Anti-Terrorist Financing Guidelines: Voluntary Best Practices for U.S.-Based Charities, 73063-73067 [05-23854]
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Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 235 / Thursday, December 8, 2005 / Notices
Respondents: Business or other forprofit, Individual or households.
Estimated Total Burden Hours: 100
hours.
OMB Number: 1545–1960.
Type of Review: Extension.
Title: Information Referral.
Form: IRS form 3949–A.
Description: This application is
voluntary and the information requested
helps us determine if there has been a
violation of income Tax Law. We need
the taxpayer identification numberSocial Security Number (SSN) or
Employer Identification Number (EIN)
in order to fully process your
application. Failure to provide this
information may lead to suspension of
processing this application.
Respondents: Individual or
households.
Estimated Total Burden Hours: 53,750
hours.
OMB Number: 1545–1962.
Type of Review: Extension.
Title: Notice of Income Donated
Intellectual Property.
Form: IRS form 8899.
Description: This form is filed by
charitable org. receiving donations of
intellectual property if the donor
provides a timely notice. The initial
deduction is limited to the donor’s
basis; additional deductions are allowed
to the extent of income from the
property, reducing excessive
deductions.
Respondents: Business or other forprofit, Not-for-profit institutions.
Estimated Total Burden Hours: 5,430
hours.
Clearance Officer: Glenn P. Kirkland
(202) 622–3428, Internal Revenue
Service, Room 6516, 1111 Constitution
Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20224.
OMB Reviewer: Alexander T. Hunt
(202) 395–7316, Office of Management
and Budget, Room 10235, New
Executive Office Building, Washington,
DC 20503.
Michael A. Robinson,
Treasury PRA Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. E5–7012 Filed 12–7–05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4830–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
Anti-Terrorist Financing Guidelines:
Voluntary Best Practices for U.S.Based Charities
Office of Terrorist Financing
and Financial Crime, Treasury.
ACTION: Notice with request for
comments.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of the
Treasury (‘‘Treasury’’) is publishing for
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public comment a revised version of its
Anti-Terrorist Financing Guidelines:
Voluntary Best Practices for U.S.-Based
Charities (‘‘Guidelines’’), which were
originally released in November 2002.
Although Treasury is soliciting public
comment on these Guidelines, they
immediately replace the 2002
Guidelines. Treasury will consider all
comments received on or before
February 1, 2006, in finalizing the
revised version of the Guidelines for
republication in the Federal Register
and on Treasury’s Web site.
DATES: Written comments must be
received on or before February 1, 2006.
ADDRESSES: Comments may be
submitted by mail, by facsimile, or
through the Treasury’s Web site:
Mailing address: Office of Terrorist
Financing and Financial Crime, U.S.
Department of the Treasury, 1500
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.,
Washington, DC 20220.
Facsimile number: (202) 622–9747.
Web site: https://www.treas.gov/offices/
enforcement/key-issues/protecting/
charities-intro.shtml.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Office of Terrorist Financing and
Financial Crime: (202) 622–3786.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
revised Guidelines and additional
information concerning the protection
of charities are available on the Treasury
Web site at https://www.treas.gov/offices/
enforcement/key-issues/protecting/
index.shtml.
The text of the revised Guidelines is
printed below.
Dated: November 29, 2005.
Patrick M. O’Brien,
Assistant Secretary of the Treasury.
U.S. Department of the Treasury AntiTerrorist Financing Guidelines:
Voluntary Best Practices for U.S.-Based
Charities 1
I. Introduction
Upon issuance of Executive Order
13224, President George W. Bush
directed the U.S. Department of the
Treasury (‘‘Treasury’’) to work with
other elements of the Federal
government and the international
community to develop a comprehensive
and sustained campaign against the
sources and conduits of terrorist
financing. Investigations have revealed
terrorist abuse of charitable
organizations, both in the United States
and worldwide, often through the
diversion of donations intended for
1 This document is an amended version of the
Anti-Terrorist Financing Guidelines: Voluntary Best
Practices for U.S.-Based Charities released by the
U.S. Department of the Treasury in November 2002.
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humanitarian purposes but funneled
instead to terrorists, their support
networks, and their operations. This
abuse threatens to undermine donor
confidence and jeopardizes the integrity
of the charitable sector, whose services
are indispensable to both national and
world communities.
In response to this threat, Treasury
first released the Anti-Terrorist
Financing Guidelines: Voluntary Best
Practices for U.S.-Based Charities
(‘‘Guidelines’’) in November 2002. In
November 2005, Treasury revised these
Guidelines, based on extensive review
and comment by public and private
sector interested parties, to improve the
utility of the Guidelines in protecting
the sector from abuse by terrorists and
their support networks. The Guidelines
further enhance awareness in the donor
and charitable communities of the kinds
of practices that charities may adopt to
reduce the risk of terrorist financing.
These Guidelines, as presented by
Treasury, are voluntary and do not
supersede or modify current or future
legal requirements applicable to all U.S.
persons, including non-profit
institutions. Rather, the Guidelines are
intended to assist charities in
developing a risk-based approach to
guard against the threat of diversion of
charitable funds for use by terrorists and
their support networks. Given the riskbased nature of these Guidelines, we
recognize that certain aspects will not
be applicable to every charity, charitable
activity, or circumstance. Moreover, we
acknowledge that certain exigent
circumstances (such as catastrophic
disasters) may make application of the
Guidelines difficult. In such cases,
charities should maintain a risk-based
approach that includes all prudent and
reasonable measures that are feasible
under the circumstances. Charities and
donors are encouraged to consult these
Guidelines when considering protective
measures to prevent infiltration or abuse
by terrorists.2
2 These guidelines are designed to assist charities
that attempt in good faith to protect themselves
from terrorist abuse and are not intended to address
the problem of organizations that use the cover of
charitable work, whether real or perceived, to
provide support to terrorist groups or fronts
operating on behalf of terrorist groups. Adherence
to these Guidelines does not excuse any person
(individual or entity) from compliance with any
local, state, or federal law or regulation, nor does
it release any person from or constitute a legal
defense against any civil or criminal liability for
violating any such law or regulation. In particular,
adherence to these Guidelines shall not be
construed to preclude any criminal charge, civil
fine, or other action by Treasury or the Department
of Justice against persons who engage in prohibited
transactions with persons designated pursuant to
the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act
of 1996, as amended, or with those that are
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Treasury recognizes the vital
importance of the charitable community
in providing essential services around
the world. Treasury also understands
the difficulty of providing assistance to
those in need, often in remote and
inaccessible regions, and applauds the
efforts of the charitable community to
meet such needs. The goal of these
Guidelines is to protect the integrity of
the charitable sector by offering the
sector ways to minimize the threat of
well-intentioned donations not reaching
their intended beneficiaries and to
combat the abuse of charities by
terrorists and their support networks.
