Isn’t human rights advocacy essentially lobbying, which could threaten my status as a foundation in the U.S. or in other countries?
No. Much human rights work is focused on education and providing information, neither of which fit into the IRS definition of lobbying. Other human rights advocacy is focused on encouraging governments and officials to follow existing laws or constitutional requirements and is not prohibited lobbying. The great majority of human rights work being done can be supported without running afoul of the IRS lobbying restrictions. As with all kinds of funding, it is important to know and follow the IRS rules on funding and to avoid the limited kind of lobbying prohibited by the IRS. It is also important to comply with State Department prohibitions against funding in certain listed countries even though huge human rights violations often exist in these countries. But it is easy to find, understand and comply with all the necessary rules so that funding in the field does not pose risks to the foundation. Chet Tchozewski, Executive Director Global Greengrants Fund Interview conducted in 2002 Priv
