Unconditional Donations: A Necessary Element to Preserving a Fund’s Charitable Purpose
Disaster Relief Solutions for the Long Run
April 23, 2019
Trends in Grant Applications and Types of Relief Funds Employees Desire
May 3, 2019A core tenet of charitable tax law is that gifts must be unconditional. Since tax-efficient employee disaster and hardship relief funds are typically maintained by independent, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, this means that donations in support of a relief fund must also be unconditional.
This framework puts limitations on the fund sponsor’s relationship with the charity administering the fund. These limitations are expressed by the contents of the field of interest agreement and memo of understanding, which make it clear that the nonprofit fund administrator operates independently with full control of donated monies.
The first important limitation is that the fund sponsor cannot characterize the fund administrator as a service provider. More importantly, any written agreements between the parties cannot indicate such a relationship, whether that is explicit or implicit through provisions which effectively control the nonprofit’s operations. This includes provisions such as termination clauses or provisions for fee refunds. Not only do those clauses indicate an impermissible level of employer control, they also make donations conditional – meaning that those contributions are not tax deductible.
If a sponsoring employer wants to end its relief fund program, it can simply halt donations. The fund will continue until it runs out of money, at which point it will simply cease operation. Since fund sponsors are considered donors, they are not permitted to direct funds in any way. The money in a fund can only be used to make grants to applicants who meet the correct criteria.
A more unique case is where the charitable class cannot be aided because the employer no longer exists (as in bankruptcy). In that instance, the fund administrator’s board of directors may exercise its variance powers. That means that the board may amend the charitable purpose of the fund to fit the program’s general charitable intent.
Click here to view original blog post on the Emergency Assistance Foundation website.
Author:
Doug Stockham
President, Emergency Assistance Foundation
doug@emergencyassistancefdn.org
Emergency Assistance Foundation, Inc.
The Emergency Assistance Foundation, Inc. is a 501c(3) charity created to design and operate multiple employer-sponsored disaster relief and employee hardship funds. These funds allow domestic and international employers and employees to help their coworkers in times of crises.
EAF is a 501c(3) tax-exempt, public, non-profit organization with IRS approval specifically for Employee Hardship and Disaster Relief Funds which can be administered in the United States, Canada and internationally.