II. Fundamental Principles of Good
Charitable Practice
A. Charitable organizations must
comply with the laws of the United
States.
B. Charitable organizations are
encouraged to adopt practices in
addition to those required by law that
provide additional assurances that all
assets 3 are used exclusively for
charitable or other legitimate purposes.4
C. Individuals acting in a fiduciary
capacity for any charitable organization
should exercise due care in the
performance of their responsibilities,
consistent with applicable common law
as well as local, state, and Federal
statutes and regulations.
D. Fiscal responsibility is an essential
component of charitable work and must
be reflected at every level of a charitable
organization.
III. Governance
A. Governing Instruments: Charitable
organizations should operate in
accordance with governing instruments,
e.g., charter, articles of incorporation,
bylaws, etc. The governing instruments
should:
designated under the criteria defining prohibited
persons in the relevant Executive orders issued
pursuant to statute, such as the International
Emergency Economic Powers Act, as amended.
Please see Footnote 9 for an explanation of the
master list of Specially Designated Nationals (the
‘‘SDN List’’), which includes all such designated
persons. These Guidelines are also separate and
apart from requirements that apply to charitable
organizations under the Internal Revenue Code
(‘‘IRC’’).
3 An asset is any item of value, including, but not
limited to, services, resources, business, equitable
holdings, real estate, stocks, bonds, mutual funds,
currency, certificates of deposit, bank accounts,
trust funds, and the property and investments
placed therein.
4 A charitable organization may never use
charitable assets for illegal purposes; however, a
charitable organization may accrue unrelated
business taxable income in the course of
legitimately doing business as a charitable
organization. Even though an organization is
recognized as tax exempt, it still may be liable for
tax on its unrelated business taxable income.
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1. Delineate the charity’s basic goal(s)
and purpose(s);
2. define the structure of the charity,
including the composition of the board,
how the board is selected and replaced,
and the authority and responsibilities of
the board;
3. set forth requirements concerning
financial reporting, accountability, and
practices for solicitation and
distribution of funds; and
4. state that the charity shall comply
with all applicable local, state, and
Federal laws and regulations.
B. Board of Directors: Charitable
organizations should be governed by a
board of directors (‘‘board’’) consisting
of at least three (3) members.
1. The board should be an active
governing body.
2. The board of each individual
charitable organization is responsible
for that organization’s compliance with
relevant laws, and it should adopt and
implement practices consistent with the
principles contained herein. The board
of each charitable organization should
oversee implementation of the
governance practices to be followed by
that organization in a manner consistent
with this Section III.
3. The board should be an
independent governing body, exercising
effective and independent oversight of
the charity’s operations. The charity
should establish a conflict of interest
policy for board members and
employees. That policy should establish
procedures to be followed if a board
member or employee has a conflict of
interest or a perceived conflict of
interest.
4. The board should maintain records
of all decisions made. When
appropriate, these records should
immediately be made available for
inspection by the appropriate
regulatory/supervisory and law
enforcement authorities.
IV. Financial Practice/Accountability
A. The charity should have a budget,
adopted in advance on an annual basis
and approved and overseen by the
board.
B. The board should appoint one
individual to serve as the financial/
accounting officer who should be
responsible for day-to-day control over
the charity’s assets.
C. If the charity’s total annual gross
income exceeds $250,000, the board
should select an independent certified
public accounting firm to audit the
finances of the charity and to issue a
yearly audited financial statement. The
yearly audited financial statement
should be available for public
inspection.
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D. Receipt and Disbursement of
Funds.
1. The charity should account for all
funds received and disbursed in
accordance with generally accepted
accounting principles and the
requirements of the Internal Revenue
Code. The charity should maintain
records of the salaries it pays and the
expenses it incurs (domestically and
internationally).
2. The charity should include in its
accounting of all charitable
disbursements the name of each
recipient, the amount disbursed, and the
date of the disbursement.
3. The charity, after recording, should
promptly deposit all received funds into
an account maintained by the charity at
a financial institution. In particular, all
currency donated should be promptly
deposited into the charity’s financial
institution account.
4. The charity should make
disbursements by check or wire transfer
rather than in currency whenever such
financial arrangements are reasonably
available. Where normal financial
services do not exist or other exigencies
require making disbursements in
currency (as in the case of humanitarian
assistance provided in rural areas of
many developing countries), the charity
should disburse the currency in smaller
increments sufficient to meet immediate
and short-term needs rather than in
large sums intended to cover needs over
an extended time frame, and it should
exercise oversight regarding the use of
the currency for the intended charitable
purposes, including keeping detailed
internal records of such currency
disbursements.
V. Disclosure/Transparency in
Governance and Finances
A. Board of Directors/Trustees.
1. Charities should maintain and
make publicly available a current list of
their board members or trustees and the
salaries they are paid.
2. While fully respecting individual
privacy rights, charities should maintain
records containing additional
identifying information about their
board members, such as home address,
social security number, citizenship, etc.
3. While fully respecting individual
privacy rights, charities should maintain
records containing identifying
information for the board members of
any subsidiaries or affiliates receiving
funds from them.
B. Key Employees.5
5 Key employees include not only highly
compensated employees but employees that
exercise substantial influence over the day-to-day
operations of the charity.
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1. Charities should maintain and
make publicly available a current list of
their five highest paid or most
influential employees (the key
employees) and the salaries and/or
direct or indirect benefits they receive.
2. While fully respecting individual
privacy rights, charities should maintain
records containing identifying
information (such as home address,
social security or other taxpayer
identification number, citizenship, etc.)
about their key, non-U.S. employees
working abroad. Such information
should be similar to that maintained by
charities in the normal course of
operations about all U.S. employees,
wherever employed, and foreign
employees working in the United States.
3. While fully respecting individual
privacy rights, charities should maintain
records containing identifying
information for the key employees of
any subsidiaries or affiliates receiving
funds from them.
C. Mechanisms for Public Disclosure
of Distribution of Resources and
Services.
1. The charity should maintain and
make publicly available a current list of
any branches, subsidiaries, and/or
affiliates that receive resources and
services from the charity.
2. The charity should make publicly
available or provide to any member of
the general public, upon request, an
annual report. The annual report should
describe the charity’s purpose(s),
programs, activities, tax exempt status,
the structure and responsibility of the
governing body of the charity, and
financial information.
3. The charity should make publicly
available or provide to any member of
the general public, upon request,
complete annual financial statements,
including a summary of the results of
the charity’s most recent audit. The
financial statements should present the
overall financial condition of the charity
and its financial activities in accordance
with generally accepted accounting
principles and reporting practices.
