Weekly commentary on the legal questions shaping the sector. Current matters before federal and state regulators, developing case law, policy shifts, and practical guidance on what it all means for mission-driven organizations.
The Beacon.
Treasury Signals a More Transparent Form 990: A Watch Item for 501(c)(3) Organizations
Treasury has announced that the IRS plans to revise Form 990 to require clearer reporting on government grants, contracts, and fiscal sponsorship. Nothing is final yet, and proposed regulations with a public comment period will come first.
Many Changes Afoot for Nonprofit Organizations at Internal Revenue Service
Three IRS developments — Form 8976's move to Pay.gov, a possible precedent revisiting regarding race-based selection criteria, and looming Johnson Amendment guidance — are reshaping the ground under paired (c)(3)/(c)(4) structures before the June 30 window closes on IRS/Treasury priority program guidance.
Primary Season Is Coming to NY, DC, MA, and CT — What Your Charity Can (and Can’t) Do at a Candidate Forum
Primary season is opening across NY, DC, MA, and CT, and your charity is being asked to host forums, rent space, and invite electeds to speak. Here is what is permitted, what is prohibited, and the small adjustments that keep routine activity clean.
DOJ Proposes to Shield Its Attorneys from State Bar Oversight
DOJ has proposed exempting federal prosecutors from state professional-conduct rules in any state where they practice, which would make federal attorneys uniquely unaccountable to the same ethical regime that governs every other lawyer in the jurisdiction.
DOGE and the Debate over Nonprofits
As DOGE proposes deep cuts to federal grant programs that fund a substantial share of nonprofit operations, the question isn't only what gets cut, but whether the public-private partnership model that built the modern sector survives the next budget cycle intact.
Resurrecting the U.S. Department of Education?
A Massachusetts federal court ordered the Trump administration to reinstate hundreds of Department of Education employees, reviving the broader constitutional question of whether the executive branch can effectively eliminate a Cabinet-level agency that Congress created.
SCOTUS Rules 4-4 on Major Charter School Case
When the Supreme Court splits 4-4, the lower court's ruling stands but sets no national precedent, leaving charter school authorizers, advocates, and litigants nationwide without the clear constitutional answer they came to the Court to find.
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