Introduction
On September 4, 2026, the U.S. Department of the Treasury (“Treasury”) and the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) published proposed regulations (the “Proposed Regulations”) that would revoke the tax-exempt status of a private school if it adopts, maintains, or enforces a policy or practice that discriminates on the basis…
On July 25, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit affirmed the District Court decision holding that the Mayo Clinic is entitled to an $11.5 million refund of certain unrelated business income taxes imposed on it due to it being an “educational organization” under section 170(b)(1)(A)(ii).[1]…
On June 5, 2025, the United States Supreme Court (the “Court”) unanimously ruled in Catholic Charities Bureau, Inc. v. Wisconsin Labor and Industry Review Commission that a Catholic charity group was entitled to a tax exemption from the state’s unemployment fund, and that interpreting the statutory language to the contrary…
On May 22, 2025, the House of Representatives passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1, hereafter the “Revised House Bill”). The Revised House Draft Bill contains certain changes to the original bill that was released on May 12, 2025 by the House Ways and Means Committee…
Like any for-profit company, nonprofit organizations want to attract and retain high caliber executives to achieve and further their missions. To accomplish this, a nonprofit organization may have to offer a particularly robust compensation arrangement to the executive, especially because other nonprofit or for-profit organizations likely want to engage the…
On November 21, 2022, Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law new legislation, which amends certain provisions of the New York Not-For-Profit Corporation Law (the “N-PCL”). The legislation, described in detail below, “modernizes provisions of law relating to members, directors and officers to align with current practices, streamline procedures and…
Introduction
Tax-exempt organizations, while not generally subject to tax, are subject to tax on their “unrelated business taxable income” (“UBTI”). One category of UBTI is debt-financed income; that is, a tax-exempt organization that borrows money directly or through a partnership and uses that money to make an investment is generally subject to tax on a portion of the income or gain from that investment.[1] However, under section 514(c)(9),[2] “educational organizations” are not subject to tax on their debt-financed income from certain real estate investments.
The Mayo Clinic in Minnesota is one of the country’s leading hospitals. Between 2003 and 2012, the Mayo Clinic was a partner in a partnership that borrowed money to make real estate investments.[3]
On November 22, 2022, U.S. District Court for the district of Minnesota held that the Mayo Clinic qualified as an educational organization within the meaning of section 514(c)(9) and, therefore, was not subject to tax on the debt-financed income from the partnership.[4]
On October 21, 2021, the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) released Notice 2021-56 (the “Notice”), which sets forth the additional requirements a limited liability company (“LLC”) must satisfy to obtain a determination letter recognizing its tax-exempt status under sections 501(a) and 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.[1]
The Notice also requests public comments by February 6, 2022 to assist the IRS and Department of the Treasury in determining whether further guidance is needed. Of particular interest are potential conflicts with state LLC statutes. For instance, the Notice requests comments on whether an LLC could be formed for exclusively charitable purposes in states that require LLCs to be profit-seeking, and whether other provisions of state LLC statutes could prevent an LLC from qualifying for federal tax exemption. In addition, the Notice asks whether an LLC seeking section 501(c)(3) status should be allowed to have members that are not themselves section 501(c)(3) organizations, governmental units, or wholly-owned instrumentalities of governmental units.
On July 1, 2021, the Supreme Court struck down a California donor-disclosure law as facially unconstitutional in its decision in Americans for Prosperity Foundation v. Bonta.[1] The law required nonprofits operating or soliciting contributions in California to disclose to the Attorney General of California information about all of its donors who contribute more than $5,000 each year (generally, through a requirement that nonprofits submit a copy of their Schedule Bs from their IRS Form 990s).[2] The decision clarified the rules applicable to disclosure requirements with respect to the First Amendment, and while the decision itself addressed nonprofit disclosures, its scope could stretch significantly beyond this area.
On January 19, 2021 the Department of the Treasury (“Treasury”) and the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) published in the Federal Register Final Regulations (the “Final Regulations”) interpreting the excise tax under Section 4960 of the Internal Revenue Code on certain executive compensation paid by…
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