End Poverty

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Consultation (10) Contracts (6) Corporate Formation (2) Corporate Governance (1) Due Diligence (1) Employment/Labor (5) Finance/Fundraising (2) Intellectual Property (3) Nonprofit Formation (1) Nonprofit Governance (4) Tax (2) Tax Exempt/Nonprofit (6)

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Repairers of the Breach/Saint James Christian Church

Bylaws Review

Summary:

Help a nonprofit promoting moral movements for social change by reviewing church bylaws.

Referred by:

  • Anonymous Collaborator
Jurisdictions: NC
About the Organization: Repairers of the Breach seeks to build a moral agenda rooted in a framework that uplifts our deepest moral and constitutional values to redeem the heart and soul of our country. They are committed to building and supporting moral movements for social change and training a fusion group of people, activists, artists, and faith leaders to organize and mobilize around a moral policy agenda that prioritizes love, truth, and justice.
Legal Entity Type: Nonprofit/Charity
SDG(s):End Poverty
Legal Issue(s):

As part of their work, Repairers of the Breach supports their team with their work in the community. One of the organization’s staff members serves as a pastor of a church in Wilson, NC. She is seeking assistance reviewing and finalizing the church’s bylaws.

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The Center for Rural Enterprise and Environmental Justice (CREEJ)

Advise on Benefit Corporations and Assist with Entity Formation

Summary:

Assist a nonprofit fighting environmental inequality by advising on benefit corporations and assisting with entity formation.

Referred by:

  • Anonymous Collaborator
Jurisdictions: U.S.
About the Organization: CREEJ’s mission is to reduce health, economic disparities and improve access to clean air, water, and soil in marginalized rural communities by influencing policy, inspiring innovation, catalyzing relevant research, and amplifying the voices of community leaders, all within the context of a changing climate
Legal Entity Type: Nonprofit/Charity
SDG(s):Affordable and Clean Energy, Clean Water and Sanitation, End Poverty, Good Health and Well Being, Industry Innovation and Infrastructure, Partnerships to achieve the Goals, Reduced Inequalities
Legal Issue(s):

The Center for Rural Enterprise and Environmental Justice is with working with various stakeholders including universities and large government agencies on a model for treating wastewater, which they eventually intend to manufacture and make widely available. The CEEJ team has been advised that given their work and mission, they should establish a Benefit Corp. They are seeking a consultation to discuss whether this structure best suits their needs, as well as assistance with the entity formation itself.

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Solutions Journalism Network

Review/Advise on Subgrant Agreement

Summary:

Assist a nonprofit news organization by reviewing and advising on a template Subgrant Agreement

Referred by:

  • Anonymous Collaborator
Jurisdictions: U.S.
About the Organization: The Solutions Journalism Network is a nonprofit leading a global shift in journalism, focused on what the news misses most often: how people are trying to solve problems and what we can learn from their successes or failures.
Legal Entity Type: Nonprofit/Charity
SDG(s):Affordable and Clean Energy, Clean Water and Sanitation, Climate Action, End Poverty, Gender Equality, Good Health and Well Being, Quality Education, Reduced Inequalities, Sustainable Cities and Communities, Zero Hunger
Legal Issue(s):

The Solutions Journalism Network team has a template Subgrant Agreement that was prepared by an attorney a few years ago. They are seeking assistance reviewing the contract and creating an internal annotated version for their staff that explains the provisions and provides guidance on whether negotiation on certain terms is acceptable.

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Solutions Journalism Network

Advise on Fair Use

Summary:

Assist a nonprofit news organization by advising on “fair use.”

Referred by:

  • Anonymous Collaborator
Jurisdictions: U.S.
About the Organization: The Solutions Journalism Network is a nonprofit leading a global shift in journalism, focused on what the news misses most often: how people are trying to solve problems and what we can learn from their successes or failures.
Legal Entity Type: Nonprofit/Charity
SDG(s):Affordable and Clean Energy, Clean Water and Sanitation, Climate Action, Decent Work and Economic Growth, End Poverty, Good Health and Well Being, Partnerships to achieve the Goals, Reduced Inequalities, Sustainable Cities and Communities, Zero Hunger
Legal Issue(s):

Solutions Journalism Network has a public database with links to thousands of journalistic articles drafted by independent parties (news outlets around the world. Currently, for each piece, their staff draft a bespoke short summary explaining the content of the article for users, who then can click off to read the article from its original source. Drafting the summaries is very time consuming. Moving forward, they would like to simply include a short excerpt from each piece (perhaps the first paragraph). They do not have relationships with the authors and are seeking guidance on whether including these excerpts is permitted under fair use. The Solutions Journalism Network team has received initial guidance from an attorney but is seeking a second opinion.

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RADIKAL

Explain Provisions in Grant Agreement

Summary:

Assist a social enterprise engaged in micro-lending in Haiti by reviewing the terms of a Grant Agreement.

Referred by:

Jurisdictions: U.S.
About the Organization: RADIKAL is a social enterprise focused on creating opportunities for Haitian women living in poverty by investing in micro-enterprises.
Legal Entity Type: For-profit
  • Visit RADIKAL
SDG(s):Decent Work and Economic Growth, End Poverty, Gender Equality, Zero Hunger
Legal Issue(s):

RADIKAL recently signed a Grant Agreement. They are seeking assistance walking through the agreement to ensure they understand the provisions and to identify any red flags.

