisqueer]

Hi. Sorry about this. I'm Spanish. As some people might know, Spain is currently going through a very destructive flash fall in the last few days. I'm lucky enough that my town hasn't been affected, but unfortunely it isn't so everywhere. At the time I'm writing this, over 150 bodies have been found, there's still people missing and there are entire towns destroyed or isolated with no electricity and roads, and a lot of people have no access to tap water or a way to cook food.

Hambre Cero is a food bank non-profit. It will be giving food to those who don't have access to it after the flash fall. Hambre Cero is currently also active in Lebanon and Palestine. If you guys can please donate or at least reblog to spread this, I'd really appreciate it.

[altpick]

February 24th - Altpick's Weekly Member Round-Up

This past week we highlighted work from illustrators Janice Fried and Klaus Kremmerz and photographer Greg Whitaker. To see more of their work, please visit their pages on Altpick.com. Illustrator – Janice Fried‘s mixed media work has been published widely and she is always exploring new ways to work and new venues to work in. ©Janice Fried Illustrator Klaus Kremmerz is skilled in creating…