On March 19 and 20, 2013 a delegation from GWP joined 200+ grantmakers from across the U.S. in Washington, DC for Foundations on the Hill. GWP shared state and district data on philanthropy in our region.
Given Congressional scrutiny of the charitable tax deduction last December, in our discussions GWP emphasized the essential role played by private charitable contributions. We also provided lawmakers with findings from our 2013 Funders' Outlook survey and impact stories to illustrate how charitable giving helps to build a stronger western Pennsylvania.
GWP extends its warm thanks to Fred Thieman, Pat Getty, David Roger and Kevin Jenkins for their leadership in educating our federal lawmakers. GWP's delegation was also joined for part of the day by Kevin Murphy, CEO of the Berks County Community Foundation and current chair of the Council on Foundations (COF).
With both Pennsylvania's Senators serving on the Senate Finance Committee and Congressman Mike Kelly on the House Ways & Means committee, the Commonwealth now has unusual influence in upcoming deliberations over tax reforms. GWP will work closely with national networks, such as COF, other regional associations and the Charitable Giving Coalition, to keep its members informed. We are also encouraging our lawmakers to consider GWP and its members as a sounding board and resource as they consider tax reform proposals.