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A. Nicole Campbell

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A. Nicole Campbell is Associate General Counsel at the Open Society Institute ("OSI"), a private operating and grantmaking foundation in New York City. As Associate General Counsel, Nic works on a wide range of exempt organization matters at the foundation, including tax compliance and grantmaking, as well as other corporate, compliance, and governance matters. Prior to joining OSI, Nic was an associate in Proskauer's Tax Department and a member of its Not-for-Profit/Exempt Organizations Practice Group where she advised not-for-profit clients on a variety of matters, including applying for and maintaining exemption from federal income tax, structuring joint ventures and partnerships with taxable entities, and excise tax issues. In 2009, while at Proskauer, Nic went on leave to The New York Community Trust as its Associate General Counsel and was responsible for handling a range of legal matters, including charitable contributions, donor-advised funds, and corporate and governance issues. From 2007 to 2009, she was recognized by the New York State Bar Association for her pro bono service, earning her the title of "Empire State Counsel." In 2008 and 2009, she was honored by The Legal Aid Society as one of the recipients of the Society's Pro Bono Publico Awards for outstanding service to the Society and its clients. She is also a past recipient of the Proskauer Rose Golden Gavel Award for her commitment to pro bono service.
Nic is an Editor of and contributor to the Not-For-Profit/Exempt Organizations Blog and she has also been a presenter at Proskauer's annual "Trick or Treat Seminar," where she discusses recent developments affecting tax-exempt entities.
At Northeastern University School of Law, Nic was a Teaching Assistant for the Legal Practice Writing Program and a Teaching Facilitator for the Law Skills in Social Context Program.
As an Educational Counselor for Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Nic interviews high school students who are interested in attending. Nic is also a member of the Board of Directors of Ardea Arts, Inc., a not-for-profit organization dedicated to developing and producing new American opera and music theater works for multi-generational audiences. Nic is also founding Director of Access Caribbean Assistance Fund, a not-for-profit organization that provides health and education assistance to needy individuals in the Caribbean.

In a recent New York County Supreme Court opinion, Empire 33rd LLC v. Forward Ass’n Inc., the court ruled in favor of the defendant charities to dismiss the plaintiff’s complaint demanding the return of payments under an agreement in which it alleged defendants lacked the “required approvals and consents required by law” to execute. The court found that the proposed sale of property by the defendant charities was duly authorized by the NY Supreme Court, as Section 203 of the New York Not-for-Profit Corporation Law (“NPCL”) requires.
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On March 9, 2010, the IRS issued guidance designating the earthquake that occurred in Chile in February, 2010 as a qualified disaster for federal tax purposes. The guidance allows recipients of qualified disaster relief payments to exclude those payments from income tax. The guidance also allows employer-sponsored private foundations to assist employee victims in areas affected by the earthquake without affecting their tax-exempt status.
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On Friday, January 22, 2010, President Obama signed into law a bill allowing taxpayers who made charitable contributions to the Haiti earthquake relief efforts to claim an itemizable deduction on their 2009 Tax Returns instead of waiting until next year to claim the deduction….The IRS also announced on Friday that it has issued guidance designating the Haiti earthquake as a natural disaster for federal tax purposes. The guidance allows recipients of qualified disaster relief payments to exclude those payments from income tax.
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SEI reports that a recent poll shows a continued commitment to alternative investments by nonprofit organizations, including educational institutions, hospitals, private foundations, and community foundations. Conducted in December, 2009, the poll looked into the current investment management practices of nonprofit organizations, the challenges these organizations are facing, and how these organizations are prioritizing and addressing these concerns for 2010.
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In Announcement 2009-88, set to be published in Internal Revenue Bulletin 2009-52, dated December 28, 2009, the IRS lists organizations that have failed to establish or have been unable to maintain their status as public charities or as private operating foundations.
Continue reading for the full text of the Annoucement.
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