At the 2017 AALS annual meeting (San Francisco, Jan. 3-17, 2017), the Section on Agency, Partnerships LLCs, and Unincorporated Associations and the Section on Nonprofit and Philanthropy Law are co-hosting a a joint program entitled “LLCs, New Charitable Forms, and and the Rise of Philanthrocapitalism.” The session will look at the tax, governance, and other policy implications of using for-profit LLCs as vehicles for philanthropy. I’ll paste the full call for papers after the break, but if you’re interested in participating, send a 1-2 page proposal to Mohsen Manesh or Garry W. Jenkins by July 1, 2016.
LLCs, New Charitable Forms, and the Rise of Philanthrocapitalism
In December 2015, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Dr. Priscilla Chan, pledged their personal fortune—then valued at $45 billion—to the Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI), a philanthropic effort aimed at “advancing human potential and promoting equality.” But instead of organizing CZI using a traditional charitable structure, the couple organized CZI as a for-profit Delaware LLC. CZI is perhaps the most notable example, but not the only example, of Silicon Valley billionaires exploiting the LLC form to advance philanthropic efforts. But are LLCs and other for-profit business structures compatible with philanthropy? What are the tax, governance, and other policy implications of this new tool of philanthrocapitalism? What happens when LLCs, rather than traditional charitable forms, are used for “philanthropic” purposes?
From the heart of Silicon Valley, the AALS Section on Agency, Partnerships LLCs, and Unincorporated Associations and Section on Nonprofit and Philanthropy Law will host a joint program tackling these timely issues. In addition to featuring invited speakers, we seek speakers (and papers) selected from this call.
Any full-time faculty of an AALS member or fee-paid school who has written an unpublished paper, is working on a paper, or who is interested in writing a paper in this area is invited to submit a 1- or 2-page proposal by June 1, 2016. The Executive Committees of the Sections will review all submissions and select two papers by July 1, 2016. If selected, a very polished draft must be submitted by November 30, 2016. All submissions and inquiries should be directed to the Chairs of the Sections at the email addresses below:
Mohsen Manesh
Associate Professor
University of Oregon School of Law
mohsen@uoregon.edu
Garry W. Jenkins
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
John C. Elam/Vorys Sater Professor of Law
Moritz College of Law, Ohio State University
jenkins.434@osu.edu
The Surly Subgroup 