The National Heritage Foundation (NHF), based in
Falls Church, Virginia
Falls Church is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 14,658. Falls Church is included in the Wash ...
(EIN 58–2085326), was established in 1994. It shares an address, web site and many of its executive staff with Congressional District Programs.
The NHF attracted accusations that it helped donors get inappropriate tax breaks. The organization said it complied with the law.
In 2006, the
Pension Protection Act outlawed a practice of the organization of allowing employees to donate, get a tax reduction for it, then draw a salary from the same pool of money.
[National Heritage Foundation Files for Bankruptcy After Court Orders Payout. By: Blum, Debra E., Chronicle of Philanthropy, 1040676X, 2/12/2009, Vol. 21, Issue 8] It was also one of the largest operations using a practice called charitable-split dollar, which was prohibited in a new law in 1999. Members would make
tax-deductible donations, that the organization would use to pay for life insurance policies. Most of these were taken out for the benefit of the donors' heirs, and only a small portion went to charity.
In January 2009, the NHF filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection,
after the court ordered it to pay millions of dollar to donors it said were misled.
In October a reorganization plan was approved by the Federal Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
References
External links
Official website
Charities based in Virginia
1994 establishments in Virginia
Organizations established in 1994
Foundations based in the United States
{{US-philanthropy-org-stub