We, the undersigned organizations, representing a cross-section of the charitable sector, write in support the Charitable Giving Tax Relief Act (HR 1310) and urge you to cosponsor it.

The Charitable Giving Tax Relief Act is based on generosity and sacrifice, not personal gain. This legislation would allow individuals and families who claim the standard deduction, two-thirds of all taxpayers, to deduct 50 percent of their annual charitable contributions over $500 each year, as a way to encourage giving above current levels. A PricewaterhouseCoopers study found that charitable giving would increase by more than $3 billion annually at 1999 income levels as a result of this bill.

The Charitable Giving Tax Relief Act has received bipartisan support in the 106^th Congress. Introduced by Philip Crane (R-IL), and cosponsored by William Coyne (D-PA), Wally Herger (R-CA) and Karen Thurman (D-FL), the legislation has already attracted 104 cosponsors from both sides of the aisle.

The Charitable Giving Tax Relief Act does triple duty: it provides modest tax relief for nonitemizers, who tend to be low and middle income taxpayers; it improves tax fairness by recognizing the generosity of all taxpayers, and; by creating an incentive for giving, it affects the amount an individual gives to charity.

We have enclosed a brochure with additional information and a breakdown of how this bill will increase charitable giving in your state.

We respectfully urge your support of the Charitable Giving Tax Relief Act.

To be added to the sign-on letter, please send an email with your name, phone number and how you would like your organization's name to appear to Anne Page.  Please respond by DECEMBER 15, 1999.

 

ACCESS: Networking in the Public Interest Accounting Aid Society Action on Smoking & Health (ASH) Alaska Community Services Alliance for Children and Families Alliance for Nonprofit Management Alliance to End Childhood Lead Poisoning America's Development Foundation American Arts Alliance American Association of Fund-Raising Counsel American Association of Museums American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association American Cancer Society American Foundation for the Blind American Friends Service Committee American Heart Association American Humane Association American Institute of Philanthropy American Jewish Congress American Kidney Fund American Library Association American Lung Association American Network of Community Options and Resources American Red Cross American Society of Association Executives American Symphony Orchestra League American Tinnitus Association Americans for Indian Opportunity Americans for the Arts Amigos de las Americas Anchorage Armed Services YMCA Angel Flight The Arc of the United States Arrow, Inc./An American Indian Charity Arthritis Foundation Arts & Business Council The Aspen Institute Association for Healthcare Philanthropy Association of America's Public Television Stations (APTS) Association of Art Museum Directors Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges Association of Jesuit Colleges & Universities Association of Jewish Family & Children’s Agencies Association of Performing Arts Presenters AVATAR Company Baptist Health System Foundation of San Antonio Baptist Joint Committee on Public Affairs Baptist Metrolina Ministries Endowment Biblical Theological Seminary Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Oklahoma City, Inc. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Spokane County Bowling Green State University The Boys & Girls Clubs of Hancock County The Boys & Girls Clubs of South Hampton Roads Otto Bremer Foundation California Association of Nonprofits The California Wellness Foundation Camp Fire Boys and Girls Cancer Care Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans Catholic Charities of Colorado Springs, Inc. Catholic Charities Services Corporation Catholic Charities USA Catholic Social Services of Central and Northern Arizona Mabel T. Caverly Senior Center CDC Foundation Center for Excellence in Nonprofits Center for Non-Profit Corporations Center for Social and Economic Leadership Charitable and Philanthropic Management Counsel Chicago Scholars Foundation Child Care Association of Illinois Child Care Connection, Resource & Referral Agency for Alaska Chorus America Christian Church Foundation Christian Service Organizations of America Church World Service Inc. Citizens’ Scholarship  Foundation of America City Mission Society of Boston Cleveland Neighborhood Development Corporation Colorado Opera Festival Colorado Springs All Breed Rescue Inc. Colorado Springs Choral Society Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind Committee to Aid Abused Women Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America Community Foundation for Muskegon County Community Media Center Compeer, Inc. Connecticut Association of Nonprofits Council of Community Services of NYS, Inc. Council of Independent Colleges Council of Michigan Foundations Council on Foundations Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Deafness Research Foundation The Denver Campus for Jewish Education Donors Forum of Chicago J. Donovan Associates, Inc. Durkin Associates East End Senior Center Easter Seals Easter Seals of Southwestern Michigan Easter Seals Southwestern Ohio The Enterprise Foundation Environmental Defense Fund Envision Family Service of Greater New Orleans Family Service of Milwaukee Florida Association of Nonprofit Organizations Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics Fort Collins Area United Way The Foundation of Monongalia General Hospital, Inc. Foundation of the National Student Nurses Assoc. The Foundation of the Pennsylvania Medical Society Frederick County Mental Health Association Freedom from Hunger Friendly House Friends of the National Parks at Gettysburg, Inc. Furniture Bank - Metro Atlanta Galveston College Foundation Gaylord Hospital General Council on Finance and Administration of the United   Methodist Church General Service Foundation Generalate-School Sisters of St. Francis, Inc. The Giraffe Project Girl Scouts - Bluebonnet Council Girl Scouts of Frontier Council Girl Scouts of the Permian Basin Girl Scouts of the USA Girls Incorporated Glaucoma Research Foundation Goodwill Industries - Heart of Florida, Inc. Goodwill Industries International Goodwill Industries of Southern California Grant and Resource Center of Northern California Guadalupe County United Way The George Gund Foundation Habitat for Humanity International Hawaii Consortium for the Arts Hispanics in Philanthropy Hogg Foundation for Mental Health Holy Family Institute Hopelink Hudson-Webber Foundation Human Service Charities of America Humane Society of Missouri Huntington's Disease Society of America, Inc. Independent Higher Education of Colorado INDEPENDENT SECTOR India Association of Metroplex Inova Health System Institute for Arts & Humanities Education International Service Agencies International Youth Foundation Iowa 4-H Foundation Iowa Health Foundation JCC Association of N/A JCC Metrowest Jewish Community Center of St. Louis, Missouri The Jewish Community Centers Association of North America Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies Juvenile Diabetes Foundation International The JWB Jewish Chaplains Council Kent State University Foundation Kidney Cancer Association Land Trust Alliance Latino Health Institute LEE'S FRIENDS: Helping People Live With Cancer Leukemia Society of America

