Citizens for Global Solutions and Citizens for Global Solutions Education Fund
418 Seventh Street, SE
Washington, DC 20003-2796
Citizens
for Global Solutions was founded
in November 2003 as a partnership between World Federalist Association and
Campaign for UN Reform, two organizations which were both previous recipients
of contributions from the Walter H. McClenon Fund. The World Federalist
Association had last been evaluated by the Board in April 2000 and found
eligible for contributions from the General Endowment, and had received
contributions of $10 from the unincorporated fund and $110 from the General
Endowment, most recently in December 2001.
The Campaign for United Nations Reform had last been evaluated by the
Board in September 2002 and found eligible for contributions from the General
Endowment, and had received a contribution of $100 in March 2003.
In 2005, I wrote (and this is
still true):
The partnership results in two corporate entities, the World Federalist Association and the Campaign for UN Reform, becoming a single organization, Citizens for Global Solutions, with a single vision and mission.
The nature of the strategic partnership between two formerly independent organizations results in a relationship similar to that of the Walter H. McClenon Fund General Endowment and the Walter H. McClenon Fund Special Endowment, a 501C4 parent organization and a 501C3 child organization. The former Campaign for UN Reform, a 501C4 organization, is now the parent body for the Citizens for Global Solutions. It is a membership organization that elects its own board of directors and officers. The World Federalist Association, a 501C3 organization, is now the 501C3 affiliate and will also do business as Citizens for Global Solutions Educational Fund. Its board of directors is appointed by the directors of Citizens for Global Solutions.
The 2014 vision statement is:
GlobalSolutions.org
envisions a future in which nations work together to abolish war, protect our
rights and freedoms, and solve problems facing humanity that no nation can
solve alone. To realize this vision,
GlobalSolutions.org will build and mobilize a powerful constituency of American
who want the United States to take a responsible and cooperative role in the
world and who call upon the leadership of the United States and the American
people to move us toward a more peaceful, just, and lawful world.
The 2014 mission statement
is:
This mission frames
the scope of GlobalSolutions.org’s advocacy. GlobalSolutions.org will focus on policies,
institutions, and efforts that advance international peace, justice,
sustainability, and the rule of law.
Citizens for Global
Solutions, the 501(c)(4) organization, has received
contributions from the General Endowment of $300. Citizens for Global Solutions Education Fund,
the 501(c)(3) organization, has received contributions
from the Special Endowment of $250.00.
In 2012, I requested
information about both Citizens for Global Solutions (the 501(c)(4)) and Citizens for Global Solutions Education Fund (the
501(c)(3)). In 2012, we received
information only about Citizens for Global Solutions Education Fund. We categorized it as ineligible
for contributions from the General Endowment, and as “not selected for other
reasons” for contributions from the Special Endowment.
The 2014 statement lists
activities of: a Stop the War on International Law campaign, criticizing the
Senate’s failure to ratify multiple human rights treaties in more than a decade,:a project on
Responsibility Not to Veto, saying that permanent members of the Security
Council should not use the veto when dealing with atrocities or genocide; and
an International Climate Action program.
(The Responsibility Not to Veto project is either oriented toward
changing the UN charter or toward Russia and China. It isn’t clear which. The United States has introduced the vetoed
resolutions condemning atrocities.) The
list of 2014 activities (like the 2012 list) does not provide enough
information to illustrate effectiveness.
Perhaps that is because any progress or effectiveness by this
organization will have to be accomplished by lobbying (e.g., for the Senate to
ratify treaties), and, although we requested information from the 501(c)(4), we did not receive it.
This committee has an audited
financial statement for the Citizens for Global Solutions Education Fund, the
501(c)(3) organization. It shows unrestricted support and revenues of
$463,000, of which $367,000 or 79% was contributions, $87,000 or 19% was
foundation support, and the rest was other.
Expenses were $690,000, of which $532,000 or 77% was for program
services, $94,000 or 14% was for management and general, and $63,000 or 9% was
for fund-raising. These are reasonable
ratios. However, this is a small
organization, and may not be large enough to be effective. Although we requested a financial statement
from Citizeens for Global Solutions, the 501(c)(4) organization, we did not receive one.
Contributions to Citizens for
Global Solutions and its educational fund are eligible for contributions based
on bylaws 3D1 and 3D2, which authorize contributions for "cooperation
between and among potentially hostile groups" and for "economic,
social, industrial, or political reform".
However, Citizens for Global Solutions engages in lobbying. Bylaw 3G1 states that contributions from the
Special Endowment may not be made to:
"any organization which engages in lobbying or attempts to
influence legislation."
The Board should categorize
Citizens for Global Solutions as “ineligible” for contributions from
the Special Endowment. I recommend that
Citizens for Global Solutions Education Fund be categorized for contributions
from the General Endowment as “not selected for other reasons” (doubts as to
how much the organization is accomplishing).
Since we have made two efforts to obtain information from the 501(c)(4) organization, Citizens for Global Solutions, we should
categorize it as having failed to provide sufficient information for evaluation
for contributions from the General Endowment.
Respectfully submitted,
Robert McClenon
16 June 2014