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May 06, 2009
Council on Foundations
Federal Government May Revise Voluntary Guidelines for Giving Overseas
The U.S. Treasury Department wants to work with grant makers to revise its voluntary guidelines that seek to prevent charitable dollars from inadvertently flowing to terrorists, a department official said at the Council on Foundations meeting.
Michael Rosen, a policy adviser in the department’s Office of Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes, said the office wants to work with foundations “to better refine the guidance.”
While saying that the Obama administration is still very concerned about the possibility of philanthropic money helping organizations like Hamas and other militant groups, he said the office’s guidelines can be “more responsive to your needs.”
Foundations have said the guidelines are too onerous and prevent some donors from making grants overseas.
Mr. Rosen also promoted the American Task Force on Palestine as a possible model to make grants in “high-risk areas” like the Palestinian territories. In August, the charity signed an agreement with the U.S. Agency for International Development in which the government aid organization would vet the Palestinian charities the task force would want to support.
Ziad J. Asali, president of the task force, in Washington, said it has raised at least $500,000 in products and cash donations for schools, hospitals, and other charitable institutions.
He cautioned, however, that the approach has its challenges. The charity has to not let the government pick what groups to support and the partnership should not be the starting point for a “more intrusive” government role in philanthropy abroad.
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