©2008 Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP THE COLORADO CHARITABLE...

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©2008 Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP

Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP

THE COLORADO CHARITABLE ENTITY:

Where Have We Been?Where Are We Going?

Presenter – James R. Walker, Esq.

Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP1200 Seventeenth Street, Suite 3000Denver, CO 80202303-623-9000

©2008 Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP

TAX-EXEMPT ORGANIZATIONS

Hostile Regulatory Environment

IRS Compliance Checks

MediaAttention

Pension Protection Act

New Form 990

Tax Shelter Regulations

Tax-Exempt Organizations

Congressional Inquiries

Doubling of ExcisePenalty Taxes

Intermediate Sanctions

©2008 Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP

TAX-EXEMPT ORGANIZATIONS

Nonprofit ≠

Tax-Exempt

©2008 Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP

TAX-EXEMPT ORGANIZATIONS

• Function of state law

• No distribution of income

• Not necessarily “tax-exempt”

Nonprofit

©2008 Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP

TAX-EXEMPT ORGANIZATIONS

• Primarily a function of federal tax law

• With few exceptions, must apply to IRS to be “tax-exempt”

Tax-Exempt

©2008 Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP

TAX-EXEMPT ORGANIZATIONS

• Nonprofit Corporation

• Charitable Trust

• Unincorporated Association

• Limited Liability Company (“LC3 – Vermont”)

Nonprofit Organizational Forms

©2008 Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP

TAX-EXEMPT ORGANIZATIONS

• 501(c)(3) - Religious, educational, charitable, etc.

• 501(c)(4) - Social welfare organizations

• 501(c)(6) - Business leagues

• 501(c)(7) - Social clubs

Code Section 501(c)

©2008 Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP

TAX-EXEMPT ORGANIZATIONS

• Deductible Contributions

• Exempt Income

• Eligible for Grants

• Reduced Postal Rates

• Employment Benefits

Benefits of 501(c)(3) Status

©2008 Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP

TAX-EXEMPT ORGANIZATIONS

Public CharitiesPrivate

Foundations

501(c)(3)

©2008 Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP

TAX-EXEMPT ORGANIZATIONS

Publicly Supported Charities

Limited Control

Absolute ControlPrivate Foundation

©2008 Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP

TAX-EXEMPT ORGANIZATIONS

Private Foundations

Traditional

Conduit

Operating

Exempt Operating

©2008 Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP

TAX-EXEMPT ORGANIZATIONS

Primarily engage in passive grant-making

Traditional Private Foundations

©2008 Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP

TAX-EXEMPT ORGANIZATIONS

• Excise Penalty Taxes for:• Self-Dealing• Failure to Distribute 5% of Investment

Assets• Excess Business Holdings• Jeopardizing Investments• Taxable Expenditures

• 1% - 2% Tax on Investment Income• Lower Deductibility Thresholds

Traditional Private Foundations

©2008 Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP

TAX-EXEMPT ORGANIZATIONS

Distributes 100% of the contributions it receives

in a particular year

Conduit Foundations

©2008 Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP

TAX-EXEMPT ORGANIZATIONS

Treated like traditional foundations, except

donations may qualify for maximum deduction

Conduit Foundations

©2008 Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP

TAX-EXEMPT ORGANIZATIONS

Conduct direct, active charitable activities rather

than simply making grants to other charities

Operating Foundations

©2008 Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP

TAX-EXEMPT ORGANIZATIONS

Treated like traditional foundations, except:• Exempt from the minimum

distribution requirement• Donations qualify for maximum

deduction

Operating Foundations

©2008 Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP

TAX-EXEMPT ORGANIZATIONS

Foundations meeting the public support test for at least 10 years are not subject to the 2% / 1% excise tax on net

investment income

Exempt Operating Foundation

©2008 Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP

TAX-EXEMPT ORGANIZATIONS

Include -

• Educational Institutions

• Hospitals/Healthcare Institutions Operating for “Community Benefit”

• Religious Organizations

Automatic Publicly Supported Charities

©2008 Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP

TAX-EXEMPT ORGANIZATIONS

All others must meet one of two mathematical public support tests

• Donative Test – 509(a)(1)

• Service Provider Test – 509(a)(2)

Public Support Tests

©2008 Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP

TAX-EXEMPT ORGANIZATIONS

One-third of its total income from

• government grants,

• grants from private foundations or other public charities, or

• from members of the public.

Donative Test – 509(a)(1)

©2008 Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP

TAX-EXEMPT ORGANIZATIONS

Donative charities are typically organizations that receive little or no remuneration in

connection with their charitable programs

Donative Test – 509(a)(1)

©2008 Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP

TAX-EXEMPT ORGANIZATIONS

One-third of total income from

• Government grants

• Grants from other public charities

• Members of the public

• Revenues generated by activities within organization’s exempt purpose

Service Provider Test – 509(a)(2)

©2008 Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP

TAX-EXEMPT ORGANIZATIONS

Not more than one-third of total income from

investments

Service Provider Test – 509(a)(2)

©2008 Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP

TAX-EXEMPT ORGANIZATIONS

Service provider charities typically operate primarily

from revenues generated by activities that are related to

their exempt purposes

Service Provider Test – 509(a)(2)

©2008 Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP

TAX-EXEMPT ORGANIZATIONS

Supporting Organizations

Donor Advised Funds

Hybrids

©2008 Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP

TAX-EXEMPT ORGANIZATIONS

Enjoys public charity tax status due to its close

affiliation with one or more publicly supported

organizations

Supporting Organization

©2008 Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP

TAX-EXEMPT ORGANIZATIONS

• Disqualified Persons Cannot Control

• No Public Support Tests

• Maximum Charitable Deduction

• Can Operate Active Programs and Make Grants

• High IRS Suspicion

Supporting Organizations

©2008 Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP

TAX-EXEMPT ORGANIZATIONS

Three Types -

• Type I — “Operated, Supervised, or Controlled By”

