NGOsource Announces Launch Date for Innovative Service That Helps U.S. Grantmakers Give Globally

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--NGOsource announced today that its new, breakthrough equivalency determination service will be available to process requests as of March 18, 2013. Grantmakers can start the membership application process immediately so that they are ready to request their first equivalency determination in March.

“The Rockefeller Foundation has been a proud supporter of NGOsource since its inception, and we’re excited to be the first grantmaker to join NGOsource”

NGOsource, a project of the Council on Foundations and TechSoup Global, streamlines the task of evaluating whether a non-U.S. organization is equivalent to a U.S. public charity — a process known as equivalency determination, or ED. NGOsource uses custom-designed technology, research on best practices in global grantmaking, standardized methodology developed by leading legal experts, and local partnerships within the global NGO community to create a first-of-its-kind and efficient ED process.

NGOsource will make international giving easier and more affordable for the entire philanthropic community, lowering the barriers to cross-border giving. NGOsource helps grantmakers give support where it is needed most in the world.

"The Rockefeller Foundation has been a proud supporter of NGOsource since its inception, and we’re excited to be the first grantmaker to join NGOsource," said Pam Foster, the Foundation’s managing director of grants management and associate general counsel. "We believe in the power of funding local organizations on the ground, and hope that this innovative service enables more funders to expand their reach internationally. Not only can we trust NGOsource to perform legally compliant equivalency determinations, we can also shift the work that comes with making such determinations to NGOsource and reduce our risk. Both practical and transformative, NGOsource addresses an acute need in philanthropy."

David Bonbright, board member of CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, the influential international civic society coalition, said, "NGOsource pulverizes the bureaucratic formalities of cross-border giving, easing the way for us to make truly global responses to our global challenges — poverty, inequality, discrimination, and environmental destruction. I'm betting that NGOsource is going to super-charge U.S. philanthropy's response time to international crises, enabling support to quickly reach the local organizations whose data and experience show them to be the most effective."

A group of the leading foundations and philanthropic service providers conceived of NGOsource to address the bureaucracy, confusion, and processing challenges associated with determining equivalency for the purpose of grantmaking. By streamlining, centralizing, and standardizing the equivalency determination process, NGOsource aims to dramatically improve the efficiency of international grantmaking and inspire a significant increase in cross-border philanthropy.

"Together, the Council on Foundations and TechSoup Global worked closely with the U.S. government to advise on crucial changes to the regulations that govern international grantmaking," explained Sheila Warren, general counsel of NGOsource and TechSoup Global. "Now, with the long-awaited regulation changes in place, the entire philanthropic community — including grantmakers, philanthropic service providers, and NGOs around the world — can benefit from NGOsource, a one-of-a-kind, reliable, and easy-to-use ED resource. By supporting one centralized platform for ED service, grantmakers will enable additional synergies and create value for the sector overall."

Pricing and Availability

Grantmakers can apply for membership in NGOsource immediately so that they can request their first equivalency determination when NGOsource launches its service on March 18, 2013.

NGOsource is offering a trial membership to grantmakers who are new to global giving or would like to see NGOsource in action. The trial membership is available to grantmakers who join NGOsource by March 18, 2013.

More information on the trial membership offer and standard pricing is available at www.ngosource.org/pricing

About NGOsource

NGOsource, a project of the Council on Foundations and TechSoup Global, helps U.S. grantmakers streamline their international giving. Envisioned by grantmakers for grantmakers, NGOsource simplifies the task of evaluating whether a non-U.S. organization is equivalent to a U.S. public charity — a process known as equivalency determination or ED. NGOsource's global reach, legal expertise, and standardized methodology enable a thorough, accurate analysis in compliance with IRS regulations. NGOsource will launch on March 18, 2013. For more information, please visit www.ngosource.org.

About the Council on Foundations

The Council on Foundations, formed in 1949, is a nonprofit membership association of grantmaking foundations and corporations. Members of the Council include more than 1,700 independent, operating, community, public, and company-sponsored foundations and corporate giving programs in the United States and abroad. The Council's mission is to provide the opportunity, leadership, and tools needed by philanthropic organizations to expand, enhance, and sustain their ability to advance the common good. For more information, please visit www.cof.org.

About TechSoup Global

TechSoup Global is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit social enterprise working towards the day when every nonprofit, library, and social benefit organization on the planet has the technology knowledge and resources it needs to operate at its full potential. Currently, TechSoup Global serves 58 countries in Africa, the Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East through a network of independent capacity-building non-governmental organizations. Providing eligibility services specifically for the NGO sector is one of its core competencies, which is based on managing its technology donation program for over 20 years. The network partners qualify NGOs using consistent localized standards and protocols and distribute product donations in all of the countries served. Today, over 90 IT firms, foundation and government partners around the world use TechSoup Global's eligibility services. TechSoup Global has over 200 employees and an annual budget of US$33.5 million. For more information, please visit www.techsoupglobal.org.