Private Foundation Conversion

Advantages of Private Foundation Conversion

The IRS, through a 2003 Revenue Ruling, created a penalty free process of converting a private foundation to an affiliated fund within a public foundation such as the Nebraska Community Foundation. The advantages of such a conversion include:

Not being bound by the 5% annual disbursement rule
Eliminates the annual excise tax on net investment income
Reduces costs of administration by not having to comply with IRS required tax filings and audits
Continued involvement of family members in the grant making process
Increased privacy, as NCF does not provide public information about an affiliated fund unless requested by the donors
Greater tax benefits for future contributions

View the Private Foundation Comparison chart.

Important Considerations

This conversion to an affiliated fund of NCF would not create noticeable change; it would be a seamless process:

All grantmaking decisions will made by the Fund Advisory Committee of the new fund, usually the existing board of the private foundation
Investment decisions will continue to be made by the Fund Advisory Committee
The "public face" of the affiliated fund will be determined by the Fund Advisory Committee.

The Conversion Process for Private Foundations

NCF is a 501(c)(3) public charity with permanent status (a charity that has been in existence for at least 60 months and is deemed to be in full and current compliance). If all of the assets of a private foundation are transferred to NCF, the private foundation may terminate and will not owe any Sec. 507(c) tax and is not required to give notice to Treasury (or the IRS). The steps in this process include:

Draft an agreement with NCF that will govern the new affiliated fund. This will specify the Fund Advisory Committee members, (usually existing board of the private foundation). Plus, directions for disbursements from the affiliated fund and suggestions for the investment of the assets.
The private foundation board needs to approve the concept and the agreement drafted for the new affiliated fund at NCF. This is often expressed through a resolution drafted by the private foundation's attorney.
The private foundation transfers its remaining assets to the new affiliated fund at NCF.
The private foundation files a final tax return for the private foundation.

View the Private Foundation Comparison chart.