US-based grantmakers have faced a persistently hostile regulatory climate for cross-border grantmaking ever since the Bush Administration launched its so-called war on terror. Measures like the Patriot Act and the Treasury Department’s voluntary guidelines have made donors fearful of funding overseas at a time when positive, non-violent US global engagement is more necessary than ever, but they have done little to staunch the flow of funding to terrorism.

Grantmakers Without Borders (Gw/oB) stepped up its efforts to address this counterproductive regulatory climate by setting up, this summer, an office in Washington DC and hiring an Advocacy Coordinator. The Advocacy Coordinator will work with members and allies of Gw/oB to develop and implement a strategy to advocate for regulations for international grantmaking that are strong and effective but which are also low-barrier, clearly defined, mission-based and practice-rooted. Gw/oB’s Advocacy Program will also seek to address the issues raised by Senator Grassley’s wide-ranging package of charitable reforms, pressing for those reforms that are prudent and helpful, rather than overarching and counterproductive.

Another key element of Gw/oB’s Advocacy Programme will be reaching out to the philanthropic advisory and legal professions in the US. Lawyers and advisers who work with foundations and donors at times become gatekeepers who advise against cross-border grantmaking because of its perceived challenges or legal pitfalls. Gw/oB’s programme will offer support and training on global grantmaking issues to this group, striving to develop more knowledgeable and willing allies for cross-border grantmaking.

For more information
For more about Gw/oB’s Advocacy Program, contact Vanessa Dick at Vanessa@gwob.net 

Grantmakers Without Borders
Executive Director: John Harvey
T +1 617 794 2253
john@gwob.net
http://www.gwob.net