What Foundations Can Do

The aforementioned areas of proscription are narrow and specific, which means that the field of things that foundations can do in the public policy arena is broad and flexible. Generally speaking, of course, foundations can do anything that is not specifically prohibited. This means that foundations can work on behalf of anything that is not a specific piece of legislation; can advocate, so long as they do not engage in direct lobbying; can educate broadly on policy issues, so long as they avoid a call to action; and can take out ads, so long as they do not violate the mass media rule. It is always wise to keep in mind, however, the elementary school rule that one should not define by negation, so the following paragraphs ...

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