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Overview

We take great pride in advancing the important work of nonprofits. At Hinckley Allen, we take you beyond day-to-day compliance—to help you achieve your organization’s social and financial goals. At every stage of the nonprofit life cycle, we draw on firm-wide experience in a broad array of disciplines including tax, corporate law, health care regulations, public finance, environmental law, labor & employment, and real estate law. The diversity of the Hinckley Allen team provides you with sophisticated, well-coordinated representation—consistently across all these areas.

Profound appreciation for your mission. Extensive experience in your sector.

Having worked closely with nonprofit entities for decades, our attorneys possess deep, highly specialized knowledge of this unique sector. We provide practical, business-oriented advice that enables you to achieve your mission while remaining safely within the law. We serve hospitals and health care organizations, churches and temples, schools and museums, housing and condominium associations, trade associations, and Indian tribes. We also represent public charities that provide services to children and to the indigent, protect the environment, promote the arts, and sustain public parks and recreation—in the U.S. and around the world.

Services

We offer a comprehensive array of services for nonprofit organizations, including:

  • Formation, Structuring, and Governance
  • Acquisition and Retention of Federal Tax-Exempt Status
  • Joint Ventures with For-Profit Partners
  • Charitable Giving and Stewardship of Endowment Funds
  • Executive Compensation, Employment, and Payroll
  • UBIT (Unrelated Business Income Tax) Analysis
  • International Operations
  • Tax-Exempt Financing and Fundraising
  • State Property Tax Exemptions

Experience

Connecticut Public Broadcasting, Inc.
We regularly represent CPBN in development, real estate, and corporate structuring matters.

Rhode Island Foundation
We assisted the Foundation in establishing the Roger Williams Park Conservancy, dedicated to improving Rhode Island’s flagship park.

Transcending Through Education Foundation
We helped establish and obtain tax-exempt status for this group that provides scholarships for incarcerated individuals. The organization was recently featured in the Huffington Post article, “From Prison to College: Here’s Why Education Matters.”

Restructuring and UBIT Analysis
We studied the impact of proposed transactions on the tax-exempt status and UBIT position for a regional ride-sharing program.

Public-Private Partnership
We helped a successful author of children’s books develop a baseball field in his hometown, in cooperation with the town’s parks and recreation department.

Overseas Programs
We help separate nonprofits ensure that their operating programs in Haiti, Greece, England, Chile, and Cuba comply with U.S. tax laws. We assisted in the formation and structuring of a multimillion-dollar eco-tourism and conservation charitable organization in South America.

Tax-Exempt Restructure
We advised a university in restructuring its internal governance, including governing documents and policies, during a time of internal transition.

Capital Construction Project
We recently assisted an organization in a major capital project that required expertise in five areas of law: tax, public finance, corporate, real estate, and construction.

Representation of a Regional Charter School Management Organization
We provided general representation to a charter school management organization operating 17 public charter schools in the states of Connecticut and New York. We are assisting with expansion plans, the purchase of schools, and the negotiation of lease and property management agreements, as well as representation in numerous financing transactions, including loans and grants. We have assisted in preparing legislation allowing charter schools to enter into cooperative arrangements. We continue to provide legal advice and assistance with numerous governance issues.

Structuring of a U.S. Charitable Foundation’s Affiliation with a For-Profit Enterprise Based in Chile
We helped establish the legal footing for a U.S. charitable foundation that promotes conservation along with social and economic development in a region of Chile. The U.S.-based nonprofit promotes education, economic development, and environmental conservation in the region through educational initiatives, teaching English, and encouraging environmental awareness in schools and communities—conserving ecologically fragile areas and facilitating local community involvement. The Chilean for-profit enterprise is an eco-tourism and conservation operation that owns ecologically sensitive properties and is developing a carbon-sequestration credit and eco-brokerage as additional revenue sources.

Merger of Two State Affiliates of a National Health Organization
We assisted two state affiliates of a national health organization in structuring their merger and obtaining the necessary regulatory and judicial approvals. We obtained approval in a contentious public hearing process before a state department for a change of control and licensing of a health care facility. We helped our client receive approval from the state attorney general for the transfer of charitable assets and modification of a charitable trust and conducted successful negotiations with trust beneficiaries. Our client prevailed in judicial proceedings to obtain court approval of cy pres petition regarding the charitable assets and trust.

Acquisition of Tax-Exempt Status and Regulatory Approvals for a National Nonprofit
For a multi-state educational reform advocacy group, we organized their nonprofit status, obtained qualification under IRC §501(c)(3), and structured the governance and organizational policies and provisions. Compliance with federal and state lobbying rules, qualifications to do business, and compliance with applicable state charitable solicitation laws were achieved. We conducted training for their staff in lobbying and governmental affairs requirements.

Case Studies

Hinckley Allen Represents International Tennis Hall of Fame in the Sale of its Association of Tennis Professionals Tournament

Hinckley Allen represented the International Tennis Hall of Fame (ITHF) in the successful negotiation of the sale of its Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) tournament, currently known as the Infosys Hall of Fame Open. The sale coincides with a broad…

A Win for Those in Need

Timothy S. Hollister represented Rainbow Housing Corporation and its affiliate Gilead Community Services, subsidiaries of mental health services providers Connecticut Institute for the Blind and Oak Hill, in a tax exemption case in the Connecticut Superior…

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Newsroom

Publication

Federal Reserve Expands Scope of Main Street Lending Program

November 18, 2020

On October 30, 2020, the Federal Reserve announced amendments to the Main Street Lending Program to offer more targeted support to smaller businesses that continue to be adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Federal Reserve also released revised…

Publication

Federal Reserve Releases Terms of Main Street Facilities for Nonprofit Organizations

August 4, 2020

On July 17, 2020, the Federal Reserve released term sheets for the two Main Street Lending Program facilities designed to support lending to small and mid-sized nonprofit organizations, which term sheets were revised on July 28 to extend the expiration of …

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Firm News

Hinckley Allen Named a Best Law Firm by Best Lawyers Since 2010

November 2, 2023

Best Lawyers has recognized Hinckley Allen as a Best Law Firm for the 14th year in a row. Firms included in the 2024 Best Law Firms list are recognized for professional excellence with persistently impressive ratings from clients and peers. Achieving a tie…

Firm News

Hinckley Allen Celebrates 11 Years a "Best Law Firm"

November 5, 2020

U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers have recognized Hinckley Allen for the eleventh consecutive year as a Best Law Firm. Hinckley Allen has been ranked nationally in five practice areas and regionally in 58 practice areas.Firms included in the …

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