Forefront works closely with our counterparts in other states to coordinate on federal action impacting grantmakers and operating nonprofits. Our policy team actively supports policies endorsed by the National Council on Nonprofits, the United Philanthropy Forum, and/or Independent Sector when it aligns with nonprofit interests in Illinois and mirrors Forefront’s commitment to racial equity.
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Forefront advocates for federal protection of, and investment in, the nonprofit sector and the communities we serve through the Congressional budget process. This includes both spending and tax policy. Federal tax and budget policy impacts the State of Illinois’ budget for two reasons. First, Illinois’ income tax collections are derived from federal adjusted gross income (AGI). So, if the federal government cuts taxes, which shrinks the AGI of many filers, the state will automatically be taxing fewer dollars, unless it proactively decouples from the federal changes. Second, if the federal government cuts programs that the State prioritizes, the state will need to find revenue to backfill those cuts, and/or make difficult decisions about eliminating key programs.
In 2025, Congress negotiated major tax legislation (H.R.1; see Forefront’s summary analysis). Leading up to the enactment of H.R.1, Forefront was heavily involved in related advocacy for years, and is now working with partners to help inform stakeholders about its impact and any ensuing policy response. Forefront generally opposed H.R.1, but there was one huge win: the bill restored a non-itemizer charitable tax deduction, which supports the nonprofit sector’s workforce and provides an irreplaceable source of unrestricted capital and general operating support. Prior to H.R.1, this provision was included in The Charitable Act (H.R.801 / S.317), which was supported by the Charitable Giving Coalition, National Council of Nonprofits, Independent Sector, Council on Foundations, and United Philanthropy Forum (see Fact Sheet).
Forefront joins its national partners in supporting legislation that expands and protects the right to vote and the protections for democratic elections in our country. We envision a society in which all people have representation, and we believe that a healthy social impact sector is fundamental to a healthy democracy. We support civic engagement, voting rights, open elections, accountable and ethical government, a full Census count, greater connectivity, and civil dialogue. To this end, we supported the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act (HR 4 and HR 5746 in the 117th Congress), and will continue to support similar legislation if reintroduced in the future. We remain deeply concerned about attempts to curtail voting rights and will vigorously oppose any attempt to repeal the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Forefront is committed to supporting full participation in the decennial Census. 2030 Census planning is actively underway. We continue meeting regularly with US Census Bureau staff and key partners from our statewide effort in 2020. In recent years, Forefront joined other stakeholders across the US in recommending specific improvements to the standards for federal data on race and ethnicity, and we submitted comments to the Census Bureau’s Federal Register Notice on how to improve for 2030.
