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Private Foundations
Maximize your philanthropic impact and protect tax-exempt status with services built for foundations.
Running a Foundation Means Managing Complex Compliance
Private foundations are subject to a complex set of tax rules, and many of these rules aren’t intuitive to those who are not already familiar with them. You’re working to advance your charitable mission while managing self-dealing prohibitions, minimum distribution requirements, and expenditure responsibility obligations. Foundations must meet an annual 5% distribution requirement, and failing to plan for this can result in last-minute grantmaking or liquidity challenges.
Your grantmaking requires careful consideration. Grants made to organizations that aren’t 501(c)(3) public charities require expenditure responsibility procedures, while grants to individuals for scholarships need advance IRS approval. Every transaction faces potential self-dealing scrutiny, and mistakes can lead to steep penalties, including taxes of 10% to 200% of amounts imposed on disqualified persons, plus additional penalties for foundation managers.
Whether you’re managing a family foundation, private foundation, or corporate foundation, you’re probably wondering:
Question 1:
How do you structure your investment portfolio to meet distribution requirements without triggering UBIT?
Question 2:
What procedures satisfy expenditure responsibility when making grants outside traditional public charities?
Question 3:
How do you document board decisions to withstand IRS scrutiny while maintaining your philanthropic vision?
Foundation Insights
Core Needs for Foundation Success
The current environment demands more than basic compliance services. Effective foundations need:
Tax Compliance That Protects Exempt Status
Form 990-PF provides a comprehensive snapshot of your foundation's financial status, including details on grants and other operational activities. Strategic handling of the excise tax on investment income, proper calculation of minimum distribution requirements, and careful documentation of self-dealing avoidance keep you compliant while protecting board members from costly violations.
Investment Strategy That Supports Your Mission
Developing a formal investment policy that reflects your foundation's long-term charitable goals is crucial, accounting for annual distribution obligations while steering clear of investments that may trigger UBIT. Your investment approach must balance growth with liquidity needs and generate returns that support sustained grantmaking.
Grantmaking Procedures That Demonstrate Stewardship
Clear documentation of your grantmaking philosophy, proper expenditure responsibility procedures, and appropriate oversight of grant recipients demonstrate accountability to donors, board members, and regulators while protecting your mission and preserving your exempt status.
Our Approach to Supporting Private Foundations
We’ve worked with nonprofit organizations of all sizes from small family foundations to much larger institutions, often looking after clients’ personal financial lives as well as their foundations’ well-being. Our team brings practical knowledge of private foundation tax rules, investment considerations, and the operational realities that shape decision-making for grantmaking organizations.
Your philanthropic vision deserves protection. We help you build the compliance framework and strategic foundation that lets you focus on the grantmaking and charitable impact that drives your mission.
Meet our Private Foundation Leaders
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Looking for a team who understands where you’re headed and how to help you get there? Whether you’re building something new, managing growth or preserving success, let’s talk.