While you focus on your mission, we help protect and strengthen Idaho's nonprofit sector at the local, state, and federal levels. The Nonprofit Center acts as a trusted bridge between nonprofits and policymakers by tracking legislation, coordinating sector voices, and providing tools to support engagement.
Nonprofits see firsthand how policy decisions affect people and communities. Decisions made at the local and federal levels directly impact nonprofit funding, regulations, and the ability to respond to community needs—making advocacy an essential tool for achieving mission‑driven goals.
Advocacy also includes lobbying, which is a powerful and lawful tool for 501(c)(3) nonprofits. Under the law, nonprofits are allowed to lobby in support of their missions, and doing so helps ensure that policies reflect the needs and voices of the people nonprofits serve.
Keeping up with policy changes can be overwhelming, especially during Idaho's legislative session. From January through April, our bi‑weekly emails deliver timely updates, clear explanations, and opportunities to engage when it matters most. Through Legislative Watch, nonprofits gain the information they need to understand policy impacts and respond with confidence.
Nonprofits are busy serving their communities, but policy conversations don't pause. Our investment in professional lobbying ensures the sector is represented early and often in conversations that may lead to legislation impacting Idaho nonprofits. This gives organizations a seat at the table, without the cost or capacity required to hire their own lobbyist. Professional advocacy at this level isn't possible without our membership program.
Data helps tell the nonprofit sector's story. Through surveys, reports, and ongoing research, The Idaho Community Foundation gathers insights on the challenges and opportunities facing Idaho nonprofits. This research strengthens our advocacy efforts, equips nonprofit leaders with actionable information, and helps policymakers understand the real‑world impact of their decisions.
Policy is stronger when it's informed by real experiences. Launched in 2025, these guided tours highlight the vital role nonprofits play in meeting community needs, strengthening the economy, and shaping Idaho's future. By seeing the work firsthand, elected officials gain a deeper understanding of how policy decisions affect nonprofits and the communities they serve.
When a new tour is announced, we publish it on our events calendar and share in our Nonprofit Navigator newsletter.
Nonprofit advocacy is stronger when voices are connected. Through our partnership with the National Council of Nonprofits, the Nonprofit Center ensures Idaho nonprofits are represented in federal policy discussions and national advocacy efforts. This collaboration (part of a nationwide network of state nonprofit associations) helped reverse the early 2025 funding freeze and continues to support policies that strengthen, protect, and elevate nonprofits.
*The Nonprofit Center is Idaho's designated Nonprofit State Association and Membership Organization through the National Council of Nonprofits network.
The Nonprofit Center's Policy Agenda outlines the key issues that affect Idaho's nonprofit sector and serves as a framework for our advocacy efforts. It guides how we evaluate legislation and determine when the Center will take a position in support of or opposition to a policy proposal. The agenda helps ensure our advocacy is consistent, transparent, and aligned with the needs of nonprofits across the state.
The Policy Agenda is informed by sector research, member feedback, and emerging policy trends. We welcome comments and input from nonprofits to ensure the agenda reflects real‑world experiences and priorities.
Find the full 2026 agenda below.
We support policies at the local and state levels that maintain property tax exemptions for nonprofits as well as uniform standards of assessing exemptions annually.
We support an appropriate level of government regulation and enforcement to protect the public's interest while upholding the integrity of the nonprofit sector.
We support policies that protect the decision‑making autonomy and self‑governance authority of charitable nonprofits.
We support IRS and state policies which uphold charitable nonprofits' rights to advocate appropriately for their mission and/or cause, to lobby elected officials and/or grassroots citizen groups on pieces of legislation or public policy (per current IRS regulations), and to uphold the ‘Johnson amendment’ which prevents charitable nonprofits from engaging in electioneering (e.g. endorsing political candidates) so as to maintain our sector as nonpartisan in fact, law, and purpose.
We support budget appropriations that enhance nonprofits' ability to provide essential community services for Idahoans in both rural and urban communities.
We support policies that expand charitable giving incentives in the federal and state tax code for Idahoans to support the community causes they care about.
Nonprofits are the fourth largest private sector employer in Idaho. We support policies that enhance nonprofits' ability to attract and retain a qualified workforce. This may include policies and programs such as workforce development/capacity building funding, programs increasing the supply of high‑quality, affordable childcare, policies that allow for innovative/pooled employee benefit solutions, and policies that ensure a stable and affordable health insurance market for employers, which affects all businesses (nonprofit and for‑profit alike).
Effective advocacy requires time, expertise, and sustained attention—resources most nonprofits cannot dedicate on their own. Membership support allows the Nonprofit Center to invest in professional advocacy infrastructure, including legislative monitoring, policy analysis, coalition‑building, and representation at the Capitol. Without this shared investment, the nonprofit sector would have limited capacity to influence decisions that directly affect funding, regulations, and community impact.
If your organization is not a member, we encourage you to join. Membership ensures the nonprofit sector is not sidelined in critical policy discussions and has the resources needed to respond when it matters most. Participation strengthens the sector's ability to protect its work, its funding, and the communities it serves.