The Prize for Peace
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THE NCRP QUARTERLY / WINTER 2005 IN THIS EDITION The Prize for 1 Peace OPINION 2 Pragmatic Politics PERSPECTIVE 4 Economic Democracy in Peril The Gutting of the Community Reinvestment Act Photo Credit: Green Belt Movement and Its Effects on Rural America The Prize for Peace The Nobel committee places a stamp of approval on PERSPECTIVE 7 Nonprofits the environmental social justice movement, but how does Mobilize this group stay alive before and after the accolades? against CFC’s Terror List By Omolara Fatiregun and Mira Gupta Check Requirements The Nobel Committee’s Year of Firsts In October 2004, the first Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to an African 501(c)(4) 9 woman, Dr. Wangari Maathai, for her efforts in advancing a green movement. Organizations Maximizing Maathai’s Green Belt Movement (GBM), a nongovernmental organization in Nonprofit Voices Kenya, was founded in the early 1970s to raise environmental awareness and and Mobilizing promote self and community empowerment within the country. the Public Nobel committee members have expressed hope that their decision will raise awareness about the relationship between securing living environments and When it 11 keeping the peace. Natural resources are at the root of many bloody conflicts Comes to Generosity, in Africa, and nongovernmental organizations, or NGOs, are essential to the Lists are cause of social justice on the continent, often “The Prize for Peace” continued on page 13. Deceiving Prof. Wangari Maathai and Prof. Vertestine Mbaya, founding Board Member of the Green Belt Movement celebrate the Nobel Peace Prize OPINION Pragmatic Politics By Rick Cohen might reattach Responsive Philanthropy the discrimina- The quarterly journal of the tory faith-based National Committee for Nonprofits were alert and active on the days language that he Responsive Philanthropy leading up to the national elections. Many were so reluctantly 2005, Issue No. 1 mobilizing people for voter registration, others pruned from the for nonpartisan get-out-the-vote programs. CARE bill passed 2001 S Street, NW, Ste. 620 Foundations put a large chunk of money into by the Senate in Washington, DC 20009 these nascent efforts toward enhancing the 2003 drew no Phone 202.387.9177 nation’s democratic process. expressions of con- Fax 202.332.5084 Although it’s laudable that nonprofits and cern. E-mail: [email protected] foundations did more than ever to reach out to Web: www.ncrp.org minority and low-income communities and Even more tax Yearly subscription: $25 connect them to the elections, something grave cuts: Much like (free to members) is missing from the moral compass of the non- Rick Cohen the soft endorse- ISBN: 1065-0008 profit sector at this point in history. Evidence ments of Rick Santorum, a number of national abounds of the willingness of the sector’s lead- leadership nonprofits—including Independent ership to follow its own version of Bill Clinton’s NCRP Staff Sector, National Council of Nonprofit recommended strategy of political triangula- Associations, Council on Foundations and tion—tacking to the center/right in order to Rick Cohen United Way of America—issued a letter to Executive Director curry favor with conservative voters or, in the President Bush a mere six weeks before the elec- case of nonprofits, conservative power brokers: tion calling on him to attach the CARE Act’s non- Jeff Krehely itemizer charitable deduction and the IRA chari- Deputy Director Elevating Rick Santorum: It’s hard to believe that table rollover provisions to a $146 billion grab the nonprofit sector could play up to a political bag of corporate tax cuts. With an unfathomable Kevin Ronnie leader who eviscerates what he called “consen- calculus, they argued that these demonstrably Director of Field Operations sual sex” (he actually meant consensual sex paltry charitable benefits would outweigh the between same-sex partners) by comparing gay damage of still more debilitating federal tax cuts. Andrea M. DeArment relations to “man upon dog” interactions.1 But Finance Director Maybe they thought that lauding the presi- pander to Pennsylvania’s Republican junior sen- dent’s purported leadership of “the armies of ator they did, even to the point of a couple of Naomi Tacuyan compassion” in order to trade tax cuts for the Communications Associate nonprofit leadership PACs—including the CARE Act was simply pragmatic politics. Association of Fundraising Professionals and the Fortunately for them, the letter was released Omolara Fatiregun American Society of Association Executives— without fanfare. In pre-election caution, Research Associate funneling campaign contributions to the legisla- President Bush refused to accede for the moment tor. One hopes that they were