What is Foundations on the Hill (FOTH)?
Northern California Grantmakers and its members join other regional and national grantmaking associations across the country to ensure policymakers in Washington, DC understand the landscapes of the communities we serve.
FOTH is the one time each year when philanthropy speaks with a strong, collective voice on Capitol Hill. This will be more critical than ever for #FOTH18. Congress will tackle the social safety net programs, such as services for children and families, veterans, and seniors.
The purpose of #FOTH18 is to:
- Share best practices developed from philanthropy’s investments
- Develop and cultivate relationships with policymakers
- Inform and educate Congress and about philanthropy
- Create visibility for foundations and philanthropy on Capitol Hill
- Encourage Congress to view foundations as resources on key public policy issues
Hosted by United Philanthropy Forum, FOTH is a two-day event that brings foundation leaders to D.C. for meetings with Congress about key issues of importance to foundations and philanthropy. We must change the unrealistic expectation that philanthropy will “step-in” to “fill-the-gap” and educate policymakers on the crucial role that philanthropy plays in innovation. Additionally, we will focus our conversations on the 2020 Census, protecting nonprofit nonpartisanship (Johnson Amendment), and potential post-tax reform issues, such as the universal charitable deduction.
We need to ensure that Congress understands the value of philanthropy to our communities and our country, and to stress the importance of doing all that we can to encourage more charitable giving to benefit our communities—particularly as discussions of tax reform become more prominent in Washington.
Please contact Cecilia Chen at cchen@ncg.org if you have additional questions.