Grants Research: An Introduction to Data Resources and Grant Prospect Research

Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019 from 1- 4 p.m. in # 202 J.C. Penney Conference Center (on the UMSL north campus)

Successful grant research includes a review of various kinds of data like giving statistics, reports, and databases. But learning to identify, evaluate, and select data resources used in grants research can be a challenge. This course will provide participants with (a) an introduction to the process of information evaluation, (b) data resources commonly available in grant development, and (c) how to use the “Foundation Database Online Professional” database to identify and evaluate funding prospects.

Brad Smith is the Nonprofit Information Resource Manager for the St. Charles City-County Library District. In that capacity, he oversees the delivery of the Library District’s specialty services to the nonprofit community. As a representative of the Library District, he regularly provides consultation services

WASHINGTON – The Internal Revenue Service today issuedinterim guidance regarding the treatment of qualified transportation fringe benefit expenses paid or incurred after Dec. 31, 2017.

The new rules assist taxpayers in determining the amount of parking expenses that are no longer tax deductible. They also help tax-exempt organizations determine how these nondeductible parking expenses create or increase unrelated business taxable income (UBTI).

The IRS acknowledges that this guidance falls late in the year and taxpayers that own or lease parking facilities may have already adopted reasonable methods in 2018 to determine the amount of their nondeductible parking expenses. Taxpayers may rely on the guidance or, until further guidance is issued, use any reasonable method for determining nondeductible parking expenses related to employer-provided parking. 

A key part of this guidance is a special rule, enabling many employers to retroactively reduce the amount of their nondeductible parking expenses. Under

Latest webcasts for charities and nonprofits

Four new presentations are available for 501(c)(3) organizations. Additional charities and nonprofits topics are onIRSvideos.gov.

• Charities and Nonprofits: A Quick Resource Guide
• Did you lose your tax-exempt status? Why it happens and how to fix it
• Easy Form 1023-EZ
• File Error-Free Forms 990

Recent IRS notices affecting Exempt Organizations

• Notice 2018-55 Tax reform imposes a 1.4 percent excise tax on the investment income of certain educational institutions.
• Notice 2018-67 An exempt organization with more than one unrelated trade or business must calculate unrelated business taxable income separately for each trade or business.

Issue snapshots

Issue Snapshots are IRS employee job aids that provide analysis and resources along with audit tips and issue indicators for technical tax issues. Visit Issue Snapshots for a complete listing of issue snapshots for Exempt Organizations.

Thursday, Dec. 6, 2018 from 2-5 p.m. in # 202 of the J.C. Penney Conference Center (on the UMSL north campus)

News stories about fraud and embezzlement at nonprofit organizations abound. Too many organizations find themselves dealing with these kinds of problems when an understanding of common schemes, and the implementation of relatively simple, yet important processes, procedures, and policies could protect them from many of these issues.

Join us for a discussion on how nonprofits can prevent and detect fraud within their organizations. Topics to be covered include:

• Prevalence of Fraud and Recent Examples of Fraud
• Common Types of Fraud Schemes
• Red Flags
• Preventive and Detective Internal Controls
• Investigating Potential Frauds

Instructor Christina Solomon is a Partner in Rubin Brown’s Business Advisory Services Group. As a financial forensics expert, she performs forensic accounting analysis and fraud investigations. She has provided financial consultation to businesses in a variety

IRSAC expands to cover more areas of the IRS; IRPAC and ACT to join centralized advisory committee in 2019 The IRS announced that the Internal Revenue Service Advisory Committee’s (IRSAC) role will expand in 2019 to have a wider portfolio and will incorporate the Information Reporting Program Advisory Committee (IRPAC) and the Advisory Committee on Tax Exempt and Government Entities (ACT). Although ACT will no longer exist, the IRS emphasizes that TE/GE issues will remain a priority area in the expanded IRSAC.

401(k) contribution limit increases to $19,000 for 2019; IRA limit increases to $6,000 The Internal Revenue Service announced cost of living adjustments affecting dollar limitations for pension plans and other retirement-related items for tax year 2019.

The IRS has launched an easy-to-use webpage, IRS.gov/taxreform, with information about how the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act affects your taxes, with a special section focused on tax exempt entities.

The tax reform page features three areas designed specifically for:

• Individuals – For example, standard deduction increase, child tax credit, withholding. Use the Withholding Calculator to make sure you’re withholding enough tax from your paycheck.
• Businesses – For example, depreciation, expenses and qualified business income deductions.
• Tax Exempt Entities – For example, tax reform affecting retirement plans, tax-exempt organizations and governments.

Under the Tax Exempt Entities tab, you’ll find highlights of how tax reform affects retirement plans, tax-exempt organizations and tax-advantaged bonds.

Retirement plans

• Rollovers of retirement plan loan offsets – If your plan offsets an outstanding loan balance when you leave employment, you have until the due date of your individual
  

October 18th

Tax Reform Basics for Individual Taxpayers 2 p.m. Eastern Click here to Register

October 25th

Tax Reform Basics for Employers 2 p.m. Eastern Click here to Register

November 1st

Tax Reform Basics for Small Business and Pass-Through Entities 3 p.m. Eastern Click here to Register

Each session is 60-minutes, including Q & A. Closed Captioning is available for each session.

Continuing Education:

• All participants who qualify will receive a Certificate of Completion
• Tax Professionals will earn 1 CE Credit – Category: Federal Tax Update
• Have enough Federal Tax Update credit? No worries…excess Federal Tax Update credit can be counted towards Federal Tax/Tax Related Matters instead.

For information on future Tax Reform Webinars visit the Upcoming Webinars page on IRS.gov.

The Fiscal Year 2019 Program Letter explains TE/GE’s compliance program consisting of:

The Program Letter (referred to as a Work Plan or Priority Letterin prior fiscal years) outlines TE/GE’s commitment to improving customer experience and reducing taxpayer burden, while cultivating a strong work force.

Similar to the FY 2017 Accomplishments summary, TE/GE will release a summary of its FY 2018 accomplishments when all the data is available.

Congrats to our Team Members, Gino Serra, Frank Wolff, and Keith Kehrer, for inclusion in the 2019 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America© in the Nonprofit / Charities Law category. Congrats to our Team Members Kimberly Civins, Michael Bland, Renee Gabbard, Shannon Barks, John Ready, Steve Daiker, Larry Brody, John Schaperkotter and Kathy Sherby for inclusion in the 2019 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America© in the Trusts and Estates category.

The Best Lawyers in America© is the oldest lawyer-rating publication in the U.S., and inclusion in Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer-review.

Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018 from 1-5 p.m. in #202 JC Penney Conference Center (on the UMSL north campus)

Every organization should have board or staff members that possess financial credentials and/or experience and are charged with the primary responsibility of reporting or managing the financial matters of the nonprofit. However, board and staff members whose expertise is other than financial still need the ability to monitor and manage the financial condition of the organization. This is an introductory, basic course covering important financial management and oversight principles and activities in every nonprofit organization.

Attendees will learn:

• How to manage a range of budget and financial matters in relation to your fiscal year
• Indicators of financial health as well as how to detect potential trouble spots
• A basic understanding of nonprofit financial statements
• Plain-language (non-accountant-speak) financial concepts, activities and procedures that anyone can understand

The primary instructor for this