Updates

February 12 Webinar for Nonprofits

In light of recent immigration enforcement events, many of you have reached out to ask how you can protect your organizations and the people you serve, including how to comply with criminal, employment, and tax-exempt regulations, and where these obligations may create tension with constitutional rights. This webinar will explore how nonprofits can meet compliance requirements while implementing thoughtful policies around physical access and organizational response. We will cover the impact of immigration-adjacent activities on exempt status, organizational practices such as collection and retention of information, and preventative measures that organizations can lawfully implement.Please join us for this important webinar.Thursday February 12thfrom [...]

By Melissa Scholz|2026-02-04T09:49:35-06:00February 4th, 2026|501(c)(3), Compliance, Employment, Nonprofit|Comments Off

The Year Ahead

To our clients, friends and community, I write this on the heels of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, as we usher in the second year of the current administration amid more headlines, cruelty, and chaos than most of us can fully digest. As we face 2026, a sense of trepidation feels unavoidable. I keep hearing the word “uncertainty” from our clients, across the nonprofit sector, and frankly, in conversations about the world at large. I don’t dispute this uncertainty, but I also look around (at many of you, in fact) and see communities that continue to work for [...]

By Melissa Scholz|2026-01-21T17:57:24-06:00January 21st, 2026|501(c)(3), DEI, Nonprofit|Comments Off

REMINDER: IRS Reporting

Dear Scholz Nonprofit Law clients, current and past, and friends in the community: At the start of a new year that brings both challenges and possibility, we appreciate the work you do and the trust you place in us. We look forward to serving you in 2026. This is a reminder that all nonprofits have an obligation to submit various reports to the IRS and to the state each year. Below is an explanation of these key tax filings and their deadlines: 1) IRS Filing - Form 1099 – You may be required to issue Form 1099-MISC for miscellaneous payments [...]

By Melissa Scholz|2026-01-15T19:26:00-06:00January 15th, 2026|501(c)(3), Compliance, Taxes|Comments Off

Countering “Domestic Terrorism”: What the White House’s New Memo Could Mean for Nonprofits

Below is an update prepared before the shutdown of the federal government. At this point we have nothing useful to say about that so we will focus only on last week’s news… Countering “Domestic Terrorism”: What the White House’s New Memo Could Mean for Nonprofits prepared by Haley Swanson, Scholz Nonprofit Law On September 25, 2025, the White House released a National Security Presidential Memorandum entitled “Countering Domestic Terrorism and Organized Political Violence” (the Memo). The Memo outlines a new national strategy to combat violence and “terroristic activities,” which it links to an “anti-fascist” movement. According to the Memo, that [...]

By Melissa Scholz|2025-10-02T15:48:03-05:00October 2nd, 2025|501(c)(3), Compliance, Employment, Nonprofit|Comments Off

July 29 DOJ Memo and August 7 Executive Order

Excuse this long update but we want you to be aware of recent communication from the Trump Administration, primarily on DEI issues. TL;DR: stay focused on creating work and program environments that treat people with differing characteristics, beliefs, experiences, and viewpoints with dignity and respect, regardless of their differences. On July 29, the Office of U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi released a memo titled “Guidance for Recipients of Federal Funding Regarding Unlawful Discrimination” (DOJ Memo). The Memo provides a list of practices that the federal Department of Justice (DOJ) describes as “not mandatory and intended to be practical guidance.” [...]

By Melissa Scholz|2025-08-14T15:51:17-05:00August 14th, 2025|Compliance, DEI|Comments Off

May 22 Webinar on Nonprofit Advocacy

We continue to track government actions that may affect your organization. The Trump Administration's recent budget proposal includes reductions in funding many of you rely on.At this point these are just proposed reductions but we want to make you aware of sources for tracking this information and focus on two major proposed reductions.We need the people most affected by these changes to speak up and put on a face on impact of these cuts. Sign up for our May 22nd webinar if you want to know more about advocating as a 501c3 organization.The National Council of Nonprofits is a [...]

By Melissa Scholz|2025-05-09T12:28:08-05:00May 9th, 2025|501(c)(3), Compliance, Nonprofit|Comments Off

Reminder: IRS Form 990 Due Date

Reminder: IRS Form 990 Due Date Most tax-exempt organizations are required to file an “annual report” (Form 990) with the IRS each year. For organizations whose accounting year is the calendar year, the due date is May 15. It’s important to file each year – organizations that fail to file the annual report for three consecutive years will have their tax-exempt status automatically revoked. Click here for more details on Form 990 due dates. Form 990 has different versions depending on gross revenues. Generally, if your gross revenues are $50,000 or less, you qualify for Form 990-N. If your revenues [...]

By Melissa Scholz|2025-04-28T09:08:54-05:00April 28th, 2025|501(c)(3), Nonprofit, Taxes|Comments Off

April 21, 2025 Legal Update

We have been collecting reports about recent threats to nonprofit organizations, especially those focused on climate advocacy, immigration and international aid. Many are also concerned about potential challenges to Harvard’s tax-exempt status.These concerns are real, and your questions are valid, but much of what’s circulating about sector-wide impacts is rumor. That said, some rumor may evolve into concrete threat. Trust that we are keeping an eye on issues that may impact our clients.Remember, there are laws in place. Many threats, if acted upon, may not be lawful and will likely be challenged.For peace of mind, please remember:A President cannot [...]

By Melissa Scholz|2025-04-21T19:56:49-05:00April 21st, 2025|501(c)(3), Compliance, Nonprofit|Comments Off

March 19, 2025 Legal Update

DEI Update On February 25, we announced that a federal district court judge held the Trump administration’s executive orders regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) unconstitutionally vague and an overly broad regulation of speech. As a result, the court issued a pause on their enforcement, preventing the freeze or termination of any awards, contracts, or obligations pursuant to these directives while litigation was pending. On Friday, that block was lifted by an appeals court. The stay allows federal agencies to enforce the executive orders while the Trump administration’s appeal proceeds, a process that could take months. The three-judge [...]

By Melissa Scholz|2025-03-19T12:23:19-05:00March 19th, 2025|Compliance|Comments Off

Federal Judge Blocks Key Provisions of Trump’s Executive Orders on DEI

On Friday, a federal judge in Baltimore issued a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration from terminating or altering federal contracts deemed equity-related, citing potential constitutional violations, including infringements on free speech. Plaintiffs argued that two executive orders, Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing and Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity, exceeded presidential authority by attempting to override Congress’s exclusive power of the purse. They also contended that the orders unlawfully sought to silence those who disagreed with the administration by threatening loss of federal funding and other enforcement actions. The lawsuit specifically challenged the [...]

By Melissa Scholz|2025-02-25T17:39:06-06:00February 25th, 2025|501(c)(3), Compliance, Nonprofit|Comments Off