Free Republic

WASHINGTON -- What are the biggest charity abuses in America? The answers coming from witnesses testifying at a Senate hearing last Tuesday pointed to practices by nonprofit, tax-exempt groups that are technically legal but violate the spirit of private charity. Those answers are wrong. The biggest abuse is nonprofits that deliberately and habitually break the law. The Senate Finance Committee is currently investigating practices of groups that enjoy exemption from taxation under section 501(c)(3) of the IRS Code. In the past few years, more and more news stories have detailed the questionable practices of nonprofits, from huge CEO compensation packages...

The way State Rep. Marty Seifert figures it, taxpayer money effectively pays the $374,341 yearly compensation for the Walker Art Center director, and there's $59 left over for arts programming. He bases the calculation on the $375,000 the state gave the Walker last year. The Walker is among dozens of nonprofit groups that get state appropriations or grants and pay outrageously high salaries, Seifert, R-Marshall, said Thursday. He proposed legislation to cut off state funding to nonprofits that pay salaries higher than the cap for most state executives, $114,506. "Unfortunately, many nonprofits beg for donations from the public and the...

Want to help the victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami? Search the GuideStar database with keywords "disaster relief" and category "International Development and Relief Services" to find more than 100 organizations.

SACRAMENTO (AP) - Despite promises to open up government and even his own calendar for public review, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's efforts to reshape California benefit from millions of dollars in spending by nonprofit groups that are not required to disclose where they get or how they spend their money. These groups have supported some of Schwarzenegger's most memorable events, including trade missions to Tokyo and Tel Aviv, bus tours up and down the state and even the wild July appearance at a shopping mall in Ontario where he called Democrats "girlie men" during the budget impasse. But quirks in state...

Millions in grants, but scant oversight State is auditing funds to nonprofits Sacramento -- Community groups and local agencies that received millions of taxpayer dollars were subjected to scant government oversight and sometimes used questionable business practices to spend the money, according to a review of the grant process by The Chronicle. As state and federal investigators continue to probe a $500,000 grant earmarked for a San Francisco community center that was never built, state auditors are scrutinizing dozens of other grants that were distributed through the state Parks and Recreation Department. Most of the pork barrel allocations were secured...

Central Maine's traditionally important industries have been manufacturing, farming, tourism, education and logging. Another industry, however, has risen quietly in the shadow of the factories, tractors, hotels, schools and pine trees -- the social-service agencies that aid the region's distressed. These nonprofit agencies usually make their homes in the region's biggest cities -- Augusta and Waterville. Their reach, however, extends far into rural sections of Waldo, Somerset and Franklin counties. In urban neighborhoods and deep in the Maine woods, the agencies are softening poverty's blow. As traditional industries have faltered, social-service agencies have moved to fill the economic gap, aiding...

Insight on the News - National Issue: 03/02/04 Special Report Saffuri's Ties to Terror Suspects By Kenneth R. Timmerman The rise of Khaled Saffuri to political prominence within the U.S. Muslim community has all the ingredients of a Horatio Alger success story. Brought up as a stateless exile in Kuwait, Saffuri came to America as a student in 1982, went to college in San Diego, and soon gravitated into the world of Muslim activism. A talented fund-raiser and behind-the-scenes power broker, Saffuri built bridges to politicians in both parties by generously contributing to their election campaigns, from California libertarian Rep....

Special ReportSaffuri's Ties to Terror Suspects Posted Feb. 23, 2004 By Kenneth R. Timmerman Saffuri (above) has formed relationships with several questionable allies, including Sami al-Arian, who was arrested last year. The rise of Khaled Saffuri to political prominence within the U.S. Muslim community has all the ingredients of a Horatio Alger success story. Brought up as a stateless exile in Kuwait, Saffuri came to America as a student in 1982, went to college in San Diego, and soon gravitated into the world of Muslim activism. A talented fund-raiser and behind-the-scenes power broker, Saffuri built bridges to politicians in both...

