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COVID-19 POLICY UPDATES

Forefront is speaking daily with policymakers on local, state, and federal levels to advocate for the social impact sector and provide our community with the most up-to-date information on governmental response to the COVID-19 outbreak. We will continually update this page as new developments occur and resources are available.

To get in touch about policy response and Forefront’s plan of action, contact Bryan Zarou, Director of Public Policy, at bzarou@myforefront.org.

Recent Updates

March 27, 12:40pm: The House of Representatives has passed the Senate’s CARES Act. The bill is on its way to the President for his signature.
March 26: The CARES Act, which aims to spend $2 trillion in support of nonprofits, business, families, and workers, has passed the United States Senate. The House will take up the measure Friday, March 27 for passage. The President is expected to sign the 3rd Coronavirus Relief Package once it passes the House. Click here for a summary of how the CARES Bill applies to nonprofits.
Forefront has created a SBA Loan Fact Sheet for nonprofits interested in applying for loans from the Small Business Administration.
There is a temporary non-enforcement of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act and workplace posting requirements until April 17. Learn more on our partners Quarles and Brady’s website.
The temporary universal charitable deduction provision was the work of important lobbying by Forefront and our colleagues throughout the country. Please see an example of the letter Forefront sent to our federal representatives here.
Wednesday, March 18: The National Council of Nonprofits sent a letter to all members of Congress calling for $60 billion in emergency stimulus funding for adversely affected charitable organizations. Forefront has resent the letter to the Illinois Congressional Delegation, including Senator Durbin and Senator Duckworth. Read the letter here.

What We’re Advocating For

Forefront has been in close contact with Senators to help enhance the Senate Bill with the following requests:

Expressly provide charitable nonprofits with $60B in any emergency funding proposals. The charitable sector needs an immediate infusion of $60 billion and a mechanism must be constructed for a rapid infusion of cash to those organizations serving immediate needs in communities facing lost and declining revenue due to the pandemic.
Create a robust universal charitable deduction and allow post March 1, 2020 donations to be claimed on 2019 and future tax returns. Incentives for immediate charitable giving would ensure a rapid infusion of cash to those organizations serving immediate needs in communities facing lost and declining revenue due to the pandemic.
Ensure all nonprofits qualify for new, emergency small business loans: remove the Medicaid exclusion and 500 employee caps on nonprofits. SBA loans can be the best way for charities to rapidly access needed funds to sustain business operations. All charities should be eligible to receive up to $10m in business interruption loans as quickly as possible.

Illinois Developments & Resources

Forefront has spoken with community organizations, legal organizations and the funder community to organize solid recommendations to our state leaders. Some of the topics include, but are not limited to:
- State Grants and Contracts
- Unemployment Insurance
- Extending Small Business assistance to Nonprofits
- Support for Charitable Giving
Governor JB Pritzker has issued a “stay at home” order from Saturday, March 21 at 5pm until April 7.
The State Treasurer’s office has suspended any grants through their Charitable Trust Program until April.
Chicago’s Nonprofit Lobbying law will NOT be implemented until July. Negotiations are still taking place to reduce the burden on nonprofits. Once we have more information, we will update this page.
Cook County is initiating a series of measures waiving various County fines, fees and deferring tax collections to help businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more about the measures here.

Federal Developments and Resources

Nonprofit Access to Small Business Disaster Loans
The Small Business Administration announced it is extending disaster relief loans to small businesses, including nonprofits, to help alleviate economic injury caused by COVID-19. Working with state officials, SBA will be offering loans of up to $2 million through the  Economic Injury Disaster Loan program. These loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that can’t be paid because of the disaster’s impact. Learn more by reading our SBA loan fact sheet.

Federal Grants Flexibility
The federal Office of Management and Budget has posted  instructions allowing federal agencies to issue exceptions to the grants rules in the OMB Uniform Guidance to remove administrative impediments on services necessary to carry out the emergency response related to COVID-19. The Memo (M-20-11) encourages flexibility in processing renewals of grants, allows looser reimbursement and purchasing standards, and more.

To access additional Forefront resources, as well as webinars, reports, free tools, and other information from across the country, visit our COVID-19 resources page.

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