Alaska Statutes Sec. 43.23.062 - Contributions From Dividends

(a) Notwithstanding AS 43.23.069 , the Department of Revenue shall prepare the electronic Alaska permanent fund dividend application to allow an applicant who files electronically to direct that money be subtracted from the dividend payment and contributed to one or more of the educational organizations, community foundations, or charitable organizations that appear on the contribution list contained in the application. A contribution to an organization may be $25, $50, $75, $100, or more, in increments of $50, up to the total amount of the permanent fund dividend that the applicant is entitled to receive. If the total amount of contributions elected by an applicant exceeds the amount of the permanent fund dividend that the applicant is entitled to receive, contributions shall be deducted from the dividend in the order of priority elected by the applicant on the application until the entire amount of the dividend that the applicant is entitled to receive is allocated for contribution. The electronic dividend application form must include notice that seven percent of the money contributed will be used for administrative costs incurred in implementing this section, and money from the dividend fund will not be used for that purpose.

(b) The department shall list each educational organization, community foundation, or charitable organization eligible under (c) and (d) of this section and each university campus that applies under ( l ) of this section on the contribution list. The department shall maintain an electronic database for the contribution list that is accessible to the public and that permits searches by organization name, geographic location, and type. The department shall provide a statement of the contributions made by an individual that is suitable for federal income tax purposes to each individual who elects to contribute under (a) of this section.

(c) The department may not include a charitable organization, other than a community foundation, on the contribution list for a dividend year unless the purpose of the charitable organization is to provide services for youth development, workforce development, arts and culture, aid and services to the elderly, low-income individuals, individuals in emergency situations, victims of crime, disabled individuals, individuals with mental illness, primary, vocational, and higher education, health and dental care, recreational facilities, child abuse and neglect, economic development, food assistance, libraries, public broadcasting, recycling of waste, animal rescue, and zoos. The department may not include on the contribution list an educational organization, community foundation, or charitable organization that is the affiliate of a group. For purposes of this subsection,

(1) "affiliate" means an organization or foundation that directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with, a group;

(2) "group" has the meaning given in AS 15.13.400 (8)(B).

(d) Except for each campus of the University of Alaska, the department may include an educational organization, community foundation, or charitable organization on the contribution list for a current dividend year only if the organization

(1) before March 31 of the qualifying year, files an application for inclusion on the list for that dividend year on the form required by the department;

(2) is exempt from taxation under 26 U.S.C. 501(c)(3) (Internal Revenue Code) as an educational or a charitable organization on the date of application;

(3) was qualified for tax exempt status under 26 U.S.C. 501(c)(3) (Internal Revenue Code) as an educational or a charitable organization during the two calendar years that immediately precede the year the application is filed;

(4) unless exempted under federal law, has a current Internal Revenue Service Form 990 on file with the United States Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, or, if the Internal Revenue Service has granted a filing extension for the current year, has on file that form for the immediately preceding year;

(5) is directed by a voluntary board of directors or local advisory board, a majority of whose members are residents of the state;

(6) if a community foundation, provided in the state aid during the two calendar years that immediately precede the year the application is filed, or, if an education organization or charitable organization, provided in the state services during the two calendar years that immediately precede the year the application is filed;

(7) receives at least $100,000 or five percent of its total annual receipts, whichever is less, from contributions;

(8) has completed and provided to the department a financial audit with an unqualified opinion conducted by an independent certified public accountant for the fiscal year to which the Internal Revenue Service Form 990 required under (4) of this subsection applies; this paragraph applies only to an organization that is required by the federal government to complete a financial audit by an independent certified public accountant; and

(9) does not make grants or contributions to an organization that is exempt from taxation under 26 U.S.C. 501(c)(4) or (6).

(e) Unless an appropriation specifically directs that the money be used for costs incurred in implementing this section, the department may not use money from the dividend fund for administrative costs incurred in implementing this section, even if it has been appropriated for costs of administering the dividend program. Contributions shall be distributed to each organization as soon as practicable.

(f) The department shall charge an application fee of $250 for each educational organization, community foundation, or charitable organization that files an application under (d) of this section or for each university campus that files an application under (l) of this section. The application fees shall be separately accounted for under AS 37.05.142 . The annual estimated balance in the account maintained under AS 37.05.142 for application fees collected under this subsection may be appropriated for costs of administering this section.

(g) The department may use an agent or enter into a contract for the implementation and operation of the contribution program under this section. Before executing a contract with a corporation or other organization, the organization must provide a copy of its policies and procedures to the department. A contract entered into under this subsection is exempt from AS 36.30 (State Procurement Code).

(h) A public agency that claims a dividend on behalf of an individual under AS 43.23.015 (e) may not elect to make contributions from the dividend under (a) of this section.

(i) The department may adopt regulations under AS 44.62 (Administrative Procedure Act) to carry out the provisions of this section. Notwithstanding this subsection and other provisions of law, a state agency, including the department, may not adopt regulations or otherwise impose requirements or procedures on organizations to implement, interpret, make specific, or otherwise carry out the provisions of this section unless required by the federal government. If an organization disagrees with an action of the department under this section and requests an administrative hearing, the hearing shall be conducted by the office of administrative hearings (AS 44.64.010 ).

(j) By January 20 of each year, the department shall prepare a report identifying the organizations on the contribution list for the immediately preceding year, together with the amount of contributions made to each of the organizations, and shall notify the legislature that the report is available.

(k) A community foundation may not deposit contributions received under this section into a fund that would be included in the definition of a donor advised fund under 26 U.S.C. 4966(d)(2) (Internal Revenue Code).

(l) The University of Alaska shall apply separately for each of the three main campuses to be listed on the contribution list for the current dividend year in the manner prescribed by the department. The University of Alaska may apply for each campus other than the three main campuses to be listed on the contribution list for the current dividend year in the manner prescribed by the department.

(m) In addition to the application fee in (f) of this section, the department shall withhold a coordination fee from each organization, foundation, or university campus that receives contributions under this section in the immediately preceding dividend year. The coordination fee for an organization, foundation, or university campus that receives contributions under this section shall be seven percent of the amount of contributions reported by the department under (j) of this section for the organization, foundation, or university campus for the immediately preceding dividend year. The coordination fee shall be separately accounted for under AS 37.05.142 and shall be accounted for separately from the application fee collected under (f) of this section. The annual estimated balance in the account maintained under AS 37.05.142 for coordination fees collected under this subsection may be appropriated for costs of administering this section.

(n) In this section, "community foundation" means a nonprofit, autonomous, philanthropic institution that is organized and operated primarily as a permanent collection of endowed funds for the long-term benefit of a defined geographic area within one or more municipalities, that has a long-term goal of increasing its permanent unrestricted charitable endowment to benefit the area served, that primarily provides benefits by making grants and may also provide other forms of charitable services, that makes grants that are not limited to providing one type of benefit or to serving one population segment, and that makes grants to multiple grantees.

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Last modified: November 15, 2016