Philanthropy

Catalyst Law provides legal advice for foundations, grant makers, social investors, families, and individual donors in pursuit of purpose. We help clients navigate the laws governing philanthropy and support our clients’ goals to make the world a better place now and in the future.

Catalyst lawyers have extensive experience advising clients in making tax-efficient charitable gifts, and have coordinated current, ongoing, and deferred giving arrangements for charities of all sizes. For our clients with philanthropic goals, we have assisted with the establishment of private foundations, donor-advised funds, supporting organizations, and charitable split interest trusts. In addition, we have assisted our tax-exempt clients with establishing charitable gift annuity programs and properly structuring unusual grants.

The philanthropy sector faces unique legal issues and challenges due to complex rules and regulations. Catalyst lawyers assist founders, board members, and executives of with making informed decisions and avoiding legal pitfalls. This includes structuring transactions to avoid self-dealing, grants to non-traditional grantees, and international grant making. Catalyst lawyers also counsel clients interested in social or triple-bottom-line impact investing regarding options for mission-related and program-related investing using charitable dollars.