Nonprofit Brief
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Practical intelligence for people who run nonprofits: funding, fiscal sponsorship, compliance, fundraising, and sector news, decoded. New briefings most weekdays at nonprofitbrief.com. Signal over noise.
Three major funders just set end dates. A spend-down means more money first, then none. The grantee playbook:
When Your Funder Sets an End Date: The Grantee Playbook
Arcus, the Haas Jr. Fund, and Wellspring have all set closing dates. How to read a spend-down announcement, and the asks to make before the last grant.
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Direct federal grants to everyday charities fell nearly 38% in eight months, a new analysis finds. The number is real. So is what it leaves out:
Federal Grants to Everyday Charities Fell 38%. The Fine Print Matters
A new analysis finds direct federal grants to mainstream charities fell from $35.4 billion to $21.4 billion in a year. What it measures and what it misses.
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Miss the Form 990 filing 3 years running and a nonprofit's exemption ends automatically. The 4 dates every new 501(c)(3) should put on the calendar in year one:
Your New Nonprofit's First-Year Compliance Calendar
The determination letter is a starting gun, not a finish line. The federal and state filings every new 501(c)(3) owes in year one, and when each is due.
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USPS raised nonprofit letter rates 3.9%–7.5% on July 12, and where you land depends on how deeply your mail presorts. What to recost before your year-end appeal prints:
The July Postage Increase Lands Hardest on Loosely Sorted Mail
USPS mailing prices rose about 4.8% on July 12, but nonprofit letter rates rose 3.9% to 7.5% depending on presort. What to recost before fall appeals print.
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Five nonprofits are suing USDA over grant conditions covering programs beyond the funded work. One is declining a $676,452 grant rather than sign. What to check before certifying:
Five Nonprofits Ask a Court to Strike USDA's New Grant Conditions
Five grantees are asking a federal court to strike USDA certifications on DEI, gender, and immigration. What to weigh before you sign the new terms.
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Terminated federal grantees are suing for breach of contract, and the whole case turns on one word: obligated. Where the fight happens, and what your paperwork has to prove:
Terminated Federal Grantees Are Suing for Breach of Contract
Solar for All grantees want their canceled awards paid in full. Their argument turns on one word, obligated, and the courthouse they chose matters.
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$275 and about three weeks for most filers, or $600 and six-plus months. The real difference between Form 1023-EZ and the full 1023 is what the IRS doesn't read:
Form 1023 or 1023-EZ: Which 501(c)(3) Application Fits Your New Nonprofit
The short form costs $275 and usually clears in weeks; the long form runs $600 and takes months. Speed is not the only thing you are choosing between.
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One big gift can tip a public charity into private foundation status. How the 33 1/3 percent public support test actually works, and the escape hatches built into Schedule A:
The Public Support Test: The Math That Keeps You a Public Charity
One oversized gift can quietly push a public charity toward private foundation status. How the 33 1/3 percent test works and what to do about it.
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Q1 giving grew 4.3%. Donors fell 0.8%. Gifts over $50,000 were 0.3% of donors and 46.9% of dollars. The new FEP numbers, decomposed:
Q1 Giving Grew 4.3%. Nearly Half of It Came From Gifts Over $50,000
New FEP data shows dollars up, donors down again, and growth concentrated at the very top. What the Q1 numbers mean for your fundraising.
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Terminations without appeal, a 90-day suspension power, and no more fixed amount awards. What OMB's federal grant rewrite means for nonprofits before October 1:
Federal Grant Rules Are Changing: What to Do Before October 1
OMB's proposed overhaul of federal grant rules drew nearly 100,000 comments before closing July 13. Here's what could change for grantees on October 1.
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More foundations want to be your lender, not just your grantmaker. What a PRI is, when debt helps, and when to say no:
When a Funder Offers a Loan Instead of a Grant
More foundations are pairing grants with loans and recoverable grants. What a PRI is, why funders like the math, and what to ask before you sign.
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DAFs granted $64.6B last year. The two rules every development shop should know, and how to get your share:
How to Win More Grants From Donor-Advised Funds
DAF accounts hold $328 billion and granted $64.6 billion last year. How the rules work for the nonprofits on the receiving end of a sponsor's check.
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The IRS reopened group exemptions and added a required annual form. For calendar-year central organizations, the filing window runs October 2 to December 1. What changed and who files:
Group Exemptions Are Back, With a New Required Annual Form
Group exemptions reopened this year under new rules, and annual updates now go in on Form 15644. What central organizations and their chapters should know.
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Revenue up 5%, donors down 3.6%. Before you buy an acquisition strategy, fix the donor records quietly leaking the givers you already have:
Clean Up Your Donor Data Before the Year-End Rush
Year-end appeals get planned in September and printed in October. August is the last quiet month to fix the donor data they depend on.
