A friend is considering starting a charitable foundation aimed at improving media diversity in India and adjoining countries in South Asia. India and adjoining countries of South Asia are home to some of the most diverse ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities in the world. Therefore, the vision is to empower voices that are otherwise overlooked or marginalized, so that the media becomes more representative of this cultural diversity. Unfortunately, the political climate in India is not sufficiently conducive at present and registering the foundation within the country would be onerous to the extreme.
Therefore, I request the EA forum community to provide suggestions regarding what locations would be most conducive to the cause- registering such a foundation. Prospective locations can be from anywhere in the world. We would obviously prefer registration within countries where the bureaucratic necessities are easy to navigate and ease of functioning is at a high. While listing your suggestions, please also keep in mind whether the countries mentioned are open to non-citizens registering charitable foundations within its boundaries. Any elaborations on the bureaucratic processes involved or links to resources on the same would be much appreciated.
Thank you so much!
An important question is going to be what features you want of your organization. For example, do you want it to make possible tax-exempt giving (many countries let you deduct giving to recognized charitable organizations against your income tax burden up to some limit)? Do you want to just avoid lots of bureaucracy (generally not compatible with being a charitable organization)? Do you want low or no tax burden? And, of course, as you note, can you create the organization on your own or do you need a local sponsor? I think trying to answer those will help you explore the space and narrow down the options.
Thank you so much, Gordon.
We've been doing some research on our own and your questions corroborate what we have found. Yes, we would ideally want it to be tax exempt. And a certain amount of bureaucratic difficulties are indeed unavoidable, and therefore, we would prefer a location which is more accessible, specifically to non-citizens in terms of founding a non profit within its jurisdiction. This would then throw open issues of property and citizenship too, I feel. Need to follow up on that.
We are presently focusing on Germany. Hence, if you could provide any insights into the practical implications of running a non profit within Germany, we would greatly appreciate it.
Thank you so much for your response again!