• Type II — “Operated, Supervised, or Controlled With”

• Type III —“Operated In Connection With”

Supporting Organizations

©2008 Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP

TAX-EXEMPT ORGANIZATIONS

• Low autonomy

• Supported organization appoints a majority of supporting organization’s board

• Publicly supported charity retains legal control

Type I — Supporting Organization“Operated, Supervised, or

Controlled By”

©2008 Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP

TAX-EXEMPT ORGANIZATIONS

• Generally least autonomy

• Publicly supported charity and supporting organization have identical boards

• Greatest operational flexibility

Type II — Supporting Organization“Operated, Supervised, or

Controlled With”

©2008 Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP

TAX-EXEMPT ORGANIZATIONS

• Potentially greatest autonomy

• Must satisfy both the “Responsiveness” test AND the “Integral Part” tests

• Founding family cannot control

• Type III not eligible for foundation grants unless “functionally integrated”

Type III — Supporting Organization“Operated, Supervised, or

Controlled With”

©2008 Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP

TAX-EXEMPT ORGANIZATIONS

• Component fund of public charity

• Donor Retains right to advise

• Charity retains ultimate control

• Subject to excess business holdings, minimum distribution, and excess benefit and special automatic excess benefit rules

Donor Advised Funds

©2008 Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP

TAX-EXEMPT ORGANIZATIONS

• Administering Charity offers expertise and handles compliance

• Simplified creation via Fund Agreement

• Donations treated as gifts to public charity

• Low cost

Donor Advised Funds

©2008 Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP

TAX-EXEMPT ORGANIZATIONS

Donor Advised Fund Within Public

CharitySupporting

Organization of Public Charity

Private Foundation

Least Control

Most Control

Public Charity

©2008 Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP

TAX-EXEMPT ORGANIZATIONS

©2008 Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP

Thank you!

James Walker – jwalker@rothgerber.com

For more information, please contact:

©2008 Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP

Tax Law Group at Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP

Our attorneys at Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons advise clients on a broad range of tax issues, from complicated cross-border transactions to tax exempt status qualification and operation of local nonprofit organizations. We offer a thorough knowledge of new business structures, such as limited liability companies, limited liability partnerships and other unincorporated entities.

• Land Banking • Estate Planning • Audit Representation Non-

Qualified Deferred Compensation Plans

• Defined Benefit Plans • Defined Contribution Plans • Business Distributions and

Redemptions • Entity Formation and

Reorganizations • ESOPs & ISOPs • Like-Kind Exchanges • Entity Liquidation or Sales

• Entity Liquidation or Sales• Low-Income Housing Projects • Mergers and Acquisitions • Mineral Taxation • Partnership Planning and Taxation • Business Recapitalizations • Trust and Fiduciary Income

Taxation • Non-Profit Taxation & Tax Exempt

Status • S Corp Qualifications & Taxation • Industry Taxation (banking,

ranching, intellectual property, aeronautics, etc.)

©2008 Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP

Nonprofit Organizations Group atRothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP

Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP represents numerous local, national Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP represents numerous local, national and international nonprofit organizations in the Rocky Mountain and international nonprofit organizations in the Rocky Mountain Region. These nonprofits provide services in the charitable, Region. These nonprofits provide services in the charitable, educational, health care, social services, housing, public lands, and educational, health care, social services, housing, public lands, and religious sectors. We not only provide representation in the formation religious sectors. We not only provide representation in the formation and organization of tax-exempt organizations, but also regularly and organization of tax-exempt organizations, but also regularly provide counsel on evolving governance standards and day-to-day provide counsel on evolving governance standards and day-to-day operational issues. Our goal is to assist our nonprofit clients with all operational issues. Our goal is to assist our nonprofit clients with all their legal issues so that they can focus on doing their good works here their legal issues so that they can focus on doing their good works here and around the globe.and around the globe.

Our tax lawyers provide advice on the tax issues directly affecting Our tax lawyers provide advice on the tax issues directly affecting nonprofit organizations, including unrelated business taxable income, nonprofit organizations, including unrelated business taxable income, intermediate sanctions, excess private benefit, use in tax-exempt intermediate sanctions, excess private benefit, use in tax-exempt financing and private foundation rules. financing and private foundation rules.

We also assist our nonprofit clients with legal risk management to help We also assist our nonprofit clients with legal risk management to help protect them from liability and unanticipated loss of revenues. Our protect them from liability and unanticipated loss of revenues. Our attorneys conduct reviews of insurance coverage, including directors attorneys conduct reviews of insurance coverage, including directors and officers, errors and omissions, general liability, premises liability, and officers, errors and omissions, general liability, premises liability, and automobile coverage.and automobile coverage.

©2008 Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP

For more information, visit www.rothgerber.com

This presentation has been prepared by Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP This presentation has been prepared by Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP ("RJ&L") for general informational purposes only. These materials do not, ("RJ&L") for general informational purposes only. These materials do not, and are not intended to, constitute legal advice. The information provided and are not intended to, constitute legal advice. The information provided in this presentation is not privileged and does not create an attorney-client in this presentation is not privileged and does not create an attorney-client relationship with RJ&L or any of the firm's lawyers. This presentation is not relationship with RJ&L or any of the firm's lawyers. This presentation is not an offer to represent you. You should not act, or refrain from acting, based an offer to represent you. You should not act, or refrain from acting, based upon any information in this presentation. The hiring of a lawyer is an upon any information in this presentation. The hiring of a lawyer is an important decision that should not be based solely on written information important decision that should not be based solely on written information about qualifications or experiences. about qualifications or experiences.

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