An essential responsibility of all corporate grantmaking professionals is to know what legal pitfalls foundations must avoid in order to keep the company out of trouble—and out of the press. However, missteps are often made with the best intentions of achieving a foundation’s charitable purpose. The Council offers a wide range of web-based resources, publications and practical information to guide corporate foundations and giving programs in their philanthropy.

Legal Services and Standards at the Council

As a Council member, you have access to our highly regarded team of attorneys who are ready to answer your questions and provide expert analysis on legal issues and ethical standards. Learn more from our Legal web pages.

Can’t find what you need? Email your question and ask the expert.

Corporate Legal Corner

Written by the Council’s expert lawyers, Corporate Legal Corner answers your questions to thorny issues and provides legislative updates. New columns are included as part of the members-only monthly Corporate Update newsletter.

Resources and Articles

• Company Foundations and the Self-Dealing Rules. Federal law prohibits as “self-dealing” certain transactions with persons closely associated with the foundation, including the sponsoring corporation. In a five-part analysis, this edition explains the applicable federal tax laws to help you avoid potential self-dealing infractions.

• Public Recognition
• Tickets to Fundraisers
• Sharing Employees
• Sharing Office Space
• Sharing Office Equipment & Supplies

For legal dimensions of cross-border giving including expenditure responsibility, equivalency determination, or anti-terrorism guidelines, visit the USIG website.

Webinars and Conference Calls

Check out upcoming Professional Development opportunities relevant to legal matters.