135 Main Street
20th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94105

Specializing in the Law of Nonprofit Organizations

Emily Chan, Of Counsel Rosemary E. Fei, Principal Gregory L. Colvin, Emeritus Erik Dryburgh, Senior Counsel Nancy E. McGlamery, Principal Shirley J. McLaughlin, Principal Ingrid Mittermaier, Principal Stephanie L. Petit, Principal Steven R. Chiodini, Of Counsel Robert A. Wexler, Principal Eric K. Gorovitz, Principal Matt Clausen, Principal David A. Levitt, Principal

Adler & Colvin is a group of seasoned attorneys based in San Francisco, deeply committed to serving the legal needs of the nonprofit sector.  The firm brings an unrivaled depth of expertise and passion to its representation of tax-exempt organizations and individual philanthropists.

Upcoming Events

Virtual Conference

2023 AICPA & CIMA Private Foundation Summit - Session: "A Historical Look at Private Foundations and Partnership Investments"

June 22, 2023

This session will provide a historical look at partnerships investments, beginning with Plumsted Theater and moving through recent court cases and the current IRS work plan to gain a perspective on where we have been, where we are today, where there is clear guidance, where additional guidance is needed, and where private foundation are needing to document their filing positions.

10:40 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. PT

Co-Panelists:  Jane Searing, CPA | Nancy McGlamery, J.D.

Presenter

Webinar

American Law Institute Continuing Legal Education (ALI CLE) Session: "Donor Advised Funds Update: A Philanthropic Strategy in the Crosshairs"

June 22, 2023

High-net-worth clients and charitable organizations have many options to advance their long-term philanthropic and charitable goals. And donor-advised funds (DAFs) appear to be a leading philanthropic vehicle. Recent 2022 reports estimate DAF grant values grew 60% since pre-pandemic times and have increased 400% over the past decade! Despite these reports, critics of DAFs contend, among other things, these statistics are misleading and that DAFs are a mere “warehouse” of charitable funds.

To clear up common DAFs misconceptions, we assembled an expert faculty for a deep-dive discussion into the federal tax rules applicable for DAF sponsoring organizations and donors to DAFs, legislative efforts to date, the evolving litigation landscape, and what both advocates and critics of donor advised funds have to say.

What You Will Learn

After attending this webcast, taught by seasoned practitioners, participants will be able to:

Understand the federal tax rules applicable to a tax-exempt organization sponsoring one or more donor advised fund

Apply the federal tax rules to a proposed DAF program in an existing tax-exempt organization

Understand the basic benefits and drawbacks of DAFs for donors depending on their philanthropic priorities

Understand the competing viewpoints with respect to whether or not and to what extent DAFs should be regulated

Register today! Questions will be submitted live to the faculty and all registrants will receive downloadable course materials to accompany the program.

Who Should Attend

Attorneys who represent nonprofits, work at nonprofits, or serve on nonprofit boards will benefit from this American Law Institute CLE program. This course will also educate accountants or development staff at tax-exempt organizations, especially staff members working with DAFs or accepting contributions from donor advisors. Finally, this course will also provide insight to estate planning attorneys who counsel high-wealth clients on charitable giving.

 

12:00 – 1:30 p.m. ET

 

Presenters:

Carrie Garber Siegrist, Goodwin Proctor LLP (Moderator)

Andrew Grumet, Polsinelli PC

Shirley McLaughlin, Adler & Colvin

 

 

 

 

Featured Content

Publication

Practitioner Perspectives on Using Section 501(c)(4) Organizations for Charitable Lobbying: Realities and an Alternative

This paper, originally published in the NYU Journal of Legislation and Public Policy, discusses a wide array of issues arising from the use of Section 501(c)(4) social welfare organizations to conduct the lobbying necessary to advance charitable goals. The paper goes on to propose an innovative legislative change that would allow the creation of a…

Publication

Lobbying Overview for Private Foundations

Private foundations’ expenditures for legislative lobbying are prohibited as “taxable expenditures” by Section 4945 of the Internal Revenue Code. For the purpose of deciding what is prohibited lobbying, private foundations may rely on the definitions found in Sections 501(h) and 4911 of the Internal Revenue Code, which define lobbying for those public charities that have…

Our firm represents some of the most recognized and respected nonprofits and philanthropic organizations in the U.S.