International Center for Not-for-Profit Law

The International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL) works to improve the legal environment for civil society, philanthropy, and public participation around the world. It protects the freedoms of association, assembly, and expression, and the right to public participation, whether exercised online or offline. ICNL is a nonpartisan organization founded in 1992 as the first organization to focus on the legal environment aspect of civic space. It has worked in 100 countries, and its network includes 7,000 partners, engaging colleagues in philanthropy, government, civil society, academia, and intergovernmental organizations.

The International Center for Non-Profit Law’s mission is to ensure that appropriate legal frameworks support the expansion of civil society around the globe. The Center has provided technical and research assistance to support the reform of laws governing nonprofit organizations in more than ninety countries including Mexico. With Hewlett support, the Center has offered critical input to increase eligibility for tax exemption to a variety of groups including human rights organizations, and environment, transparency, and accountability watchdogs. The Center was also instrumental in the implementation of the Double Taxation Treaty that allows Mexican tax-deductible organizations to be equivalent to public charities in the United States. This program grant for the Center’s Partners Improving Laws Affecting Philanthropy would assist the organization to continue collaborating with Mexican civil society advocates with the goal of enhancing the legal and fiscal framework that governs Mexico’s nonprofit sector. The Center will continue to focus on providing hard data and evidence-based policy analysis to improve regulations and administrative practices that could facilitate philanthropic giving, improve self regulation of the civil sector, increase the number of tax-exempt organizations, and expand local expertise on civil society law.