Projo Politics Blog

After 18 years as executive director of Common Cause of Rhode Island, H. Philip West retired last month. Although his name may be gone from the payroll, the good-government group is nevertheless keeping West around in a figurative sense: Common Cause’s new endowment will be called the Phil West Spirit of Common Cause RI Fund.

Common Cause’s Rhode Island affiliate is the first state chapter of the nationwide group to establish such an endowment. The point is to accumulate a pool of charitable gifts donated under section 501(c)3 of the tax code, meaning they are tax-deductible as charitable gifts to a nonprofit organization. Not all gifts to Common Cause are tax-deductible, because 501(c)3 funds cannot be used for political purposes, such as lobbying at the State House. The endowment will provide permanent support for Common Cause’s nonpolitical functions, such as research and voter education, associate director Diana Kelly said.

For example, Common Cause recently published a progress report on implementation of separation of powers in Rhode Island, and held a panel discussion on conflict of interest last March — both acceptable activities for use of 501(c)3 funds, Kelly said.

If the fund grows large enough, its annual distribution could be used to fund the salary for a research position, she said.

Although Common Cause announced the fund’s creation last week, the group has been quietly soliciting contributions since last summer and has accumulated $237,000 in pledges. The fund will be managed by the Rhode Island Foundation. The target balance is $500,000, but Kelly said that, come springtime, Common Cause will shift its fundraising focus to 501(c)4 funds, which can be used for political purposes. “We are conscious of the need to also raise enough advocacy funding that’s not tax-deductible to support our operation,” she said.

On Friday, West was at home working on writing his memoirs. He said he was “thrilled” that the group decided to create the endowment, and honored to have it named after him. “I just have a sense of great joy that this is going to be there going forward,” he said.

-- Journal staff writers Elizabeth Gudrais and Edward Fitzpatrick

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