By Nathan J. Diament
New York Jewish Week, March 31, 2020
Last week, Congress passed a $2 trillion package to try to support American citizens and the American economy in the midst of the coronavirus crisis. This was Washington’s third effort on this front and it was focused on stabilizing the economy by providing unprecedented financial support to small and large businesses.
Unfortunately, the “CARES Act” fell short in supporting one critical sector — America’s charities.
While a broad coalition of nonprofit charitable organizations – including the Orthodox Union, Catholic Charities, Red Cross, Goodwill, YMCA, Jewish federations, American Cancer Society and more — succeeded in our advocacy to have nonprofits eligible to participate in the financial support programs being offered, Congress failed to adopt our boldest proposals in this otherwise ambitious legislation.