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Upaya Social Ventures

Advise on Potential Board Conflicts of Interest

Summary:

Advise a social enterprise creating jobs for the extreme poor in India on potential board conflicts of interest.

Referred by:

Jurisdictions: U.S.
About the Organization: Upaya Social Ventures fights extreme poverty from the ground up by building scalable businesses and dignified jobs. They are an impact first investor, operating primarily in India and investing in missing middle companies that create jobs for the extreme poor.
Legal Entity Type: Hybrid (nonprofit + for-profit affiliates)
SDG(s):Decent Work and Economic Growth, End Poverty, Gender Equality
Legal Issue(s):

Upaya recently brought on two board members who are also co-investors in portfolio companies. While all interests are currently aligned, the Upaya team is aware of the risk of this changing. They are seeking guidance on best practices for handling conflicts or divergences of interests, as well as assistance implementing any recommendations.

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Adumu Impact

Establish 501c3

Summary:

Assist a charity restoring land rights to the Maasai people establish a 501c3.

Referred by:

Jurisdictions: U.S. (CA)
About the Organization: Adumu Impact is a charitable organization established to restore land, rights, culture, and economic self-determination to the Indigenous Maasai and other host communities through equitable ecotourism, regional tourism reform, and community wildlife conservation.
Legal Entity Type: Nonprofit/Charity
SDG(s):Climate Action, End Poverty, Life on Land (sustainability of ecosystems), Partnerships to achieve the Goals, Reduced Inequalities
Legal Issue(s):

Adumu Impact is a public charity registered in CA. They are currently under fiscal sponsorship, but would like to apply for their own 501c3 status. They are seeking assistance completing and filing the IRS documents and would appreciate help with board formation and bylaw review.

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Creating Economic Opportunities for Women (C.E.O. Women)

Advise on the Use/Ownership of IP

Summary:

Advise the founder of a nonprofit that created economic opportunities for low-income immigrant and refugee women on the use/ownership of IP.

Referred by:

Jurisdictions: U.S.
About the Organization: Creating Economic Opportunities for Women (C.E.O. Women) was a non-profit organization founded and ran from 2000 – 2011, to address systemic poverty and lack of income mobility faced by low-income immigrant and refugee women in the San Francisco Bay Area. The mission of C.E.O. Women was to create economic opportunities for low-income immigrant and refugee women through teaching English, communications and entrepreneurship skills. During their tenure they provided over 2,000 women from 44 different countries with training, support and capital to start their own small businesses.
Legal Entity Type: Nonprofit/Charity
SDG(s):Decent Work and Economic Growth, End Poverty, Gender Equality, Quality Education, Reduced Inequalities
Legal Issue(s):

During the life of C.E.O. Women, the team developed a program to exponentially reach more women through the use of technology and media. The program, named Grand Café, is an educational soap opera series, designed to teach English for entrepreneurship and business skills to low-income immigrant and refugee women. Six of the eighteen episodes were produced under the non-profit. When the non-profit dissolved, the IP and content of the program went to C.E.O. Women’s local community bank as collateral on a line of credit the organization still owed. The bank recently released it back to C.E.O. Women’s founder, who would now like to revive and distribute the content of the program. She is now seeking legal support to help her understand and structure how to set up and manage the IP of the program, given it was funded by grants and the original non-profit no longer exists.

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Manodharma

Draft Memorandum of Understanding

Summary:

Assist a nonprofit that supports educators/entrepreneurs across the US and India by drafting an MOU.

Referred by:

  • Other
Jurisdictions: US
About the Organization: Manodharma is an integrating organization that enables educators and entrepreneurs in the US and India to work together to scale and sustain social good. By way of example, Manodharma partnered with another US – based nonprofit to distribute 450,000 books to children in need across India.
Legal Entity Type: Nonprofit/Charity
  • Visit Manodharma
SDG(s):Decent Work and Economic Growth, End Poverty, Gender Equality, Partnerships to achieve the Goals, Quality Education, Reduced Inequalities
Legal Issue(s):

The founder of Manodharma has developed a relationship with an organization that created a mobile app to teach English, math, and job skills. They plan to work together to bring the solution to individuals across India. Manodharma’s founder is seeking assistance drafting an MOU sets forth the terms of their relationship/work.

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Elpida Social Capital

Consultation on Tax Implications of Anonymous Wealth Transfer Platform

Summary:

Provide a tax consultation to a financial education startup dedicated to closing the racial wealth gap.

Referred by:

Jurisdictions: U.S. (headquartered in VA)
About the Organization: Elpida Social Capital (“Elpida”) is a financial education firm dedicated to closing the racial wealth gap by using financial and social capital to invest in historically marginalized communities.
Legal Entity Type: For-profit
SDG(s):End Poverty, Good Health and Well Being, Reduced Inequalities
Legal Issue(s):

Last year, the team at Elpida launched the Black Student Debt Freedom (BSDF) fund in an effort to crowdfund and pay off black students’ education loans. They are now in the process of transitioning the BSDF fund into an anonymous wealth transfer platform called Jubilant Circle, which aims to close the racial wealth gap by paying off student loans, facilitating asset transfers, and offering culturally appropriate financial coaching. The Elpida team is seeking a consultation to discuss a few discrete questions about the tax implications of running Jubilant Circle.

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