D. Supplying Resources.
When supplying charitable resources
(monetary and in-kind contributions),
fiscal responsibility on the part of a
charity should include:
1. The determination that the
potential recipient of monetary or inkind contributions has the ability to
both accomplish the charitable purpose
of the grant and protect the resources
from diversion to non-charitable
purposes, including any activity that
supports terrorism;
2. The reduction of the terms of the
grant to a written agreement signed by
both the charity and the recipient;
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3. Ongoing monitoring of the recipient
and the activities funded under the
grant for the term of the grant; and
4. The correction of any misuse of
resources by the recipient and the
termination of the relationship should
misuse continue.
E. Supplying Services.
When supplying charitable services,
fiscal responsibility on the part of a
charity should include:
1. Appropriate measures to reduce the
risk that its assets would be used for
non-charitable purposes, including any
activity that supports terrorism; and
2. Sufficient auditing or accounting
controls to trace services or
commodities between delivery by the
charity and/or service provider and use
by the recipient.
F. Solicitations for Funds.
1. The charity should clearly state its
goals for and purposes of soliciting
funds so that anyone examining its
disbursement of funds can determine
whether the charity is adhering to those
goals.
2. Solicitations for donations should
accurately and transparently tell donors
how and where their donations are
going to be expended.
3. The charity should substantiate on
request that solicitations and
informational materials, distributed by
any means, are accurate, truthful, and
not misleading, in whole or in part.
4. The charity should fully,
immediately, and publicly disclose
whenever it makes a determination that
circumstances justify applying funds for
a charitable purpose different from the
purpose for which they were
contributed.
VI. Anti-Terrorist Financing Best
Practices
Charities should consider taking the
following steps before distributing any
charitable funds (and in-kind
contributions). As explained in Section
I, when taking these steps, charities
should apply a risk-based approach,
particularly with respect to foreign
recipients due to the increased risks
associated with overseas charitable
activity.
A. The charity should collect the
following basic information about
recipients:
1. The recipient’s name in English, in
the language of origin, and any acronym
or other names used to identify the
recipient; 6
6 Charities should also be mindful of the
possibility that a recipient may have changed its
name or transformed its organizational structure to
avoid being associated with prior questionable
activity. If a charity has any reason to believe that
the recipient is operating under a different identity
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2. The jurisdictions in which a
recipient maintains a physical presence;
3. Any reasonably available historical
information about the recipient that
assures the charity of the recipient’s
identity and integrity, including: (i) The
jurisdiction in which a recipient
organization is incorporated or formed;
(ii) copies of incorporating or other
governing instruments; (iii) information
on the individuals who formed the
organization; and (iv) information
relating to the recipient’s operating
history;
4. The address and phone number of
each place of business of a recipient;
5. A statement of the principal
purpose of the recipient, including a
detailed report of the recipient’s projects
and goals;
6. The names and addresses of
individuals, entities, or organizations to
which the recipient currently provides
or proposes to provide funding,
services, or material support, to the
extent reasonably discoverable;
7. The names and addresses of any
subcontracting organizations utilized by
the recipient;
8. Copies of any public filings or
releases made by the recipient,
including the most recent official
registry documents, annual reports, and
annual filings with the pertinent
government, as applicable; and
9. The recipient’s sources of income,
such as official grants, private
endowments, and commercial activities.
B. The charity should conduct basic
vetting of recipients as follows:
1. The charity should conduct a
reasonable search of public information,
including information available via the
Internet, to determine whether the
recipient is suspected of activity relating
to terrorism, including terrorist
financing or other support (see Part D of
this Section VI for guidance on
communicating suspicious information
to the appropriate authorities); 7
or has used a different name in the past, the charity
should undertake reasonable efforts to uncover any
such prior identity or name.
7 One example of publicly available information
of which charities should be aware is the Terrorist
Exclusion List (the ‘‘TEL’’). The TEL was created
pursuant to the USA PATRIOT Act, which
authorizes the Secretary of State to designate
organizations or groups for inclusion on the TEL in
consultation with or upon the request of the
Attorney General. Inclusion on the TEL allows the
U.S. Government to exclude or deport aliens who
provide material assistance to, or solicit assistance
for, designated TEL organizations. Although many
of the organizations included on the TEL are also
included on the Office of Foreign Assets Control
(‘‘OFAC’’) SDN List, several TEL organizations are
not listed on the SDN List because of the different
purposes and legal criteria associated with these
lists.
TEL designations do not trigger any legal
obligations for U.S. persons; however, the TEL does
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2. As U.S. persons, U.S.-based
charities must comply with all Office of
Foreign Assets Control (‘‘OFAC’’)
administered sanctions programs.8
Among other precautions, the charity
should assure itself that recipients do
not appear on OFAC’s master list of
Specially Designated Nationals (the
‘‘SDN List’’), maintained on OFAC’s
Web site at https://www.treas.gov/offices/
enforcement/ofac/sdn/.9
provide charities with additional terrorist-related
information that may assist charities in making
well-informed decisions on how best to protect
themselves from terrorist abuse or association. For
further information regarding the TEL, including
access to the list containing all TEL designees,
please refer to the U.S. Department of State’s Web
site at https://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/fs/2004/
32678.htm.
8 OFAC sanctions programs include those relating
to particular countries or regimes (country-based
programs), as well as those relating to groups,
individuals, or entities engaged in specific activities
(list-based programs). Sanctions programs normally:
(i) Prohibit U.S. persons from engaging in certain
transactions, such as trade in goods and services
and financial transactions, and/or (ii) require U.S.
persons to block the assets and property of persons
designated under the relevant Executive order or
law. The particular prohibitions and/or obligations
of U.S. persons vary by program. OFAC can issue
licenses to U.S. persons to engage in transactions
that would otherwise be prohibited, if there is a
policy-permissible reason to do so, and if permitted
by statute.
For further information on OFAC-administered
sanctions programs and licensing under these
programs, please see https://www.treas.gov/offices/
enforcement/ofac.
OFAC guidelines for non-governmental
organizations wishing to undertake humanitarian
activities in sanctioned countries are available at
https://www.treas.gov/offices/enforcement/ofac/
regulations/ngo_reg.pdf.
Other helpful guidance materials for charities
relating to protection from terrorist abuse may be
found at https://www.treas.gov/offices/enforcement/
key-issues/protecting/index.shtml.
9 The master SDN List is an integrated listing of
designated parties with whom U.S. persons are
prohibited from providing services or conducting
transactions and whose assets are blocked. OFAC’s
designations are available in a variety of formats
and can easily be broken down into subsets of the
master list by program, by country of residency,
individuals vs. entities, and other variations for
appropriate use in a charity’s risk-based approach.
Each charity should determine which OFAC listings
align with the specific risks the charity faces in its
operations and should check recipients accordingly.
