Looking Ahead to 2010

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The Charity and Security Network was launched in November 2008 by charities, faith-based organizations, grantmakers and advocacy groups to eliminate unnecessary and counterproductive barriers to legitimate charitable work found in current counterterrorism measures.  After our first year of operation we are encouraged by signs that the new administration, Congress and the courts recognize the need for fair and reasonable long term rules in this area.  Our 2009 highlights are below.
 
We are ready to move forward in 2010.  In early January we will publish a Discussion Draft of proposed reforms that respect human rights and address security concerns.  We will continue to provide information and analysis on the issues, from frozen charitable funds to the role charities can play in reducing violent extremism.  And we will continue to provide a central, coordinated vehicle for charities to advocate for reform. 
 
We hope you will help keep this unique effort going through your financial support.  Please join our funders – the Open Society Institute, the Global Fund for Women, Cordaid and the Proteus Pooled Fund – to help bring long term solutions to the problems current laws create for charities and the people we serve.
 
Send a check to the Focus Project Inc. d/b/a the Charity and Security Network at:
1400 16th Street NW Ste 210
Washington, DC 20036
 
 
 
2009 Highlights
 
January

• After the 2008 election, staff worked with network members to produce recommendations for reform.  Worked with the Constitution Project to draft and submit recommendations to the Obama transition team: Eliminate Unnecessary Barriers to Legitimate Charitable Work.
• During this period we set up our office, established a bi-weekly newsletter and a listserv for information sharing and discussion between network members.

February

• Coordinated filing of an amicus brief from ten nonprofits supporting due process rights for charities accused of supporting terrorism in KindHearts v. Paulsen. This is a constitutional challenge to a Treasury action shutting down the group "pending investigation" in February 2006. The investigation has never been concluded and the group's assets, including about $1 million, remain frozen.
• Coordinated nonprofits filing comments on USAID's proposed Partner Vetting System (PVS), including sample comments for nonprofits, and publication of Issue Brief: USAID Must Consider Alternative Vetting Approaches; a comprehensive examination of PVS and its deficiencies.

March

• Co-sponsored a panel at the National Press Club with Cordaid, a Dutch development organization, on the theme Friend Not Foe: How the War on Terror Hurts the Work of Charities.  The event featured both U.S. and international nonprofits.  An audio file of the event is posted on our website, and a report based on the event was published in December.

April

• Contributed chapter on U.S. laws impacting NGOs for a book edited by the London School of Economics Civil Society Centre, to be published by Kumarian Press in late 2009.
• Commitment from House Financial Services Committee to conduct an oversight hearing.

May

• Published articles detailing a Justice Department report finding problems with terrorist watchlists, FBI infiltration of mosques, use of Fusion Centers to track legitimate dissent and more.

June

• Launched www.charityandsecurity.org, a one-stop resource for the latest news, studies and events that impact U.S. charities and foundations. It includes a Resourcespage covering pending legislation, court cases, and abstracts of studies, a Blog with commentary and a Solutions page highlighting potential reforms.
• Held the first focus group to discuss the pros and cons of reform ideas at the Grantmakers Without Borders conference in early June. 
• In his Cairo speech President Obama made a positive statement about changing charitable giving rules that negatively impact Muslim donors. 

July

• Held a successful panel discussion event, Dilemma for US NGOs: Counterterrorism Laws v. the Humanitarian Imperative. The audio files are posted on our website. 
• Participated in meetings with Treasury Assistant Secretary for Terrorist Financing David S. Cohen.

August

• Brought together legal experts for two days of brainstorming new national security rules and policies for nonprofits. The resulting draft was circulated to the Network for comment.
• Met with White House staff about the need for reforming current rules and policies.

September

• Joined Civicus' Early Warning System project as the U.S. representative, to track and report threats to civil society.
• Published detailed information on the favorable court decision in KindHearts v Treasury

October

• Coordinated advocacy for expanding the humanitarian exemption to material support laws as part of Patriot Act reauthorization.
• Participated in international meeting on security laws and civil society in Geneva, Switzerland.

November

• Commitment from House Judiciary Committee to hold a hearing on expanding the humanitarian exemption to material support laws in 2010.
• Ongoing feedback on draft reforms from Network members incorporated into a new draft.

December

• Published How the Work of Charities Can Counter Terror and How US Laws Get in the Way
• Traveled to Texas and Michigan to meet with Muslim charities about reform proposals.