One Step Closer to Final Passage of Service Legislation!

Thanks to the advocacy of the nonprofit sector in Louisiana and across the country, the Serve for America Act successfully passed the U.S. Senate yesterday. You helped make history by calling and emailing your Louisiana Senators to voice support of the bill and explain how it can impact the nonprofit community.

By a vote of 79-19 the Serve America Act passed, and it included the Baucus-Grassley amendment to establish a Nonprofit Capacity Building Initiative Program (NCBI). NCBI is an innovative program to support nonprofit organizations that are doing capacity building trainings and technical assistance by awarding them federal grants through the Corporation for National and Community Service. Both the passage of the Serve for America Act and NCBI will generate support and federal funding for the nonprofit sector.

By working together we have proved that nonprofits can exhibit a real advocacy force.

Through your advocacy, you helped make it happen and now can witness this important bill succeed at the federal level.

More information will come in the near future once the bill gets signed into law and the Corporation for National and Community Service begins making decisions on how to implement the program and distribute grants.

Office Depot Grant Proposals Due April 30th

The Office Depot Foundation supports local nonprofit organizations that make a positive impact on the quality of life in company communities around the world. The Foundation provides grants through the following funding categories:

• Making a Difference in Children's Lives supports activities that serve, teach, and inspire children, youth, and families.
• Building Communities focuses on civic organizations and activities that serve the needs of the community.
• Disaster Relief funds recognized national, regional, and local relief agencies.

Requests must be submitted online through the Foundation's website by April 30, 2009, with the exception of Disaster Relief requests, which are accepted throughout the year.

LANO North Phones Are Down

Due to some unforseeable equipment problems, the phones at LANO North in Shreveport are not working. We're doing everything we can to get the phones up and running as soon as possible. In the interim, please use email to contact our Shreveport office:

• Kay Irby, Director, kay@lano.org
• Patrina Johnson, Training Coordinator, patrina@lano.org

We're sorry for the inconvenience.

Nonprofits and the Recession: Take the Survey

LANO is conducting a statewide survey on the fiscal health of Louisiana's nonprofit sector, with funding and support from Capital One Bank. The results of this survey will shed light on the impact of the recession on Louisiana's nonprofits.

We will share the survey's findings with nonprofits, funders and policymakers in a series of community meetings across Louisiana to set a platform for joint problem-solving and collaboration.

Please join us in this effort by completing this online survey, which will take approximately 10 minutes to complete. The questions cover your organization's funding sources, estimated budget outlook, and need for services. Responses are due no later than April 10, 2009.

Furnish Our Neighbors "a Life Saver" to NOLA DA's Office

New Orleans nonprofit, Furnish Our Neighbors, was featured in the Times Picayune recently:

Mandi Thompson, [founder of] Furnishing Our Neighbors, takes furniture donated by hotels and corporations around the country and resells it out of a Mid-City warehouse; most pieces go for just $8 or $29. (As in 8/29, as in Katrina -- get it?)

Thompson was contacted by the folks at the Louisiana Association of Nonprofit Organizations, who told her that the DA's office needed a little help. Furniture was the issue, Thompson was told. And furniture is what Thompson got.

So she paid a visit to the DA's offices on Poydras Street and over on Tulane Avenue to see what they might need.

"Never in my life has my jaw dropped and hit the floor," Thompson said of her first impressions. "It was tragic."

... So, a few weeks ago, Thompson cranked up the Furnishing Our Neighbors moving crew and started delivering desks, chairs, conference tables and file cabinets to the DA offices. Preparing for another delivery this week, Thompson surveyed the current state of the offices (improved but still pathetic) and was greeted by employees as a conquering hero.

"I want you to know, you've been a life saver for us," said Leonard Nicholson, the affable information systems manager.

This is a great example of the way nonprofits and government can work together. Read the full article online at nola.com.

Kick-Off Webinar: Nonprofits Count! Census 2010 Campaign

Wednesday, April 1st, 1:00 pm

Register for this free national webinar that will outline what nonprofits need to know about the 2010 Census, presented by Nonprofit Voter Engagement Network. Find out:

• What's at stake for nonprofits and our communities

• Who is in danger of being undercounted

• What nonprofits can do to help ensure an accurate and complete count

Who the Census counts impacts ten years of $300 billion in federal funding, as well as political representation, locations of schools, transit, health care centers and more. Nonprofits reach millions of Americans daily. We can make an important difference in a complete count for our communities.

