The Charities Regulation and Oversight Project is the oldest and most comprehensive initiative of the National State Attorney General Program at Columbia Law School. Developed and led by Senior Counsel Cindy M. Lott, the Charities Regulation and Oversight Project’s mission is to foster a comprehensive approach by state attorneys general to protect charitable assets and ensure their lawful, highest and intended use in the public interest.

 

The Charities Project actively recommends and assists the implementation of joint strategies, such as coordinated responses to national legislation, regulations, and government agency action. By creating a safe space for policy exploration and open discussion, the Project is facilitating an integrated network that will improve understanding of the legal doctrines that attorneys general should apply, and will encourage strategic alliances among attorneys general, federal regulators, academics and the philanthropic sector. Over the course of six years of meetings, conferences, discussions, online communications and presentations, this integrated network has taken form with significant input from attorneys general. Through the development of five successful large conferences, two mini-conferences targeting specific cutting-edge issues, four regional trainings, a consistent presence among the state attorneys general and one-on-one conversations with attorneys general and members of the sector, the Charities Project has become a catalyst and forum for open, genuine dialogue among state regulators and the regulated community, as well as the academic and practitioner communities.