OFAC routinely updates information on its
targets, including persons designated under
country-based and list-based economic sanctions
programs, such as individuals and entities
designated under the various Executive orders and
statutes aimed at terrorism. OFAC offers a free
email subscription service that enables subscribers
to keep current with these updates. With respect to
terrorism-related OFAC sanctions programs, SDN
listings include persons designated under Executive
Order 13224, Executive Order 12947, or the
Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of
1996, as amended; such persons are called
‘‘Specially Designated Global Terrorists’’ or
‘‘SDGTs’’, ‘‘Specially Designated Terrorists’’ or
‘‘SDTs’’, or ‘‘Foreign Terrorist Organizations’’ or
‘‘FTOs’’, respectively. SDN listings also include
parties subject to OFAC sanctions pursuant to other
list-based programs (such as counter-WMD
proliferation and counter-narcotics) and countrybased programs.
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3. With respect to key employees,
board members, or other senior
management at a recipient’s principal
place of business, and for key
employees at the recipient’s other
business locations, the charity should
obtain the full name in English, in the
language of origin, and any acronym or
other names used; nationality;
citizenship; current country of
residence; and place and date of birth.
The charity should assure itself that
none of these individuals is sanctioned
by OFAC. Moreover, charities should be
aware that other nations may have their
own lists of designated terrorist-related
individuals, entities, or organizations
pursuant to national obligations arising
from United Nations Security Council
Resolution 1373 (2001).10
4. With respect to the key employees,
board members, or other senior
management described in the preceding
paragraph, the charity should also
consider, on the basis of risk, consulting
publicly available information (e.g.,
through public database or Internet
searches) to ensure that such parties are
not suspected of activity relating to
terrorism, including terrorist financing
or other support (see Part D of this
Section VI for guidance on
communicating suspicious information
to the appropriate authorities); and
5. The charity should require
recipients to certify that they do not
employ, transact with, provide services
to, or otherwise deal with any
individuals, entities, or groups that are
In addition to checking appropriate SDN listings,
charities should consult OFAC’s Web site for other
information relating to sanctioned activities or
countries that may implicate their operations.
10 Under United Nations Security Council
Resolution 1373 (2001) (UNSCR 1373), UN Member
States must generally freeze without delay the
funds and other financial assets or economic
resources of persons financing or otherwise
supporting terrorist activity or terrorist-related
individuals, entities, or organizations. In addition,
UN Member States must generally prohibit their
nationals from engaging in transactions with such
parties. For example, the SDN List incorporates
those parties designated by the United States
pursuant to national obligations under UNSCR
1373.
This information regarding UNSCR 1373 is
intended to assist charities in developing their own
risk-based programs based upon a full
understanding of the law in those jurisdictions in
which they may operate. Charities operating in a
foreign jurisdiction may choose to take the
additional precautionary measures of determining
whether that jurisdiction maintains a national list
under UNSCR 1373 and screening the identities of
recipient organizations (including principal
individuals and senior employees) against any such
list. Such precautionary measures may protect
charities from potential sanctions or other
consequences to which they might be subject from
foreign jurisdictions as a result of engaging in
transactions with individuals, entities, or
organizations deemed to be financing or otherwise
supportive of terrorist activity under the laws of
those jurisdictions.
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sanctioned by OFAC, or with any
persons known to the recipient to
support terrorism.
C. The charity should conduct basic
vetting of its own key employees as
follows:
1. The charity should consult publicly
available information, including
information available via the Internet, to
determine whether any of its key
employees is suspected of activity
relating to terrorism, including terrorist
financing or other support; and
2. The charity should assure itself that
none of its key employees is sanctioned
by OFAC.
D. Should a charity’s vetting practices
lead to a finding that any of its own key
employees, any of its recipients, or any
of the key employees, board members,
or other senior management of its
recipients is suspected of activity
relating to terrorism, including terrorist
financing or other support, the charity
should act as follows:
1. If there is a valid or potentially
valid match between the name of one of
the individuals or organizations listed
above and a name on the SDN List, the
charity should immediately report this
match to OFAC and seek further
guidance. Charities should report the
match through OFAC’s hotline at 1–
800–540–6322; and
2. The charity can provide
information on any suspicious activity
that does not directly involve an OFAC
match through a referral form available
on Treasury’s Web site at https://
www.treas.gov/offices/enforcement/keyissues/protecting/index.shtml. In
addition, a charity should
simultaneously report suspicious
activity to the Federal Bureau of
Investigation through its local field
offices. A list of the locations and phone
numbers of the FBI’s field offices is
available at https://www.fbi.gov/contact/
fo/fo.htm.
E. The charity should review the
financial and programmatic operations
of each recipient as follows:
1. The charity should require periodic
reports from recipients on their
operational activities and their use of
the disbursed funds;
2. The charity should require
recipients to take reasonable steps to
ensure that funds provided by the
charity are not distributed to terrorists
or their support networks. Periodically,
a recipient should apprise the charity of
the steps it has taken to meet this goal;
and
3. The charity should perform routine,
on-site audits of recipients to the extent
possible—consistent with the size of the
disbursement, the cost of the audit, and
the risks of diversion or abuse of
E:\FR\FM\08DEN1.SGM
08DEN1
Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 235 / Thursday, December 8, 2005 / Notices
charitable resources—to ensure that the
recipient has taken adequate measures
to protect its charitable resources from
diversion to, or abuse by, terrorists or
their support networks.
[FR Doc. 05–23854 Filed 12–7–05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4811–37–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
Internal Revenue Service
[REG–133446–03]
Proposed Collection; Comment
Request for Regulation Project
Internal Revenue Service (IRS),
Treasury.
ACTION: Notice and request for
comments.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The Department of the
Treasury, as part of its continuing effort
to reduce paperwork and respondent
burden, invites the general public and
other Federal agencies to take this
opportunity to comment on proposed
and/or continuing information
collections, as required by the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995,
Public Law 104–13 (44 U.S.C.
3506(c)(2)(A)). Currently, the IRS is
soliciting comments concerning an
existing Temp and final regulation,
REG–133446–03, Guidance on Passive
Foreign Company (PFIC) Purging
Elections.
Written comments should be
received on or before February 6, 2006,
to be assured of consideration.
ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments
to Glenn Kirkland, Internal Revenue
Service, room 6512, 1111 Constitution
Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20224.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Requests for additional information or
copies of the regulations should be
directed to Larnice Mack at Internal
Revenue Service, room 6512, 1111
Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington,
DC 20224, or at (202) 622–3179, or
through the Internet at
Larnice.Mack@irs.gov.
DATES:
Title: Guidance on Passive Foreign
(PFIC) Purging Elections.
OMB Number: 1545–1965.
