Last Monday I got to see a demonstration of software meant to make the administration of private foundations much easier. Among other things, the program offers compliance services, including a review of grants to ensure there is no self-dealing; a review of potential recipients of grants to ensure they are, in fact, 501(c)(3) organizations, and thus eligible to receive tax-deductible donations; and a constant vigil over total annual foundation disbursements to ensure that the foundation hits its five percent (5%) minimum distribution requirement.

It was this last service that caught my eye. Read the rest of this entry »

I bumped into a cynically humorous post about charitable giving and its effects. It reminded me of a slim but instructional book that concludes with the sage observation: humility is a virtue, pride is a sin, and . . . arrogant philanthropy can wreak havoc.

But let us start with the cynical humor. Read the rest of this entry »

Our family has owned a private (“family”) foundation for about eight years. We use it as a kind of detention pond^* for funds we want to give away.

Our attorney sent me some information today about the differences between private foundations such as the two we set up — one, a “family” foundation; the other, a “corporate” foundation (sponsored by the company we own) — and public foundations, especially foundations that offer Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs).

The following comparison chart is slightly modified from one put together by a cause-oriented foundation (COF) whose brochure our attorney gave us. Read the rest of this entry »