Lockyer Seeks To Outlaw Celebrity SWAG POSTED: 5:23 PM PST February 12, 2004SACRAMENTO -- Spurred by the financial collapse of a Hollywood charity organizer dubbed the "fund-raiser to the stars," Attorney General Bill Lockyer on Thursday proposed limiting the secret practice of giving millions of dollars in cash and gifts to entice celebrities to attend charitable events. His proposed legislation also would set new audit requirements and increase charity governing boards' control over fund-raising campaigns and executives' financial compensation. Last March, Lockyer sued Aaron Tonken, alleging he defrauded charities supported by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, former President Clinton and some of...

Cash Flow: Political Nonprofits Rake in Donations at a Record Pace, from Left to Right, Says Center for Public Integrity WASHINGTON, Feb. 9 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Political nonprofits reported raising just over $93 million in 2003, about $10 million more than they did in 2001, the last year without federal elections, the Center for Public Integrity has found. The increased fundraising in 2003 came despite a 2002 federal campaign finance law that banned federal candidates and national parties from using such fundraising vehicles, the nonprofits, known as 527 organizations. The Republican Governors Association topped the list in 2003, raising $12,537,847,...

<p>At a time when efforts to reform the corporate world are getting all of the attention, there is another group of chief executives who remain insulated from the effects of scandals at Tyco, WorldCom and the like. They are America's not-for-profit profiteers: the executives who cash in at universities, foundations and other tax-exempt organizations.</p>

The nonprofit's activities are being well-received by the people in an area south of most of the violence 11/23/03 JEFFREY KOSSEFF Mercy Corps aid workers in Iraq have survived explosions near their homes and gunshot warnings as they drove between cities. They know the nation contains Iraqi insurgents eager to stop reconstruction and return control to the Baathists. They see other nonprofit humanitarian groups pulling out quickly as bombings and violence continue throughout the nation. But Portland-based Mercy Corps is staying put in southern Iraq, helping communities rebuild their schools, sewage systems and hospitals. The 25 workers, from the United...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 14 — In an effort to counter the influence of conservative Christian organizations, a coalition of moderate and liberal religious leaders is starting a political advocacy organization to mobilize voters in opposition to Bush administration policies. The nonprofit organization, the Clergy Leadership Network, plans to formally announce its formation on Friday and will operate from an expressly religious, expressly partisan point of view. The group cannot, under Internal Revenue Service guidelines, endorse political candidates, and it will have no official ties to the Democratic Party. But the driving purpose of the organization, according to its mission statement, is...

HUD cites poor quality work and overpayment to contractors The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has ordered Houston to immediately suspend one of its major housing-assistance programs for what it says are widespread problems, including poor-quality work and overpayment to contractors. The blunt enforcement letter, issued last week, follows a detailed audit of the city's $5 million Emergency Home Repair Program, which fixes unsafe houses owned by elderly or disabled city residents. The program is entirely funded by federal grants. "Due to the very serious nature of this finding, the fact that it is a repeat finding, and...

Non-profit groups to pay for advertising in Washington DC Metro A non-profit organisation that advocates making gay people straight has been told to pay if it wants to advertise on Metro stations in Washington DC.Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays are among a group of non-profit groups that have been told they may no longer get free advertising space.The Metro's Operations Committee wants to eliminate free public service announcements by non-governmental agencies and force organisations requesting extra service to pay a deposit up front.The changes follow a financial dispute with the National Football League.Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays...

The Bush administration is actively seeking to gag or punish social service organizations that challenge the party line on such matters as health care for poor children and HIV prevention, according to a new report. Nonprofits that disagree with the president's own solutions, or go further and blame him for problems in the first place, have come to expect unpleasant consequences. Those might include audits of federal-funds spending and reviews of content, such as workshop literature. "If you disagree with the administration on ideological grounds, they're going to come down with a hammer. This has huge implications for the free...

<p>The Ford Foundation is the proverbial "fat boy in the canoe" of the philanthropic shipyard. And it seldom has encountered a liberal cause it hasn't embraced. As if that's not enough to call into question its judgment, it now has chosen to wrap its arms around one of the latest poster boys for the current era of corporate skulduggery.</p>

<p>NEW YORK - The U.S. House is considering a bill that could force the nation's foundations to give away more of their money to charity each year, creating a potential windfall of billions of dollars for nonprofit groups.</p> <p>The bill has created a furor in the philanthropic world, with foundations warning that they could be forced to squander their assets and spend themselves out of existence.</p>