NYS Office for New Americans
Regional Economic Development Councils
Regional Economic Development Councils – regionalcouncils.ny.gov – The Regional Councils have redefined the way New York invests in jobs and economic growth by putting in place a community-based, bottom up approach and establishing a competitive process for State resources.
New York State Government:
New York State Department of State (Secretary of State’s Office) – www.dos.ny.gov – Organizations that want to incorporate must submit a Certificate of Incorporation to the Department of State.
New York State Department of Taxation and Finance – www.tax.ny.gov – Organizations seeking sales tax exemption need to contact the Department of Taxation and Finance.
New York State Office of Attorney General – www.charitiesnys.com/home.html – Organizations seeking to register need to contact the Office of Attorney General Charities Bureau.
New York State Racing and Wagering Board – www.gaming.ny.gov – Charities conducting raffles must apply for authority to do so.
Securing Communities Against Hate Crimes Grant Programs – www.dhses.ny.gov/grants/nonprofit/hate-crimes.cfm
New York State is committed to ensuring the safety and equal treatment of all New Yorkers and as such has continued support of the Securing Communities Against Hate Crimes Program. This program is designed to boost safety and security at New York’s nonprofit organizations at risk of hate crimes or attacks because of their ideology, beliefs, or mission. In support of this effort, $45 million in grant funding is being made available on a statewide basis and will be administered by the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES) for the $25 million SFY2019/2020 Securing Communities Against Hate Crimes Program (SCAHC Program) for nonpublic nonprofit schools, nonprofit day care centers, nonprofit community centers, nonprofit cultural museums and nonprofit residential camps and $20 million for the SFY2019/2020 Securing Communities Against Hate Crimes Program for Nonpublic Schools and Day Camps (SCAHC for Nonpublic Schools and Day Camps) for nonpublic nonprofit schools and nonprofit day camps.
NYS Grants Management’s Instructions on Streamlined Prequalification for the Security Grant – https://grantsmanagement.ny.gov/get-prequalified
Federal Government:
Internal Revenue Service – www.irs.gov – Provides forms and instructions assisting not-for-profits in completing annual financial filings with the IRS.
Phone: (877) 829-5500 – for questions about tax-exemption and tax-exempt organizations.
Legal Assistance:
Lawyers Alliance of New York (LANY) –www.lany.org – is a not-for-profit corporation whose staff attorneys and volunteer lawyers provide legal services to nonprofit organizations. It provides guidance in drafting by-laws, applying for tax-exempt status, and other aspects of nonprofit governance.
Legal Aid Society Community Development Project Legal Aid Society Community Development Project www.legalaidnyc.org/programs-projects-units/community-development-project – provides support to low-income not-for-profit organizations.
Watchdog Organizations:
Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance – www.bbb.org
The BBB publishes standards for not-for-profit organizations that are used in its evaluations of charities. The standards include governance, financial accounting, program efficiency and public disclosure. It also provides guidelines for standards implementation.
Charity Navigator – www.charitynavigator.org – rates organizations that solicit the public and provides information to potential donors.
Economic Research Institute (ERI) – www.eri-nonprofit-salaries.com – posts Internal Revenue Service reports of charitable organizations.
GuideStar – www.guidestar.org – is a database that posts financial reports and other information on over 850,000 tax-exempt U.S. nonprofit organizations.
Other Sources:
Alliance for Nonprofit Management – www.allianceonline.org – is a professional association, and its mission is to improve the management and governance of nonprofits.
American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) – www.aicpa.org – has information on accounting standards and procedures.
BoardStrong – www.boardstrong.org – helps strengthen the governing and management of nonprofit boards by bringing qualified leadership into boards. Its website is a resource designed to help potential board members, and nonprofit boards needing leadership find each other.
CharitySTRONG – www.charitystrong.org – assists nonprofit organizations in achieving standards of board leadership, governance and oversight. charitySTRONG encourages nonprofit board service, and educates nonprofit boards on their responsibilities.
Council on Foundations –www.cof.org – is a membership organization of more than 2,000 grant making foundations worldwide. It provides leadership expertise, legal services and networking opportunities.
Foundation Center – www.foundationcenter.org – helps strengthen the nonprofit sector by disseminating philanthropy knowledge. It also conducts and facilitates research, provides education and training on grant seeking.
Independent Sector (IS) – www.independentsector.org – is a national coalition of nonprofit organizations and Fortune 500 corporations with commitments to community involvement.
National Association of State Charity Officials (NASCO) – www.nasconet.org – Members are employees of state agencies that help regulate not-for-profit organizations and their fund raisers. Their site provides information about the registration and reporting requirements.
New York Council of NonProfits (NYCON) – www.nycon.org – is a statewide association of over 3,100 charities. Its services include group purchasing and insurance options, governance, and management training and technical assistance.
Nonprofit Coordinating Committee of New York (NPCC) – www.npccny.org – is a nonprofit membership corporation, and its goal is to protect the city’s nonprofit sector by offering management services. It monitors the City, the State and Federal government actions and promotes the needs of nonprofits. It holds workshops and roundtables on managerial and organizational issues.
The Urban Institute – www.urban.org – is a nonprofit nonpartisan policy research established to examine the social, economic, and governance problems. It maintains extensive databases of information on the not-for-profit sector.
Unified Registration Statement – www.multistatefiling.org – contains information concerning the registration and reporting requirements of states.
