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October 03, 2009

Philanthropy Roundtable
Debate About the Role of Government and Charities

How dependent should charities be on government dollars? Two speakers at the Philanthropy Roundtable meeting debated this question.

Diana Aviv, chief executive of Independent Sector, a Washington coalition of charities and grant makers, said there should be a “healthy skepticism” about government’s involvement with nonprofit groups. But government and charities have a strong partnership, pointing to the large amount of public dollars that support nonprofit social services and charities that play in natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina.

“Government is highly dependent on the charitable sector” to fulfill its civic responsibilities.

She said that despite the relationship, charities largely maintain their independence and can speak out against state or federal policies they oppose.

But the Rev. Robert A. Sirico, president of the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty, a religious think tank in Grand Rapids, Mich., disagreed, saying that trying to obtain a government grant is a “political process.”

“With dependence comes control,” he said. If the trend continues, charities will “not serve the neighbor in need, but the powers that be.”

To replace government support for nonprofit efforts, tax policies should be revised. For example, he suggested allowing Americans be able to allocate 10 percent of their federal income tax to charities and that volunteer time could be calculated into a tax deduction.

— Ian Wilhelm

Saturday October 3, 2009 | Permalink

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