The webinar marks the launch of the National Voter Engagement Network's year-long Nonprofits Count! 2010 campaign, dedicated to helping nonprofits to engage hard-to-count communities in the 2010 census. The campaign website, www.nonprofitscount.org, will offer a wealth of resources for nonprofits on how to help their communities get counted in 2010.

Learn more about Census 2010.

Service Legislation Moves Forward in Congress

Service legislation in Congress took a giant leap forward on March 18th as legislators voted on important legislation that will expand volunteer opportunities for Americans and provide nonprofits the support to manage them.

The House passed H.R.1388, the “Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act,” or GIVE Act, which would triple the number of AmeriCorps volunteers, expand service opportunities to all stages of life, and create a nationwide community-based infrastructure fund to leverage investments in service.

An amendment to the GIVE Act also passed, which would add the Volunteer Generation Fund to the bill. This a grant program designed to increase the supply of volunteers in the country and to strengthen volunteer infrastructure organizations nationwide. This amendment was necessary because the program will help nonprofits coordinate, train and manage volunteers. You can see a summary of the Volunteer Generation Fund and the text of the Loebsack amendment by clicking here.

On the same day, the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee passed the Serve for America Act (S.277), which is the companion bill to the GIVE Act. This bill includes provisions that would support the nonprofit sector such as establishing a Commission to study and improve how the federal government, nonprofits, and the private sector work together to meet national challenges effectively.

Now that the Serve for America Act has passed out of committee, LANO is also supporting a recently introduced bill from Senator Baucus to be included as a floor vote amendment when the Senate votes on the Serve for America Act next week.

This bill is called the National Capacity Building Initiative (S. 609). It is an innovative program to support nonprofit organizations that are doing capacity building trainings and technical assistance by creating a pool of $25 million from the federal government to be matched by other funders, such as foundations, to award federal grants to nonprofits. For more information about this please contact Elisabeth at elisabeth@lano.org.

Once the full Senate votes on the Serve for America Act next week, it is expected that the final service bill could go to President Obama for his signature by April.

Tobacco Control Grant Deadline Extended to Friday

The LA DHH Tobacco Control Program has extended the Letter of Intent deadline for its current RFP until Friday, March 20, 2009. The program will award a $30,000 grant to counter pro-tobacco influences on 18-24 year olds.

Proposed projects should address tobacco-related disparities such as prevalence of tobacco use, second-hand smoke exposure, relapse rates, access to prevention and cessation programs and tobacco industry marketing for populations aged 18-24 years.

The grant funds will be awarded to one organization in a region of the state based on the applicant’s description of tobacco burden on the target population. DHH currently funds this type of project in Region 1 (New Orleans and surrounding areas) and is seeking proposals from the remaining eight non-funded DHH regions.

Add Your Voice to the "Forward Together" Declaration

The Johns Hopkins Listening Post Project has put together an appeal to America’s public and policymakers that calls for a reinvigorated and empowered partnership between government and the nonprofit sector to address our country’s social, economic, and environmental problems and improve the quality of community life.

The appeal entitled, “Forward Together: Empowering America’s Citizen Sector for the Change We Need,” calls on the nation’s governments and businesses to join with nonprofits for a renewed “partnership in public service.” Hundreds of nonprofits have already signed onto the appeal to illustrate their support for renewed partnerships between all sectors to tackle our nation's many social challenges.

The declaration highlights the economic contributions of the nonprofit sector, but warns that nonprofits will need government's assistance to fully play the role of which it is capable in these tough economic times.

If you would like to learn more about the Declaration and add your organization's name please go to: http://www.jhu.edu/listeningpost/forward/.

In addition, the New York Times recently discussed the Declaration and the role of government supporting the nonprofit sector.