Regulation Project Number: REG–
133446–03.
Abstract: The IRS needs the
information to substantiate the
taxpayer’s computation of the taxpayer’s
share of the PFIC’s post-1986 earning
and profits.
Current Actions: There is no change to
these existing regulations.
16:29 Dec 07, 2005
Jkt 208001
Request for Comments
Comments submitted in response to
this notice will be summarized and/or
included in the request for OMB
approval. All comments will become a
matter of public record. Comments are
invited on: (a) Whether the collection of
information is necessary for the proper
performance of the functions of the
agency, including whether the
information shall have practical utility;
(b) the accuracy of the agency’s estimate
of the burden of the collection of
information; (c) ways to enhance the
quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; (d) ways to
minimize the burden of the collection of
information on respondents, including
through the use of automated collection
techniques or other forms of information
technology; and (e) estimates of capital
or start-up costs and costs of operation,
maintenance, and purchase of services
to provide information.
Approved: November 28, 2005.
Glenn Kirkland,
IRS Reports Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. E5–7015 Filed 12–7–05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4830–01–P
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
VerDate Aug<31>2005
Type of Review: Extension of
currently approved collection.
Affected Public: Individuals or
households, business or other for-profit
organizations.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
250.
Estimated Time Per Respondent: 1
hour.
Estimated Total Annual Burden
Hours: 250.
The following paragraph applies to all
of the collections of information covered
by this notice:
An agency may not conduct or
sponsor, and a person is not required to
respond to, a collection of information
unless the collection of information
displays a valid OMB control number.
Books or records relating to a collection
of information must be retained as long
as their contents may become material
in the administration of any internal
revenue law. Generally, tax returns and
tax return information are confidential,
as required by 26 U.S.C. 6103.
DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
Internal Revenue Service
Proposed Collection; Comment
Request for Regulation Project
Internal Revenue Service (IRS),
Treasury.
ACTION: Notice and request for
comments.
AGENCY:
PO 00000
Frm 00091
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
73067
SUMMARY: The Department of the
Treasury, as part of its continuing effort
to reduce paperwork and respondent
burden, invites the general public and
other Federal agencies to take this
opportunity to comment on proposed
and/or continuing information
collections, as required by the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995,
Public Law 104–13 (44 U.S.C.
3506(c)(2)(A)). Currently, the IRS is
soliciting comments concerning the Tip
Rate Determination Agreement (Gaming
Industry).
DATES: Written comments should be
received on or before February 6, 2006,
to be assured of consideration.
ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments
to Glenn Kirkland, Internal Revenue
Service, room 6516, 1111 Constitution
Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20224.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Requests for additional information or
copies of the regulation should be
directed to Allan Hopkins, at (202) 622–
6665, or at Internal Revenue Service,
room 6516, Constitution Avenue, NW.,
Washington, DC 20224, or through the
Internet, at Allan.M.Hopkins@irs.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Tip Rate Determination
Agreement (Gaming Industry).
OMB Number: 1545–1530.
Abstract: Information is required by
the Internal Revenue Service in its
compliance efforts to assist employers
and their employees in understanding
and complying with Internal Revenue
Code section 6053(a), which requires
employees to report all their tips
monthly to their employers.
Current Actions: There is no change to
this existing information collection.
Type of Review: Extension of a
currently approved collection.
Affected Public: Business or other forprofit organizations.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
100.
Estimated Time per Respondent: 43
hr., 40 min.
Estimated Total Annual Burden
Hours: 4,367.
The following paragraph applies to all
of the collections of information covered
by this notice:
An agency may not conduct or
sponsor, and a person is not required to
respond to, a collection of information
unless the collection of information
displays a valid OMB control number.
Books or records relating to a collection
of information must be retained as long
as their contents may become material
in the administration of any internal
revenue law. Generally, tax returns and
tax return information are confidential,
as required by 26 U.S.C. 6103.
E:\FR\FM\08DEN1.SGM
08DEN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 235 (Thursday, December 8, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73063-73067]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-23854]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
Anti-Terrorist Financing Guidelines: Voluntary Best Practices for
U.S.-Based Charities
AGENCY: Office of Terrorist Financing and Financial Crime, Treasury.
ACTION: Notice with request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of the Treasury (``Treasury'') is
publishing for public comment a revised version of its Anti-Terrorist
Financing Guidelines: Voluntary Best Practices for U.S.-Based Charities
(``Guidelines''), which were originally released in November 2002.
Although Treasury is soliciting public comment on these Guidelines,
they immediately replace the 2002 Guidelines. Treasury will consider
all comments received on or before February 1, 2006, in finalizing the
revised version of the Guidelines for republication in the Federal
Register and on Treasury's Web site.
DATES: Written comments must be received on or before February 1, 2006.
ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted by mail, by facsimile, or through
the Treasury's Web site:
Mailing address: Office of Terrorist Financing and Financial Crime,
U.S. Department of the Treasury, 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.,
Washington, DC 20220.
Facsimile number: (202) 622-9747. Web site: https://www.treas.gov/
offices/enforcement/key-issues/protecting/charities-intro.shtml.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Office of Terrorist Financing and
Financial Crime: (202) 622-3786.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The revised Guidelines and additional
information concerning the protection of charities are available on the
Treasury Web site at https://www.treas.gov/offices/enforcement/key-
issues/protecting/index.shtml.
The text of the revised Guidelines is printed below.
Dated: November 29, 2005.
Patrick M. O'Brien,
Assistant Secretary of the Treasury.
U.S. Department of the Treasury Anti-Terrorist Financing Guidelines:
Voluntary Best Practices for U.S.-Based Charities \1\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ This document is an amended version of the Anti-Terrorist
Financing Guidelines: Voluntary Best Practices for U.S.-Based
Charities released by the U.S. Department of the Treasury in
November 2002.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
I. Introduction
Upon issuance of Executive Order 13224, President George W. Bush
directed the U.S. Department of the Treasury (``Treasury'') to work
with other elements of the Federal government and the international
community to develop a comprehensive and sustained campaign against the
sources and conduits of terrorist financing. Investigations have
revealed terrorist abuse of charitable organizations, both in the
United States and worldwide, often through the diversion of donations
intended for humanitarian purposes but funneled instead to terrorists,
their support networks, and their operations. This abuse threatens to
undermine donor confidence and jeopardizes the integrity of the
charitable sector, whose services are indispensable to both national
and world communities.