not explicitly to the call of the nonprofits and of conservatives Yann Doignon affirming Santorum’s prehistoric attitudes on in Congress. Though the corporate tax cuts, like Communications Assistant gays and lesbians. They simply turned a blind every other Bush tax slash, eventually passed, eye, choosing to focus on the senator’s support the Velcro on the CARE bill failed to work. Betty Feng for the nonitemizer tax deduction—which by Research Assistant itself is a losing proposition, from an economic Targeted IRS investigations: The nation’s non- Marissa Guananja efficiency perspective—and other charitable- profit leadership spoke out in defense of the Research Assistant giving incentives in the CARE Act. NAACP as it faces an IRS investigation for the Elly Kugler With Senate Minority Leader Tom organization’s exercise of free speech. The utter- Research Assistant Daschle’s failed reelection bid, some non- ances that someone in the conservative firma- profit leaders—or their lobbyists—have ment found so objectionable—criticizing the Cynthia Conner anonymously chortled that the electorate had civil rights policies of the Bush administration— Communications Intern bulldozed the major Democratic roadblock simply continue the core mission of the organi- stopping the nonitemizer from getting passed. zation in its 90-year history: speaking out Maybe the now ascendant Santorum and his against the failure of every national administra- © 2005 National Committee Senate colleagues appear ready to move the tion to forthrightly address issues of racial dis- for Responsive Philanthropy legislation in the 109th Congress, perhaps as crimination and social inequities. early as February or March. That Santorum But the leadership didn’t speak out against 2 Winter 2005 Responsive Philanthropy the behavior of so many church leaders who, Pragmatic politics in some circles means unlike the NAACP, brazenly endorsed political downplaying concerns about the increasing candidates from the pulpit and may them- unfettered corporate domination of our society. selves—appropriately—be under IRS investiga- Some portion of corporate tax credits might tion. Take, for example, the electioneering of the make their way into nonprofit coffers, so better Westover Hills Church of Christ in Austin, Texas. not to say anything bad about corporations. In February 2004, Legacy PAC, a conservative Some pro-corporate legislation, such as $146 group that supports anti-abortion candidates, billion in tax cuts, might serve as a vehicle for held a political event at the church, using the charitable-incentives legislation, so be careful church collection plates to raise a targeted not to offend corporate philanthropic partners. $5,000 for Republican candidates as the Texas The fact that the nonprofit sector’s leadership Republican Party Chair and Party Treasurer can be so easily and cheaply bought is almost as exhorted the faithful to vote for Republican can- obscene as Santorum’s comments about gay and didates, including George W. Bush.2 Defending lesbian relationships. This version of pragmatic pol- the PAC’s use of the church for political fundrais- itics displayed by much of the nonprofit sector’s ing was Republican National Committeeman leadership did nothing to advance a progressive Bill Crocker, suggesting that the PAC simply social justice agenda very far in November. Now is used the church (and its collection plate?), but the time for the nonprofit sector—the bulk of the church itself wasn’t involved. which should be connected to social justice and Legacy PAC’s church-based electioneering full democracy—to rediscover a voice that is clear isn’t all that unusual. Lots of conservative church- and strong and forthright. Tacking and triangulating es have gotten close to Republican PACs and to play up to some of these political leaders for politicians—even Jimmy Swaggart’s television short-term sector gains at the sacrifice of core prin- ministry endorsed the Christian Broadcasting ciples of fairness and equity in our society—and Network’s Pat Robertson for president with scant transparency and accountability in our sector— criticism from the IRS. This year, Jerry Falwell aren’t pragmatic politics. They’re a losing proposi- used his Jerry Falwell Ministries newsletter to tion that feeds directly into the right’s strategy of endorse President Bush’s reelection. silencing and controlling its opponents. Is there a connection among our sector’s obsequiousness with Santorum, its toying with Notes tax giveaways for corporations, and its pander- 1. “Sen. Rick Santorum’s comments on homo- ing to the religious right? We believe there is a sexuality in an AP interview,” April 23, 2003. big connection. National nonprofit leaders, who 2. “IRS Urged to Investigate Austin Church for now softly express concern about the Iraq