Adolph and Rose Levis Jewish Community Center Louisville Jewish Community Center Lourdes College Foundation Lupus Foundation of America Lupus Foundation of America, Missouri Chapter Lutheran Advocacy Network/Illinois Lutheran Services in America Lutheran Social Services of Illinois Lutheran Social Services of Michigan Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota Lutheran Social Services of the South, Inc.Maine Association of Nonprofits Maine Association of Substance Abuse Programs March of Dimes MARO Employment and Training Association Maryland Association of Nonprofit Organizations Massachusetts Audubon Society Matagorda County United Way Mayo Foundation Medical Research Agencies of America Mercy Medical Airlift MeritCare Foundation Michigan Nonprofit Association Milwaukee Foundation Milwaukee Public Museum Missouri Slope Areawide United Way Multi-Service Centers of North & East King Counties Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America, Inc. Myositis Association of America, Inc. NALEO Educational Fund National Alopecia Areata Foundation National Association of Independent Schools National Association of Private Schools for Exceptional Children National Association of Service and Conservation Corps National Associations in Colorado Springs National Coalition for Homeless Veterans National Committee on Planned Giving National Conference for Community and Justice National Consumers League National Council of Catholic Women National Council of La Raza National Council of Non Profit Associations National Down Syndrome Society National FFA Foundation National 4-H Council National Health Council National Hemophilia Foundation National Interfaith Hospitality Network National Low Income Housing Coalition National Organization for Women Foundation National Peace Corps Association National Sleep Foundation National Society of Fund Raising Executives National Society of Fund Raising Executives, Mass. Chapter National Wildlife Federation National Youth Leadership Council Native American Rights Fund Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) NC Center for Nonprofits New Hampshire Charitable Foundation New York Regional Association of Grantmakers NJ Association for Biomedical Research Noble of Indiana The Nokomis Foundation Nonprofit Coordinating Committee of New York Nonprofit Resource Center of AL Nonprofit Resource Center of Georgia North Carolina Wildlife Federation North Dakota Association of Nonprofit Organizations Northern California Planned Giving Council NW Regional Facilitators Ohio United Way Old Creamery Theatre Co. OPERA America The Organization of Women Larynectomy Survivors (OOWLS) Orlando Regional Healthcare Osteogenesis Imperfecto Foundation OTHERS International Ozarks Resource Center The Park Ridge Center for the Study of Health, Faith and Ethics Partners in Housing, Inc., Colorado Springs, CO Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations Presbyterian Church (USA) Prevent Blindness America Project Hope Providence Foundation, Inc. Public Education Network Public Radio International Quinnipiac College Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic RESOLVE, the National Infertility Association Retirement Research Foundation The Salvation Army The Salvation Army, Cascade Division The Salvation Army Western Pennsylvania Division San Antonio Lighthouse San Francisco Food Bank San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital Foundation SC Association of Nonprofit Organizations Second Harvest St. Paul Food Bank Self-Help Enterprises Share America! Shawnee Mission Medical Center Foundation Shelters of Flint, Inc. Shepherd's Centers of America Sigma Sigma Sigma Silver Cross Foundation Sjogren's Syndrome Foundation The Society for Nonprofit Organizations Spring Hill St. John’s Cathedral The Starbucks Foundation Taconic Foundation TechnoServe, Inc. Texas Alliance for Human Needs Texas Association of Nonprofit Organizations Texas Development Institute Texas Network of Youth Services The Trust for Public Land Tucson Symphony Orchestra Union Mission, Inc. United Jewish Communities United Way of America United Way of Central Missouri United Way of Central Texas United Way of Connecticut United Way of Florida United Way of Hunt County, Inc. United Way of Kentucky United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, Inc. United Way of the Texas Gulf Coast, Houston, Texas United Ways of Washington State University of Colorado Artist Series Utah Children Utah Nonprofits Association Valley of the Sun United Way Very Special Arts Volunteer Center of Orange County, California Volunteer Jacksonville, Inc. Volunteers of America Volunteers of America Alaska Izaak Walton League of America Warren Village, Inc. Washington Council of Agencies Washington Women's Employment & Education Wayne Memorial Health Foundation The Wesleyan Church Corporation Women and Philanthropy Women's College Coalition Women’s Funding Network Women's Peacepower Foundation, Inc. Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly YMCA of Metropolitan Washington Young Audiences, Inc. Young Women's Christian Association of St. Joseph, MO Youth Service America Youth Volunteer Corps of America YWCA of Bartlesville YWCA of Elmira and the Twin Tiers YWCA of Kansas City, Missouri YWCA of Lancaster YWCA of the U.S.A.

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