Manchester, NH – On Monday, November 28 – the day before Giving Tuesday – Congressman Chris Pappas (D-NH-01) joined the New Hampshire Center for Nonprofits and local nonprofit leaders for a roundtable discussion on how his bipartisan legislation, the Charitable Act, would empower Americans to contribute to charitable causes and support local communities.
The Charitable Act extends and expands the expired charitable deduction for those who do not itemize on their tax returns, ensuring that every American who donates or tithes is able to benefit from both the standard deduction and the charitable deduction. Specifically, this legislation would raise the previous $300/$600 cap on the non-itemizer deduction to 1/3 of the standard deduction, equal to roughly $4,500 for individuals and $9,000 for joint filers.
“In New Hampshire and across the country, nonprofits step up to help those in need. We must do our part to support their important work to help our friends and neighbors,” said Pappas. “I introduced the bipartisan Charitable Act to expand the charitable giving deduction and empower individuals to contribute to charitable causes. In previous years, this tool was very successful in ensuring nonprofits could serve those in need and in highlighting the charitable spirit of our nation. I will continue working to pass this critical legislation to support the work of our nonprofits and help our local communities.”
“New Hampshire is home to more than 7,000 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofits who help address an astounding array of needs, from feeding the hungry to caring for elderly and children, to conserving nature and enriching our lives, all of those things that make the state such a great place to live,” said Kathleen Reardon, Executive Director of NH Center for Nonprofits. “It’s critical that we have incentives that help empower people to support nonprofits. So, this legislation would make charitable giving much more universal, and we know that it makes a difference.”
“We rely heavily on individual donors, and we have since CASA started here in New Hampshire 35 years ago. This legislation is necessary and will certainly help us. I want to thank Congressman Pappas for being our voice in Washington and making this a priority,” said Marty Sink, President and CEO of CASA NH.
“During the COVID-19 pandemic, we saw how important incentivizing charitable giving helped boost the resources our organization was able to bring in, and how many Granite Staters we were able to help as a result. Congressman Pappas’s legislation would make a huge difference by making this enhancement to the charitable giving deduction permanent to encourage even more Granite Staters to give to charity, helping organizations like ours ensure we can serve everyone in need,” said Eileen Liponis, Executive Director of New Hampshire Food Bank.
“Less than 2% of total philanthropic dollars go to organizations serving women and girls, and less than .5% go to organizations serving women and girls of color. Expanding opportunities for individuals to make charitable contributions to critical organizations supporting women and families in the Granite State is a win-win,” said Tanna Clews, CEO and President of New Hampshire Women’s Foundation. “The goals and purpose of the Charitable Act align closely with the mission of the New Hampshire Women’s Foundation to invest in opportunity and equality for women and girls in New Hampshire. We are grateful for Congressman Pappas’s leadership in this area.”