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The IRS listed an abusive CRAT scheme, not the CRAT itself. What gift planners need to know before donors ask:
The IRS Listed an Abusive CRAT Scheme. Legitimate Gift Planning Is Fine
Final Treasury rules target a gain-erasing CRAT scheme, not routine gift planning. Charities that hold remainder interests are largely off the hook.
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Trust in nonprofits held at 56% this year. Trust in philanthropy fell to 29%. What the 27-point gap means for your organization:
Americans Still Trust Nonprofits. Philanthropy Has a Problem.
Independent Sector's 2026 survey puts high trust in nonprofits at 56% and philanthropy at 29%. What the 27-point gap means for your organization.
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Non-itemizers can deduct up to $1,000/$2,000 in cash gifts starting this tax year. Your receipt templates were written when that didn't matter. What the IRS requires:
More Donors Can Deduct Again in 2026. Time to Fix Your Receipts
A new $1,000/$2,000 deduction for non-itemizers starts with 2026 gifts. What the IRS requires your acknowledgment letters to say, and by when.
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341,699 comments on OMB's federal grant overhaul. The clause most grantees are missing, and the five moves to make before October 1:
OMB's Grant Rule Overhaul Drew 340,000 Comments: What Nonprofits Should Do Now
The comment window on OMB's proposed federal grant regulation closed July 13. Here's what would change, when, and how grantees should prepare.
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The next Form 990 will ask who really runs your sponsored projects. What fiscal sponsors should get in order before the draft rules land:
The Next Form 990 Will Ask Who Really Runs Your Sponsored Projects
Treasury's Form 990 overhaul names fiscal sponsorship as a disclosure target. The rules aren't written yet — the preparation work is.
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Most states require you to register before you ask for donations, and your donate page may count. The rule new nonprofits miss, explained:
Registering to Fundraise: The State Rule Most New Nonprofits Miss
Most states require registration before you ask for donations — often including your donate page. Where you must file, and a sane order to do it in.
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Most grant applications fail at selection, not at writing. How to qualify an RFP in 30 minutes before you spend 30 hours:
How to Read a Grant RFP (and Decide Whether It's Worth Your Time)
Most grant applications fail before the first word is written — because the funder was never a fit. A working method for qualifying RFPs in 30 minutes.
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Fewer than half of donors typically give again next year. The most underrated growth lever in fundraising is the leaky bucket:
Donor Retention Math: Why Keeping a Donor Beats Finding a New One
Acquiring a donor usually costs more than their first gift. The organizations that grow are the ones that stop the leaky bucket — here's the arithmetic and the fixes.
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A rule eight months in the making, vacated hours before taking effect. What the PSLF rulings mean for nonprofit employers:
The PSLF Employer Rule Is Gone: What Nonprofit Employers Should Do Now
Two federal courts vacated the rule that would have let the Education Department strip nonprofits from PSLF. What stands now, and what to watch next.
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The $300M Nonprofit Security Grant closes Friday, but your state's deadline is the one that counts:
The $300 Million Nonprofit Security Grant Window Closes July 24
FEMA's $300 million security grant closes July 24. Up to $200,000 per site for at-risk nonprofits — and your state sets the deadline that counts.
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Every nonprofit board seat comes with three legal duties, and few new directors could name them:
The Three Legal Duties Every Nonprofit Board Member Takes On
Care, loyalty, and obedience sound abstract until a conflict hits your agenda. What board service legally requires, in plain English.
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A nonprofit can have money in the bank and still miss payroll. Restricted vs. unrestricted funds, explained:
Restricted vs. Unrestricted Funds: A Plain-English Guide
The difference between money you can use and money you can only use one way, and why mixing them up is one of the most common early nonprofit mistakes.
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Buffett skipped the Gates Foundation for the first time in 20 years and rerouted $6B to four family foundations. What it means for grantseekers:
Buffett Ends His Gates Foundation Gifts, and $140 Billion Changes Course
Warren Buffett's midyear gift skipped the Gates Foundation for the first time in 20 years. His family's four foundations now stand to receive his fortune.
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85% of social impact pros use AI at work. Roughly 1 in 10 orgs is seeing major gains. A new free certification takes aim at the gap:
New Free AI Certification Targets Nonprofits' Adoption-to-Results Gap
A 20-member coalition convened by Blackbaud opened a free, product-agnostic AI certification as new data shows most nonprofits use AI but few see gains.
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"We served 500 meals" is an output. "Fewer families skipped dinner" is an outcome. Why the difference decides funding:
Outputs vs. Outcomes: How to Talk About Impact So Funders Listen
"We served 500 meals" is an output. "Fewer families skipped dinner this month" is an outcome. The difference decides which proposals get funded.
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Corporate giving rose year over year. It also moved: 65% of companies changed which nonprofits they fund. What the quiet rewrite of corporate philanthropy means for your pipeline:
Corporate Funders Didn't Cut Giving. They Rewrote the Criteria
Benevity's 2026 report finds corporate giving rose while nearly two-thirds of companies changed which nonprofits they fund. How to adjust your pipeline.
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