In response to this threat, Treasury first released the Anti-
Terrorist Financing Guidelines: Voluntary Best Practices for U.S.-Based
Charities (``Guidelines'') in November 2002. In November 2005, Treasury
revised these Guidelines, based on extensive review and comment by
public and private sector interested parties, to improve the utility of
the Guidelines in protecting the sector from abuse by terrorists and
their support networks. The Guidelines further enhance awareness in the
donor and charitable communities of the kinds of practices that
charities may adopt to reduce the risk of terrorist financing. These
Guidelines, as presented by Treasury, are voluntary and do not
supersede or modify current or future legal requirements applicable to
all U.S. persons, including non-profit institutions. Rather, the
Guidelines are intended to assist charities in developing a risk-based
approach to guard against the threat of diversion of charitable funds
for use by terrorists and their support networks. Given the risk-based
nature of these Guidelines, we recognize that certain aspects will not
be applicable to every charity, charitable activity, or circumstance.
Moreover, we acknowledge that certain exigent circumstances (such as
catastrophic disasters) may make application of the Guidelines
difficult. In such cases, charities should maintain a risk-based
approach that includes all prudent and reasonable measures that are
feasible under the circumstances. Charities and donors are encouraged
to consult these Guidelines when considering protective measures to
prevent infiltration or abuse by terrorists.\2\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ These guidelines are designed to assist charities that
attempt in good faith to protect themselves from terrorist abuse and
are not intended to address the problem of organizations that use
the cover of charitable work, whether real or perceived, to provide
support to terrorist groups or fronts operating on behalf of
terrorist groups. Adherence to these Guidelines does not excuse any
person (individual or entity) from compliance with any local, state,
or federal law or regulation, nor does it release any person from or
constitute a legal defense against any civil or criminal liability
for violating any such law or regulation. In particular, adherence
to these Guidelines shall not be construed to preclude any criminal
charge, civil fine, or other action by Treasury or the Department of
Justice against persons who engage in prohibited transactions with
persons designated pursuant to the Antiterrorism and Effective Death
Penalty Act of 1996, as amended, or with those that are designated
under the criteria defining prohibited persons in the relevant
Executive orders issued pursuant to statute, such as the
International Emergency Economic Powers Act, as amended. Please see
Footnote 9 for an explanation of the master list of Specially
Designated Nationals (the ``SDN List''), which includes all such
designated persons. These Guidelines are also separate and apart
from requirements that apply to charitable organizations under the
Internal Revenue Code (``IRC'').
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
[[Page 73064]]
Treasury recognizes the vital importance of the charitable
community in providing essential services around the world. Treasury
also understands the difficulty of providing assistance to those in
need, often in remote and inaccessible regions, and applauds the
efforts of the charitable community to meet such needs. The goal of
these Guidelines is to protect the integrity of the charitable sector
by offering the sector ways to minimize the threat of well-intentioned
donations not reaching their intended beneficiaries and to combat the
abuse of charities by terrorists and their support networks.
II. Fundamental Principles of Good Charitable Practice
A. Charitable organizations must comply with the laws of the United
States.
B. Charitable organizations are encouraged to adopt practices in
addition to those required by law that provide additional assurances
that all assets \3\ are used exclusively for charitable or other
legitimate purposes.\4\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ An asset is any item of value, including, but not limited
to, services, resources, business, equitable holdings, real estate,
stocks, bonds, mutual funds, currency, certificates of deposit, bank
accounts, trust funds, and the property and investments placed
therein.
\4\ A charitable organization may never use charitable assets
for illegal purposes; however, a charitable organization may accrue
unrelated business taxable income in the course of legitimately
doing business as a charitable organization. Even though an
organization is recognized as tax exempt, it still may be liable for
tax on its unrelated business taxable income.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
C. Individuals acting in a fiduciary capacity for any charitable
organization should exercise due care in the performance of their
responsibilities, consistent with applicable common law as well as
local, state, and Federal statutes and regulations.
D. Fiscal responsibility is an essential component of charitable
work and must be reflected at every level of a charitable organization.
III. Governance
A. Governing Instruments: Charitable organizations should operate
in accordance with governing instruments, e.g., charter, articles of
incorporation, bylaws, etc. The governing instruments should:
1. Delineate the charity's basic goal(s) and purpose(s);
2. define the structure of the charity, including the composition
of the board, how the board is selected and replaced, and the authority
and responsibilities of the board;
3. set forth requirements concerning financial reporting,
accountability, and practices for solicitation and distribution of
funds; and
4. state that the charity shall comply with all applicable local,
state, and Federal laws and regulations.
B. Board of Directors: Charitable organizations should be governed
by a board of directors (``board'') consisting of at least three (3)
members.
1. The board should be an active governing body.
2. The board of each individual charitable organization is
responsible for that organization's compliance with relevant laws, and
it should adopt and implement practices consistent with the principles
contained herein. The board of each charitable organization should
oversee implementation of the governance practices to be followed by
that organization in a manner consistent with this Section III.
3. The board should be an independent governing body, exercising
effective and independent oversight of the charity's operations. The
charity should establish a conflict of interest policy for board
members and employees. That policy should establish procedures to be
followed if a board member or employee has a conflict of interest or a
perceived conflict of interest.
4. The board should maintain records of all decisions made. When
appropriate, these records should immediately be made available for
inspection by the appropriate regulatory/supervisory and law
enforcement authorities.
IV. Financial Practice/Accountability
A. The charity should have a budget, adopted in advance on an
annual basis and approved and overseen by the board.
B. The board should appoint one individual to serve as the
financial/accounting officer who should be responsible for day-to-day
control over the charity's assets.
C. If the charity's total annual gross income exceeds $250,000, the
board should select an independent certified public accounting firm to
audit the finances of the charity and to issue a yearly audited
financial statement. The yearly audited financial statement should be
available for public inspection.
D. Receipt and Disbursement of Funds.
1. The charity should account for all funds received and disbursed
in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and the
requirements of the Internal Revenue Code. The charity should maintain
records of the salaries it pays and the expenses it incurs
(domestically and internationally).
2. The charity should include in its accounting of all charitable
disbursements the name of each recipient, the amount disbursed, and the
date of the disbursement.
3. The charity, after recording, should promptly deposit all
received funds into an account maintained by the charity at a financial
institution. In particular, all currency donated should be promptly
deposited into the charity's financial institution account.
4. The charity should make disbursements by check or wire transfer
rather than in currency whenever such financial arrangements are
reasonably available. Where normal financial services do not exist or
other exigencies require making disbursements in currency (as in the
case of humanitarian assistance provided in rural areas of many
developing countries), the charity should disburse the currency in
smaller increments sufficient to meet immediate and short-term needs
rather than in large sums intended to cover needs over an extended time
frame, and it should exercise oversight regarding the use of the
currency for the intended charitable purposes, including keeping
detailed internal records of such currency disbursements.
V. Disclosure/Transparency in Governance and Finances
A. Board of Directors/Trustees.
1. Charities should maintain and make publicly available a current
list of their board members or trustees and the salaries they are paid.
