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title: "Washington Snapshot: Foundations on the Hill 2026"
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Plus, new legislation targeting nonprofits, federal government funding, and more!

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| Public policy news and updates for the philanthropic sector |
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| January 16, 2026 What's Happening This Week... Happening at the Council What We're Tracking in DC News, Resources, and Events |
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| Happening at the Council Foundations on the Hill 2026 Foundations on the Hill 2026 arrives at a pivotal moment for the philanthropic sector. Hosted and presented by United Philanthropy Forum, in partnership with the Council on Foundations and Independent Sector, this four-day convening in Washington, D.C., brings together leaders and advocates in philanthropy to strengthen advocacy capacity, deepen policy engagement, and coordinate across the sector. Register and learn more. Building Together 2026 Building Together is a sector-wide gathering for people working in philanthropy who are eager to connect and collaborate across differences. Join us in Seattle, May 4-7, 2026, to build the skills, strategies, and relationships needed to navigate divides and strengthen our shared future. Register today. |
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| What We're Tracking in DC S.3554/H.R.6800 Introduced In December, Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-MT), and Rep. David Kustoff (R-TN) introduced S.3554/H.R.6800, legislation that would allow the Secretary of the Treasury to designate nonprofits as terrorist-supporting organizations and strip them of their tax-exempt status without due process protections. The Council opposed similar legislation in the last Congress. We’ll share additional information, including a detailed summary, in our next edition of Snapshot. Treasury and Congress Investigate Nonprofits Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced new initiatives Treasury will undertake in Minnesota to counter “government benefits fraud and abuse.” In his announcement, Secretary Bessent noted that the department will establish a new taskforce to specifically investigate 501(c)(3) organizations implicated in the Minnesota fraud investigations. In addition, on January 6, House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-OH) and member Kevin Kiley (R-CA) sent a letter to Altadena Talks Foundation requesting information on the organization’s funding from FireAid to conduct oversight on funding distributed to victims of the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires. Federal Government Funding Congress is back in session and one of its top priorities will be to pass the remaining nine appropriations bills before the government funding deadline on January 30. Last week, House and Senate appropriators released bill text for a minibus package of three bills: Energy and Water, Commerce-Justice-Science, and Interior- Environment. The House and Senate passed that legislation, sending it to the President for signature. On Wednesday, the House passed a two-bill minibus containing appropriations bills for Financial Services and General Government, and National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs.  |
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| News & Resources Emergency Local Newsroom Grants Continue Apace in the US, Alliance Nonprofits Devise Creative Solutions to Address Federal Funding Cuts, Nonprofit Quarterly A Conservative Case for the Filibuster, American Enterprise Institute |
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| Upcoming Events Public Policy Action Network February 2, 2026 2-2:45 p.m. ET Legal Matters for Community Foundations February 3 and 5, 2026 1-4:30 p.m. ET each day |
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| Keep in Touch! Please feel free to reach out to any of us on the Government Relations Team with comments or concerns, or to share an issue, article, event, or op-ed you would like to see covered in a future Washington Snapshot. View this email as a web page. |
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