Children's Justice Task Force Survey

The Louisiana Children's Justice Act Task Force is conducting a survey as part of their three year review, and they are soliciting input from all across the state. Please share this survey link with your friends, family and business associates and encourage them to help abused and neglected children in Louisiana by voicing their opinions online:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=vV4U9VUVsd6cf7JQNFMQKg_3d_3d

Governor's Executive Budget Announced

The Governor's recommendations for the 2009-2010 budget were released to the Joint Legislative Committee on the budget today.

The $26.7 billion proposal is about 10% smaller than last year's, and includes cuts to health care, (5%) public colleges (8%), education (3%), and 1400 state jobs. The decrease is attributed to the lose of federal recovery money, tax decreases, and the economic downturn.

LANO will analyze these recommendations and follow the budget as the details are hammered out by the Legislature. Sign up for LANO email alerts to stay up-to-date on how this budget will impact Louisiana's nonprofits. Also, be sure to check out the Louisiana Budget Project's new site, LABudget.org, where they will track how the budget impacts low- and moderate-income families.

Half a Million Nonprofits May Lose 501c3 Status

GuideStar and the IRS are reporting that hundreds of thousands of small nonprofits will be stripped of tax-exempt status beginning in May 2010 for failure to file a Form 990-N.

What are the penalties for not submitting Form 990-N? Section 6652(c)(1)(E) of the Pension Protection Act of 2006 provides that there is no monetary penalty for failure to submit Form 990-N. However, if an organization fails to submit Form 990-N for 3 years in a row, the penalty is AUTOMATIC REVOCATION of tax exempt status. The revocation is effective beginning the date the IRS determines was the last day the organization could have timely filed the third required Form 990-N.

The tax-exempt nonprofits whose exemptions have been revoked will be required to pay federal taxes and will be subject to financial penalties if they don’t. Hundreds of thousands of public charities, many already operating on small budgets, will find themselves no longer eligible to accept tax-deductible contributions, apply for grants, or apply for special discounts. Nonprofits that wish to have their exemptions reinstated will be required to re-apply, and pay the application fee to the IRS for tax-exempt status, a process that can take several months.

• Tax-exempt organizations with annual gross receipts at $25,000 or less are required to file Form 990-N (e-postcard).
  
• Tax-exempt organizations with annual gross receipts that are normally greater than $25,000 must file Form 990 or Form 990-EZ.
• Private foundations must file Form 990-PF.
  

$300 Discount to Social Enterprise Summit

Registration will soon be closing for the 10th Social Enterprise Summit scheduled April 15-17, 2009 in New Orleans. Louisiana nonprofits can register before April 6 and enter code LA2009 to get a $300 discount to the Summit.

Use your discount to join hundreds of leaders addressing critical challenges in education, housing, workforce development, youth, the environment, and many others at this unique event. Enjoy:

• Tracks on Operations, Finance, Policy, Case Studies, Getting Started in social enterprise
• Networking activities to help you meet new peers and mentors
• Check out our keynote presentations from the cutting edge of the field
• A half-day pre-conference workshop on Getting Started with Social Enterprise
• Tours of local social enterprises in New Orleans

This is the only national event of its kind designed to help organizations explore or build their own social enterprise ventures. Check out www.se-alliance.org for information and to register today at this special rate.

Questions? Contact Susan Hymel: susan@lano.org.

Federal Budget Matters Important to Nonprofits

To help nonprofits better understand the ongoing discussion about federal budget matters, the following is an outline of the three main issues either recently signed into law by the President or currently being debated by Congress:

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act:

On February 17 President Obama signed into law the $787 billion emergency American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, or economic stimulus package, to spend extra money and provide tax cuts beyond the normal budget.

LANO has posted two special reports with more information about the economic stimulus package and what provisions will impact nonprofits.

Current operating 2009 budget:
Yesterday President Obama signed into law the FY 2009 budget. There was an overall 8% increase in spending over the FY 2008 levels. To get more specific information about the areas of the budget nonprofits care about please click here.

Proposed 2010 budget:
On February 26 President Obama released his proposed budget for 2010, which – if passed – would go into effect from October 1, 2009 through September 30, 2010. A large focus of his budget is to create a $634 billion reserve fund to underwrite the initial major step towards reforming our nation’s health care system.

