The National Council of Nonprofits is asking nonprofit groups to send stories about problems they are having with government contracts or with new fees or taxes so it can propose strategies to battle efforts it says are weakening charities at a time when their services are in high demand.

That pitch comes in a new council report, "State Budget Crises: Ripping the Safety Net Held by Nonprofits," which highlights obstacles some charities are facing in getting paid by recession-battered states and moves by some states or local governments to eliminate tax exemptions or impose new fees on nonprofit groups.

The council is working with the Urban Institute's Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy to survey the...

President Obama today announced a list of 10 charities that will share his $1.4-million Nobel Peace Prize award.

"These organizations do extraordinary work in the United States and abroad helping students, veterans, and countless others in need," he said in a statement.

The organizations are:

• Fisher House, which provides housing for families of patients at major military and Veterans Administration medical centers -- $250,000

• Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, which raises money to help Haiti recover from the recent earthquake -- $200,000

• American Indian College Fund, which offers scholarships and helps tribal colleges -- $125,000

• Appalachian Leadership and Education Foundation, which helps young people in Appalachia pursue higher education -- $125,000

• College Summit, which works with elementary and...

The House of Representatives has passed legislation to allow people who donate money to help victims of last month's earthquake in Chile to claim an itemized deduction on their 2009 tax returns. It would apply to gifts made through April 15.

The bill, H.R. 4783, which was approved on Wednesday, would also extend until April 15 a similar tax benefit that applies to donations for Haitian earthquake relief efforts. That measure expired on March 1.

The legislation will now be considered by the Senate.

KaBoom, a charity that builds playgrounds, got a plug today from the country's most prominent anti-obesity advocate -- First Lady Michelle Obama.

Speaking to the National Parent Teacher Association, the first lady called KaBoom a "terrific nonprofit organization" and urged people to go to its Web site. "Right now they're working to map every single playground in the county so that parents can find the closest one in their neighborhood," she said. "I encourage you all to check it out and add the playgrounds in your own community to their list."

Ms. Obama's speech highlighted her new "Let's Move" campaign to end childhood obesity within a generation.

KaBoom issued a statement acknowledging the first lady's remark and said that once it has "a comprehensive map of the state of play across the nation, we'll be better able to...

The Senate adopted legislation today to extend through 2010 a tax break to encourage older people to donate money from their individual retirement accounts to charity. The measure allows people age 70-1⁄2 and older to give up to $100,000 a year from their IRAs without having to pay taxes on the distribution.

The legislation would also ease rules governing employer contributions to defined-benefit pension plans, a move that would offer relief to charities whose plans have suffered investment losses during the economic downturn.

The provisions are part of a bill, HR 4213, that would also extend unemployment insurance and health benefits, small-business loan programs, aid to states, and a variety of tax cuts. It now moves to the House for...

The House of Representatives today endorsed a Senate plan to give tax breaks to nonprofit and other employers that hire unemployed workers. The measure, included in a jobs bill, would exempt employers from paying Social Security taxes in 2010 for employees hired this year. 

Employers would also get an additional $1,000 tax credit for each worker they kept on for a full year, but this would apply to income taxes so would not benefit nonprofit groups.

The Senate approved its version last week.  The legislation now goes back to the Senate because the House amended other parts of the bill.

The Alliance for Children and Families has

Independent Sector, a coalition of charities and foundations, today again urged Congress to consider creating a program to provide bridge loans to nonprofit groups that are facing delays in getting paid by state and local governments.

"Without access to short-term funding, these nonprofits, whose work is critical to meeting the needs of the communities they serve, will be forced in the coming months to lay off more staff and close essential facilities, and some may shut down altogether," the group said in a written statement to the Senate Banking Committee.

The committee held a hearing today on proposals to help small businesses get credit. Independent Sector said lawmakers should consider allowing banks that received federal bailout money to fulfill their obligations under that program by making bridge loans to nonprofit groups. The money would go to organizations...

President Obama said today he plans to nominate Jonathan Andrew Hatfield, deputy inspector general of the Federal Election Commission, as the new inexpector general of the Corporation for National and Communty Service.

The corporation, which manages AmeriCorps and other national-service and volunteer programs, has been without an inspector general since Mr. Obama removed Gerald Walpin from the post in June, saying he no longer had "fullest confidence" in him.

Mr. Walpin has sued the agency to get his job back and Sen. Charles Grassley, Republican of Iowa, opened an investigation into how the case was handled.

Mr. Hatfield has served in the Federal Election Commission's inspector general's office since 1994, becoming deputy inspector general in 2005.

The nomination comes...

A tax credit that is part of a draft jobs bill that the U.S. Senate is now considering could provide $1-billion in benefits to nonprofit groups and generate from 8,000 to 18,000 new nonprofit jobs, according to an analysis by the Alliance for Children and Families.

The measure -- drawn up by Sens. Charles E. Schumer of New York and Orrin Hatch of Utah -- would exempt private employers, including nonprofit groups, from paying their share of Social Security taxes for employees they hire through the end of 2010. The new hires must have been out of work for at least 60 days.

They would get an additional $1,000 bonus if they kept the employee on the payroll for a full year.

The Alliance for Children and Families -- an association of...

Alliance for Justice, a coalition of advocacy groups, has published a chart outlining how the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision on corporate campaign spending affects nonprofit groups.

The ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission allows corporations -- including nonprofit advocacy groups covered by section 501(c)4 of the federal tax code -- to use money from their general treasuries to promote the election or defeat of political candidates, without having to set up separate political-action committees.

Previously, only 501(c)4 groups meeting certain criteria, such as accepting no business or labor contributions, had the right to make such "independent expenditures" -- that is, spending that is not coordinated with political candidates or campaigns.

The