2. While fully respecting individual privacy rights, charities
should maintain records containing additional identifying information
about their board members, such as home address, social security
number, citizenship, etc.
3. While fully respecting individual privacy rights, charities
should maintain records containing identifying information for the
board members of any subsidiaries or affiliates receiving funds from
them.
B. Key Employees.\5\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\5\ Key employees include not only highly compensated employees
but employees that exercise substantial influence over the day-to-
day operations of the charity.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
[[Page 73065]]
1. Charities should maintain and make publicly available a current
list of their five highest paid or most influential employees (the key
employees) and the salaries and/or direct or indirect benefits they
receive.
2. While fully respecting individual privacy rights, charities
should maintain records containing identifying information (such as
home address, social security or other taxpayer identification number,
citizenship, etc.) about their key, non-U.S. employees working abroad.
Such information should be similar to that maintained by charities in
the normal course of operations about all U.S. employees, wherever
employed, and foreign employees working in the United States.
3. While fully respecting individual privacy rights, charities
should maintain records containing identifying information for the key
employees of any subsidiaries or affiliates receiving funds from them.
C. Mechanisms for Public Disclosure of Distribution of Resources
and Services.
1. The charity should maintain and make publicly available a
current list of any branches, subsidiaries, and/or affiliates that
receive resources and services from the charity.
2. The charity should make publicly available or provide to any
member of the general public, upon request, an annual report. The
annual report should describe the charity's purpose(s), programs,
activities, tax exempt status, the structure and responsibility of the
governing body of the charity, and financial information.
3. The charity should make publicly available or provide to any
member of the general public, upon request, complete annual financial
statements, including a summary of the results of the charity's most
recent audit. The financial statements should present the overall
financial condition of the charity and its financial activities in
accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and reporting
practices.
D. Supplying Resources.
When supplying charitable resources (monetary and in-kind
contributions), fiscal responsibility on the part of a charity should
include:
1. The determination that the potential recipient of monetary or
in-kind contributions has the ability to both accomplish the charitable
purpose of the grant and protect the resources from diversion to non-
charitable purposes, including any activity that supports terrorism;
2. The reduction of the terms of the grant to a written agreement
signed by both the charity and the recipient;
3. Ongoing monitoring of the recipient and the activities funded
under the grant for the term of the grant; and
4. The correction of any misuse of resources by the recipient and
the termination of the relationship should misuse continue.
E. Supplying Services.
When supplying charitable services, fiscal responsibility on the
part of a charity should include:
1. Appropriate measures to reduce the risk that its assets would be
used for non-charitable purposes, including any activity that supports
terrorism; and
2. Sufficient auditing or accounting controls to trace services or
commodities between delivery by the charity and/or service provider and
use by the recipient.
F. Solicitations for Funds.
1. The charity should clearly state its goals for and purposes of
soliciting funds so that anyone examining its disbursement of funds can
determine whether the charity is adhering to those goals.
2. Solicitations for donations should accurately and transparently
tell donors how and where their donations are going to be expended.
3. The charity should substantiate on request that solicitations
and informational materials, distributed by any means, are accurate,
truthful, and not misleading, in whole or in part.
4. The charity should fully, immediately, and publicly disclose
whenever it makes a determination that circumstances justify applying
funds for a charitable purpose different from the purpose for which
they were contributed.
VI. Anti-Terrorist Financing Best Practices
Charities should consider taking the following steps before
distributing any charitable funds (and in-kind contributions). As
explained in Section I, when taking these steps, charities should apply
a risk-based approach, particularly with respect to foreign recipients
due to the increased risks associated with overseas charitable
activity.
A. The charity should collect the following basic information about
recipients:
1. The recipient's name in English, in the language of origin, and
any acronym or other names used to identify the recipient; \6\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\6\ Charities should also be mindful of the possibility that a
recipient may have changed its name or transformed its
organizational structure to avoid being associated with prior
questionable activity. If a charity has any reason to believe that
the recipient is operating under a different identity or has used a
different name in the past, the charity should undertake reasonable
efforts to uncover any such prior identity or name.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. The jurisdictions in which a recipient maintains a physical
presence;
3. Any reasonably available historical information about the
recipient that assures the charity of the recipient's identity and
integrity, including: (i) The jurisdiction in which a recipient
organization is incorporated or formed; (ii) copies of incorporating or
other governing instruments; (iii) information on the individuals who
formed the organization; and (iv) information relating to the
recipient's operating history;
4. The address and phone number of each place of business of a
recipient;
5. A statement of the principal purpose of the recipient, including
a detailed report of the recipient's projects and goals;
6. The names and addresses of individuals, entities, or
organizations to which the recipient currently provides or proposes to
provide funding, services, or material support, to the extent
reasonably discoverable;
7. The names and addresses of any subcontracting organizations
utilized by the recipient;
8. Copies of any public filings or releases made by the recipient,
including the most recent official registry documents, annual reports,
and annual filings with the pertinent government, as applicable; and
9. The recipient's sources of income, such as official grants,
private endowments, and commercial activities.
B. The charity should conduct basic vetting of recipients as
follows:
1. The charity should conduct a reasonable search of public
information, including information available via the Internet, to
determine whether the recipient is suspected of activity relating to
terrorism, including terrorist financing or other support (see Part D
of this Section VI for guidance on communicating suspicious information
to the appropriate authorities); \7\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\7\ One example of publicly available information of which
charities should be aware is the Terrorist Exclusion List (the
``TEL''). The TEL was created pursuant to the USA PATRIOT Act, which
authorizes the Secretary of State to designate organizations or
groups for inclusion on the TEL in consultation with or upon the
request of the Attorney General. Inclusion on the TEL allows the
U.S. Government to exclude or deport aliens who provide material
assistance to, or solicit assistance for, designated TEL
organizations. Although many of the organizations included on the
TEL are also included on the Office of Foreign Assets Control
(``OFAC'') SDN List, several TEL organizations are not listed on the
SDN List because of the different purposes and legal criteria
associated with these lists.
TEL designations do not trigger any legal obligations for U.S.
persons; however, the TEL does provide charities with additional
terrorist-related information that may assist charities in making
well-informed decisions on how best to protect themselves from
terrorist abuse or association. For further information regarding
the TEL, including access to the list containing all TEL designees,
please refer to the U.S. Department of State's Web site at https://
www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/fs/2004/32678.htm.