One of the proposed mechanisms to offset the costs of healthcare reform is of great interest to nonprofits. The current proposal is to reduce the amount that "high income" people (the 1.2% of Americans with income greater than $250,000 a year) can deduct for charitable contributions, from 33% or 35% (depending on their tax bracket) to the 28% that other itemizers can claim. If Congress agreed with the reduction, it would not apply to anyone until – at the earliest – January 2011.

This could potentially have a detrimental impact on the nonprofit sector so LANO will be closely monitoring this proposal.

LBP Launches LaBudget.org to Report on State Budget's Impacts

Louisiana Budget Project (LBP) has launched their independent website: www.labudget.org. The LBP monitors and reports on state government spending and how it affects the Louisiana’s low- and moderate-income families.

The Louisiana Budget Project was formed in 2006 as an initiative of the Louisiana Association of Nonprofit Organizations (LANO). The Louisiana Budget Project is part of a national network of over 30 State Fiscal Analysis Initiatives coordinated by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

Tobacco Control Program RFP Announced

The LA DHH Tobacco Control Program is please to announce a request for proposals to award a $30,000 competitive grant to counter pro-tobacco influences on 18-24 year olds.

Proposed projects should address tobacco-related disparities such as prevalence of tobacco use, second-hand smoke exposure, relapse rates, access to prevention and cessation programs and tobacco industry marketing for populations aged 18-24 years. The funds are specifically aimed at community-based interventions targeted toward 18-24 year olds entering the workforce or vocational, community and trade schools.

The grant funds will be awarded to one organization in a region of the state based on the applicant’s description of tobacco burden on the target population. DHH currently funds this type of project in Region 1 (New Orleans and surrounding areas) and is seeking proposals from the remaining eight non-funded DHH regions.

Economic Development Forum: Small Businesses & Nonprofits Surviving Today's Economy

On March 27th, Southern University at Shreveport will host their fifth annual economic development forum, focused on small businesses and nonprofits surviving the recession. The slate of panelists will include LANO's Director Of Special Projects, renaissance woman Susan Hymel.

The Economic Development Forum (EDF) seeks to network with local and state leaders from business, industry and government to improve the economic welfare of Shreveport, the region, and the state through collaborations with higher education. It is hosted by Southern University at Shreveport and is sponsored in part by LANO North.

Schedule of Events

• Booth Display 8:00a.m. - 8:35a.m.
• Registration/Continental Breakfast 8:00a.m. –8:45a.m.
• Opening Session 8:45a.m. – 9:15a.m.
• Panelists 9:15a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

• Increasing Your Chances of Getting A Loan

  Customer Service – Critical for Keeping and Growing Your Business

  Making the Most of Your Marketing/Advertisement Dollars

  Preparing for Obama’s Economic Recovery Package

  Nonprofits Coping with the Cutbacks... Survival for Tight Times

• Exhibits 10:30a.m. – 11:45a.m
• Luncheon 12:00 noon – 1:30p.m.
• Afternoon Session, “How to Take Advantage of Stimulus Package” 1:30pm – 3:30 pm

Registration is $50 for the day, including lunch. Complete the registration form and return it to Southern University at Shreveport.

Federal Secretaries Announce Funding for Louisiana

This week U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan and U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano announced hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to Louisiana to stimulate long-term recovery in the wake of the 2005 and 2008 storms.


HUD Announcements:

• HUD has accepted the Louisiana Recovery Authority's $438 million plan to support long-term disaster recovery following Hurricanes Gustav and Ike. The plan comprised of CDBG dollars will provide more than 70 percent of its allocation to local parishes to support a variety of affordable housing, infrastructure, agricultural, and economic revitalization programs.


• HUD will launch a new five-year, $50 million program to offer permanent supportive housing to approximately 1,000 homeless individuals and families living with disabilities, such as a serious mental illness or substance abuse.


• HUD will provide $23 million in rental assistance vouchers to the Louisiana Recovery Authority to support an estimated 2,000 elderly and disabled disaster victims.

DHS/FEMA Announcements:

• FEMA will provide Public Assistance Funding for several facilities in the New Orleans area that need to be repaired or replaced including police and fire stations, Benjamin Franklin highschool in New Orleans and the St. Bernard Parish Water Treatment Plant.


