CPA Donation Policy

CPA Donation Policy A great work of reconstruction is underway in Iraq, and in the best American tradition, private entities – individuals, businesses, civic and charitable organizations – are taking their place along with the U.S. government and other donor nations in helping to meet needs, and building trust and friendship with the Iraqi people. CPA has a donations policy that is designed to take into account both the needs of Iraq as well as the constraints involved in getting donations into the country and distributed to the intended recipient. There are resource and staff limits, as well as security risks that must be evaluated when considering a donation proposal. Shipping is always the most difficult part of handling a donation, and can be costly. In sum, CPA’s donation policy is “requirement based,” meaning that all donations needing government support for delivery must meet a specific identified need. Approval process Some donors are able to ship their donation directly to the intended recipient in Iraq. Most donations, however, require some form of support from the U.S. Government, in the form of shipping, staff coordination and in-country distribution. This means that all donations requiring CPA support must first be approved by the CPA donations office before being accepted into Iraq. CPA will evaluate the donation based upon the following criteria: The donation meets a priority need, as identified by an official in Iraq The value of the donation exceeds significantly the cost of shipping and distribution The value of the donation justifies the security risks that may be involved in distributing the donation If you would like to submit a request for shipping assistance please proceed to the Department of Defense Humanitarian Assistance Program website for more information and applications for the Denton and Funded Transportation programs. Preferences Donors should give preference to providing gifts in the form of cash, which is much easier to transport into the country and can be used to purchase materials in the local economy, thereby contributing to economic growth and jobs. For guidance on how financial gifts to the Iraqi people can be made, please refer to our Financial Donation page or contact us at (703)697-8923 or (703)697-6317. The hardest part of every donation is transportation. Some donors of gifts-in-kind may qualify for publicly funded transportation administered by the Department of Defense. Many donors of in-kind gifts will be encouraged to pay for and arrange private shipping. In these cases, they will still need an organization inside Iraq to receive and properly distribute the gift. Tax Deductibility Donors frequently inquire into the tax deductibility of their gifts, especially corporations. Tax deductibility is generally not assured in the case of direct donations to CPA or an Iraqi entity. While most donations to a 501C3 are usually considered tax deductible, large gifts by corporations should be evaluated on a case by case basis by the IRS to determine whether it qualifies for a tax deduction or merely a business expense. For more information, please read the Official CPA Donation Policy