The Supreme Court of the United States ruled on July 1 that California could not mandate the disclosure of major donors by charities to the State even though such disclosure is already required to be made to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The 6-3 decision in Americans for Prosperity...
CALIFORNIA LAW
California Nonprofits: Updates from the Secretary of State
California nonprofit corporations (and foreign nonprofit corporations operating in California) should be aware of several recent changes that impact filings with the California Secretary of State (SoS). SB 522 Filings with the SoS must include the entity name and number as they exist on the Secretary of State’s records....
Briefing: AB 5 and the Arts
California Alliance for Arts Education and Californians for the Arts held a briefing on AB 5 and its implications for the arts field on March 3, 2021. Attorney Arlene Yang of Meyers Nave provided an overview of AB 5 and the follow-up bill AB 2257 and described how they...
2021 Updates for California Nonprofits
CA Secretary of State As of January 1, 2021, filings with the Secretary of State by a domestic (CA) corporation or a foreign corporation that is qualified to transact business in California must include the entity name and entity number as they exist on the Secretary of State’s records....
California FTB Update for Nonprofits
Here are some updates from the California Franchise Tax Board (FTB) affecting nonprofit tax-exempt organizations: Changes Effective January 1, 2021 Form 3500 Application Fee Eliminated – Form 3500 applications received on or after 01/01/2021 will no longer require the $25 application fee. FTB will use the received date as...
WCTEO 2020 Highlights: Nonprofits in Distress
The following are some of the highlights from the session on Nonprofits in Distress at the 2020 Western Conference on Tax Exempt Organizations (WCTEO), presented by Erin Bradrick (NEO Law Group), Ofer Lion (Seyfarth Shaw), Tania Moyron (Dentons), and Stephanie Petit (Adler Colvin): Zone of Insolvency, Bankruptcy, and Debt Restructuring Under...
WCTEO 2020 Highlights: Charitable Purpose in the 21st Century
The following are some of the highlights from the session on Charitable Purpose in the 21st Century at the 2020 Western Conference on Tax Exempt Organizations (WCTEO): Historical context: Rev. Rul. 71-447: “All charitable trusts, educational or otherwise, are subject to the requirement that the purpose of the trust...
California AG: Charity Governance During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Earlier this month, the California Office of the Attorney General (“AG”) published Charity Governance During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Here are some excerpted highlights from the publication applicable to California nonprofit corporations with some comments: Emergency Provisions Unless prohibited by the nonprofit’s emergency bylaws, the following actions can be taken...
California AG: New Forms for Charities & Fundraisers
Effective February 1, 2020, the California Attorney General’s Registry of Charitable Trusts will require charities and professional fundraisers to use new and amended forms. These new forms are now available on the AG Registry Forms webpage and may be used now (as of the date of this post). Significant...
California AB 1712: Donor Advised Funds (Round Two)
We previously wrote about California AB 1712 when it was a spot bill, a placeholder to address the Legislature’s intent to enact legislation on the subject matter of donor advised funds (DAFs). Fast forward 10 months and AB 1712 has been amended to focus on transparency and data collection...