CRA releases document “Donations to Prescribed Universities Outside Canada”

The CRA has just released a revised version of their document “Donations to Prescribed Universities Outside Canada”.  It has helpful information for foreign universities interested in being designated a “prescribed university”.  Although this document just hints at it - it is vitally important that these prescribed foreign universities strictly follow the Canadian rules dealing with providing an official donation receipt for a “gift”.  Failure to do so could result in your donor not getting the Canadian tax benefits they had hoped for.  As well prescribed universities can be removed from the list and if that happens it is unlikely they will ever be recommended for return.  I have prepared webinars and presentations on the subject if you are interested and if you want a basic webinar on appropriate receipting you can find it at: http://www.capacitybuilders.ca/clip/clip.php

You can read the document at http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/E/pub/tg/rc191/rc191-10e.pdf

Also foreign universities may find my earlier article “U.S. and Foreign Universities Fundraising In Canada” useful at http://www.globalphilanthropy.ca/images/uploads/Foreign_Universities_Fundraising_In_Canada.pdf  It sets out various approaches to non-Canadian universities fundraising in Canada.