Dear Members,

The American Enterprise Institute (AEI) predicts a drop of $16.3 billion - $17.2 billion in household charitable giving in 2018 as a result of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Other groups have estimated it could reach a $20 billion deficit. Unfortunately, until January 2019, it will be difficult to assess where household charitable giving has fallen short in 2018, and where philanthropy might need to step in.
 
As we look to understand in real time how tax reform is affecting our grantees and the vulnerable populations and causes they serve, we want to inform our membership about opportunities throughout the year to participate in data-gathering. I’ve outlined one such opportunity below.
 
The Charitable Giving Coalition (CGC), made up of hundreds of charities and associations involved in providing philanthropic services to communities across the country, created a survey that may be distributed to grantees and other nonprofit organizations about the need for services in their community and giving trends over the past seven months. This information will be used to communicate with policymakers, including members of Congress, about how the tax changes are affecting giving and whether or not additional legislation or amendments are warranted to correct problems and help increase giving. CGC seeks both quantitative responses (numbers and percentages) as well as qualitative responses to help frame giving and service challenges in all communities.

We hope you will encourage your grantees to participate in this survey, which is available here. The deadline to complete the survey is July 20, 2018. If you or your grantees have any questions, please contact paffairs@afpnet.org.
 
Lastly, I hope many of you will join us at next year’s Foundations on the Hill, taking place March 12 – 14, 2019. This event is an excellent opportunity to discuss with policymakers the implications of tax reform in your communities. With legislative turnover from midterm elections this year, it is critical that philanthropy shows our united voice on issues affecting the charitable sector and the Southwest region.

Best regards,

Felicia Chase Goodman
Executive Director, Cooper Foundation
Board of Directors, Philanthropy Southwest
Chair, Public Policy Committee