Employer-Sponsored Charities May Allow Businesses to Help Employees Affected by Recent Disasters

The destruction caused by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria and the wildfires in California have led to an outpouring of charitable gifts and donations. For businesses whose employees were affected by disasters, there is a way to provide relief through an employer-sponsored public charity or private foundation. Employer-sponsored organizations combine many of the tax benefits of a typical charitable organization, such as a deduction for donors and tax exemption for the charity, with the ability to provide relief to a relatively small group of people, such as the employees of a particular company.