• FEMA will create two new joint review teams comprised of FEMA and state personnel which will be tasked with quickly and fairly resolving disputes under the Public Assistance program.


• FEMA will extend the Relocation Assistance Program to May 1, 2009. Families that were displaced from their primary residence in a disaster declared area as a result of Katrina and Rita are eligible for up to $4,000 in reimbursement for relocation expenses through the Relocation Assistance Program.

Grants Announced for Tobacco Prevention Programs

The Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living (TFL) announces the availability of up to $624,000 in statewide Community Advocacy Grants to foster community involvement in reducing exposure to secondhand smoke, preventing youth tobacco initiation, promoting cessation among youth and adults, and reducing tobacco-related health disparities. Approximately 47 TFL Community Advocacy Grants in amounts up to $18,000 each will be awarded statewide.

These TFL Community Advocacy Grants are for nonprofit agencies with experience in advocacy, reducing health disparities, youth prevention, young adult programming and/or family services that would like to either:

1. strengthen their existing tobacco prevention activities, or
2. add tobacco prevention and control into their scope of work.

All detailed grant information, applications, and other supporting documentation are available on www.TobaccoFreeLiving.org.

Special Reports on the Economic Stimulus For Nonprofits

Now that the America Recovery and Reinvestment Act has passed, LANO will help Louisiana’s nonprofits understand the scope of the legislation and how they can secure grant opportunities at the state and local level.

The federal economic stimulus package includes many opportunities for nonprofits to get their effective programming supported. The National Council of Nonprofits published two special reports to analyze the provisions in the stimulus package and to help nonprofits secure funding through their state and local governments.

• The first report, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009: Grant Application Information, Tips, and Thoughts , drills down on the $787 billion legislation and summarizes the major spending and tax cut provisions.
  
• The second report, Federal Economic Stimulus Legislation: Nonprofit Grant Opportunities, offers grant information for nonprofits.

Nonprofits have many opportunities to pursue stimulus funding and influence how the dollars are spent. These special reports narrow down a very complicated bill and will help nonprofits figure out ways to leverage this federal assistance. LANO hopes that state and local governments will fund nonprofit stimulus projects because the sector is already working with the citizens greatly impacted by this economic recession and can best meet the goals of the stimulus by assisting those most in need and, thus, reenergize our economy.

For further information, contact: Elisabeth Gehl, New Orleans Director of Public Policy, elisabeth@lano.org

Gulf Coast Advocates Visit Washington, DC

Last week over 65 advocates from the Gulf Coast, including LANO's New Orleans Director of Public Policy, went to Washington, DC to advocate on behalf of affordable housing in the Gulf Coast.

The purpose of the trip was to speak with Members of Congress, Federal Agencies such as HUD and the Department of Homeland Security/FEMA, and Administration officials about the current state of the Gulf Coast and offer them policy recommendations to consider in regards to future federal legislation and actions the Administration can take to better streamline their recovery processes.

In addition, advocates talked about the extension of the Gulf Coast Federal Coordinator's office. Instead of extending this office under the Department of Homeland Security, advocates requested that a new office be created within the White House entitled the Office of Gulf Coast Recovery and have it led by a Gulf Coast Recovery Advisor. This advisor position would hold more clout than the current Gulf Coast Federal Coordinator's office because he/she would directly report to the President. In addition, the request included that the Office of Gulf Coast Recovery have an advisory council of 20 Gulf Coast leaders so that there is more accountability to the region and better communication between the federal government and local advocates.

It is important that advocates from the Gulf Coast continue to take these trips to Washington, DC to remind federal policymakers that the struggles of the Gulf Coast are ongoing and we need their steadfast assistance. Advocates that attended this trip, including LANO, will continue to follow up with the staff they met to make sure that our policy recommendations and requests are considered and followed up on through their legislative and administrative actions and decisions.

The trip was organized by the Equity and Inclusion Campaign, a three state coalition of Gulf Coast advocates, and other national organizations that have been working diligently since the 2005 storms to hold the federal government accountable for its commitment to rebuilding housing in the effected areas. For more information contact Elisabeth at elisabeth@lano.org.