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[[Page 73066]]
2. As U.S. persons, U.S.-based charities must comply with all
Office of Foreign Assets Control (``OFAC'') administered sanctions
programs.\8\ Among other precautions, the charity should assure itself
that recipients do not appear on OFAC's master list of Specially
Designated Nationals (the ``SDN List''), maintained on OFAC's Web site
at https://www.treas.gov/offices/enforcement/ofac/sdn/.\9\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\8\ OFAC sanctions programs include those relating to particular
countries or regimes (country-based programs), as well as those
relating to groups, individuals, or entities engaged in specific
activities (list-based programs). Sanctions programs normally: (i)
Prohibit U.S. persons from engaging in certain transactions, such as
trade in goods and services and financial transactions, and/or (ii)
require U.S. persons to block the assets and property of persons
designated under the relevant Executive order or law. The particular
prohibitions and/or obligations of U.S. persons vary by program.
OFAC can issue licenses to U.S. persons to engage in transactions
that would otherwise be prohibited, if there is a policy-permissible
reason to do so, and if permitted by statute.
For further information on OFAC-administered sanctions programs
and licensing under these programs, please see https://www.treas.gov/
offices/enforcement/ofac.
OFAC guidelines for non-governmental organizations wishing to
undertake humanitarian activities in sanctioned countries are
available at https://www.treas.gov/offices/enforcement/ofac/
regulations/ngo_reg.pdf.
Other helpful guidance materials for charities relating to
protection from terrorist abuse may be found at https://
www.treas.gov/offices/enforcement/key-issues/protecting/index.shtml.
\9\ The master SDN List is an integrated listing of designated
parties with whom U.S. persons are prohibited from providing
services or conducting transactions and whose assets are blocked.
OFAC's designations are available in a variety of formats and can
easily be broken down into subsets of the master list by program, by
country of residency, individuals vs. entities, and other variations
for appropriate use in a charity's risk-based approach. Each charity
should determine which OFAC listings align with the specific risks
the charity faces in its operations and should check recipients
accordingly.
OFAC routinely updates information on its targets, including
persons designated under country-based and list-based economic
sanctions programs, such as individuals and entities designated
under the various Executive orders and statutes aimed at terrorism.
OFAC offers a free email subscription service that enables
subscribers to keep current with these updates. With respect to
terrorism-related OFAC sanctions programs, SDN listings include
persons designated under Executive Order 13224, Executive Order
12947, or the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996,
as amended; such persons are called ``Specially Designated Global
Terrorists'' or ``SDGTs'', ``Specially Designated Terrorists'' or
``SDTs'', or ``Foreign Terrorist Organizations'' or ``FTOs'',
respectively. SDN listings also include parties subject to OFAC
sanctions pursuant to other list-based programs (such as counter-WMD
proliferation and counter-narcotics) and country-based programs.
In addition to checking appropriate SDN listings, charities
should consult OFAC's Web site for other information relating to
sanctioned activities or countries that may implicate their
operations.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. With respect to key employees, board members, or other senior
management at a recipient's principal place of business, and for key
employees at the recipient's other business locations, the charity
should obtain the full name in English, in the language of origin, and
any acronym or other names used; nationality; citizenship; current
country of residence; and place and date of birth. The charity should
assure itself that none of these individuals is sanctioned by OFAC.
Moreover, charities should be aware that other nations may have their
own lists of designated terrorist-related individuals, entities, or
organizations pursuant to national obligations arising from United
Nations Security Council Resolution 1373 (2001).\10\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\10\ Under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1373
(2001) (UNSCR 1373), UN Member States must generally freeze without
delay the funds and other financial assets or economic resources of
persons financing or otherwise supporting terrorist activity or
terrorist-related individuals, entities, or organizations. In
addition, UN Member States must generally prohibit their nationals
from engaging in transactions with such parties. For example, the
SDN List incorporates those parties designated by the United States
pursuant to national obligations under UNSCR 1373.
This information regarding UNSCR 1373 is intended to assist
charities in developing their own risk-based programs based upon a
full understanding of the law in those jurisdictions in which they
may operate. Charities operating in a foreign jurisdiction may
choose to take the additional precautionary measures of determining
whether that jurisdiction maintains a national list under UNSCR 1373
and screening the identities of recipient organizations (including
principal individuals and senior employees) against any such list.
Such precautionary measures may protect charities from potential
sanctions or other consequences to which they might be subject from
foreign jurisdictions as a result of engaging in transactions with
individuals, entities, or organizations deemed to be financing or
otherwise supportive of terrorist activity under the laws of those
jurisdictions.
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4. With respect to the key employees, board members, or other
senior management described in the preceding paragraph, the charity
should also consider, on the basis of risk, consulting publicly
available information (e.g., through public database or Internet
searches) to ensure that such parties are not suspected of activity
relating to terrorism, including terrorist financing or other support
(see Part D of this Section VI for guidance on communicating suspicious
information to the appropriate authorities); and
5. The charity should require recipients to certify that they do
not employ, transact with, provide services to, or otherwise deal with
any individuals, entities, or groups that are sanctioned by OFAC, or
with any persons known to the recipient to support terrorism.
C. The charity should conduct basic vetting of its own key
employees as follows:
1. The charity should consult publicly available information,
including information available via the Internet, to determine whether
any of its key employees is suspected of activity relating to
terrorism, including terrorist financing or other support; and
2. The charity should assure itself that none of its key employees
is sanctioned by OFAC.
D. Should a charity's vetting practices lead to a finding that any
of its own key employees, any of its recipients, or any of the key
employees, board members, or other senior management of its recipients
is suspected of activity relating to terrorism, including terrorist
financing or other support, the charity should act as follows:
1. If there is a valid or potentially valid match between the name
of one of the individuals or organizations listed above and a name on
the SDN List, the charity should immediately report this match to OFAC
and seek further guidance. Charities should report the match through
OFAC's hotline at 1-800-540-6322; and
2. The charity can provide information on any suspicious activity
that does not directly involve an OFAC match through a referral form
available on Treasury's Web site at https://www.treas.gov/offices/
enforcement/key-issues/protecting/index.shtml. In addition, a charity
should simultaneously report suspicious activity to the Federal Bureau
of Investigation through its local field offices. A list of the
locations and phone numbers of the FBI's field offices is available at
https://www.fbi.gov/contact/fo/fo.htm.
E. The charity should review the financial and programmatic
operations of each recipient as follows:
1. The charity should require periodic reports from recipients on
their operational activities and their use of the disbursed funds;
2. The charity should require recipients to take reasonable steps
to ensure that funds provided by the charity are not distributed to
terrorists or their support networks. Periodically, a recipient should
apprise the charity of the steps it has taken to meet this goal; and
3. The charity should perform routine, on-site audits of recipients
to the extent possible--consistent with the size of the disbursement,
the cost of the audit, and the risks of diversion or abuse of
[[Page 73067]]
charitable resources--to ensure that the recipient has taken adequate
measures to protect its charitable resources from diversion to, or
abuse by, terrorists or their support networks.
[FR Doc. 05-23854 Filed 12-7-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4811-37-P