Nonprofit and Tax-Exempt Law

By providing skilled legal guidance, our lawyers help nonprofit organizations achieve and maintain their philanthropic mission. Koley Jessen attorneys assist nonprofit and tax-exempt organizations in all legal aspects of formation, operation, funding, and management.

We have extensive knowledge of nonprofit and tax-exempt laws and serve organizations at each stage of their development, advising them on the unique issues that nonprofits face. Our nonprofit client base includes public charities; private foundations; churches and religious organizations; hospitals and other healthcare organizations; schools and universities; research and environmental institutions; trade and professional associations; and social clubs. 

Our firm advises on a wide range of nonprofit legal issues, such as:

• Structure and formation of nonprofit entities
• Obtaining 501(c)(3) or other tax-exempt status and related compliance
• Public charity support determinations
• Excise taxes, unrelated business income, and intermediate sanctions
• Fundraising regulations and planned giving programs, including tax-exempt financing
• Employment matters
• Compensation issues
• Charitable beneficiaries in estate and trust disputes and litigation
• Regulatory compliance and disclosure requirements support
• Drafting applicable policies/procedures and committee charters
• Corporate governance support, including advising C-suite officers and board members on fiduciary duties and responsibilities of directors, trustees, and managers
• Private foundation compliance, including self-dealing, program-related investments, non-lobbying advocacy, qualifying distributions, and scholarship programs/grant-making
• Restructuring/termination of nonprofit organizations

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