Global Resources from the Council
October Dates Now Open for Global Grantmaking Essentials
Our Global Grantmaking Essentials training in April has sold out! Registration is now open for the next offering of the training which will occur on the afternoons of October 9, 10, and 16. Learn more and register today.
Country Notes
The following countries nonprofit law profiles have been recently updated:
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Global Legal and Regulatory Updates
The Status of Foreign Aid in 2024
In the United States, President Biden’s supplemental request for Ukraine support is still languishing on the Hill. The package, which recently passed the Senate, includes $60 billion for Ukraine as well as Israel and Taiwan, will likely come to the forefront again in April. A delayed package means a very short time frame for federal agencies such as USAID and State to get funds out the door.
Meanwhile the 2024 budget, which passed in late March, saw a 6% cut to foreign aid, though experts note the cuts could have been much higher. In an interview with Devex, Keifer Buckingham, advocacy director at Open Society Foundations, said, “It’s definitely not as bad as it could have been, I think people are looking at this bill and saying, okay, take a little sigh of relief, but we have a lot of work to do for 2025.”
Globally, debates about foreign aid are faring little better:
Foreign Agent Laws
A new bill in Kyrgyzstan is the latest in a growing list of legislative efforts to place constraints on NGOs receiving foreign funding. In short, if NGOs receive foreign funds they will be labeled as “performing the functions of a foreign representative” and will be required to submit onerous financial, governance, and operational activities.
Meanwhile, the Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA) in the U.S. is expected to see a widespread overhaul in enforcement this year from the Department of Justice, which has steadily ramped up FARA activities in the past few years. Top on DOJ’s agenda appears to be either removal or retooling of the “commercial exemption” within FARA. The Council has been actively working with a coalition of partners to advocate for FARA reform and we expect more news as early as April this year. We'll keep you updated.
The UK’s foreign agent law, Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS), went into effect last year and the UK government released a factsheet earlier this year. FIRS is relatively similar to FARA and imposes criminal penalties for noncompliance.
News & Resources
