We provide a full range of legal services to nonprofit organizations, including social enterprises that are organized as nonprofits and nonprofits that operate as private foundations. While the core of our nonprofit clients focus on clean energy, energy efficiency and climate change matters, we represent nonprofit clients with missions as diverse as fostering financial literacy and increased savings among low- and moderate-income populations, promoting children’s health in Armenia, preserving neighborhoods and historic properties and strengthening worker’s rights and standards of living. We have special expertise and interest in representing nonprofit ventures – entities that sell goods or services or otherwise use market-based strategies to further environmental or social goals.
At the start-up phase, we help founders incorporate the organization, adopt articles of incorporation, by-laws and conflict of interest policies suitable for a nonprofit, and obtain permission from regulatory authorities to solicit charitable donations. We also help organizations obtain a ruling from the IRS on the entity’s exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) (or other applicable subsections) of the Internal Revenue Code. Once the organization is formed, we serve as ongoing outside counsel to the entity.
In addition, in the case of private foundations we help with the appropriate structuring, documentation and management of grants.
We also have significant experience in helping nonprofits raise capital from “socially responsible investors” by leveraging special exemptions for nonprofit securities offerings under federal and state securities laws.
For a description of representative nonprofit matters in which our attorneys have been involved, please click here.