(WASHINGTON, June 16, 2010)—Independent Sector President and CEO Diana Aviv applauds Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D-MN) on introducing H.R. 5533, the Nonprofit Sector and Community Solutions Act of 2010, and releases the following statement on the legislation that will expand the opportunity and resources available to the nonprofit sector.

“Since before our nation’s founding, government and nonprofits have collaborated to address our country’s social ills and advance the common good. Currently, federal agencies partner with our sector in isolated, fractured ways. To be even more effective, nonprofits need to be able to utilize government resources much in the way business does.

“The Nonprofit Sector and Community Solutions Act of 2010, introduced to the House Tuesday evening, calls for three major actions: to create a 16-member panel, the U.S. Council on the Nonprofit Sector and Community Solutions; to create the Interagency Working Group on Nonprofit Organizations and the Federal Government; and to expand the efforts of government to collect valuable data on nonprofits.

“Made up of leaders from across the nonprofit sector, the 16-member council would coordinate efforts between the Administration, Congress, and the nonprofit community.  Delivering both an annual summit and report to Congress, the council would identify unmet needs, and draw on our combined resources so as to better serve communities.

“The interagency working group would consist of cabinet members and directors from relevant agencies like the IRS, National Endowment for the Arts, and the Corporation for National and Community Service. This group would report to the President’s Office of Domestic Policy, making sure that recommendations provided by the 16-member council were implemented effectively. 

“Finally, the bill would call on the federal government to expand its collection of data on nonprofits, similar to the way it gathers data on the business sector. This legislation would require the Department of Commerce, Department of Labor, the IRS, and other agencies to accumulate comprehensive nonprofit data and make it available in unprecedented ways. It also includes setting aside $5 million in grants for sector driven research through the National Science Foundation. 

“This morning I joined a coalition of IS members and leaders from across the sector at the steps of the U.S. Capitol to stand beside the Congresswoman in support of H.R. 5533.  Independent Sector has been working Rep. McCollum and staff since last fall on this and other issues vital to our community.  We look forward to helping build bipartisan support for this legislation.”

Learn more about the proposed legislation.

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Independent Sector is a nonprofit, nonpartisan coalition of approximately 550 charities, foundations, and corporate giving programs, collectively representing tens of thousands of charitable groups in every state across the nation. Its mission is to advance the common good by leading, strengthening, and mobilizing the nonprofit and philanthropic community.