By Floyd Keene, The Triple EEE Foundation

In his recent blog post “Philanthropy and the Trends of Our Times,” Andy Carroll states that the America of the future will see decreasing social spending coupled with increasing human needs. This will result in more challenging, less meaningful lives for millions of Americans. He is 100% correct.

Andy challenges philanthropists to create “promising ideas for how philanthropy can make our country stronger.” Luckily, there’s good news on the horizon. Largely unnoticed and not yet classified as a “movement,” one idea could well change America—and do it quickly. It could force government to make rational public policy decisions to address major societal issues.

This incredibly promising and emerging new trend is the SISPAC (Social Issue Specific Political Action Committee).

SISPACs run and act like any other PAC (Political Action Committee) but with one big difference: They concentrate on one social issue. They have been around for a while but are just starting to become more commonly known.

A logical evolvement of the Super PAC trend and created under IRS Code Section 501(c)(4), money given to a SISPAC would not be deductible. Yet there are many other reasons why SISPACs will become more and more prevalent, effective, and important—for philanthropists specifically and for our society in general.

For example, a SISPAC could be created to specifically promote candidates willing to proactively help Americans below the poverty line. This SISPAC could support candidates who insist on fair wages, enhanced training, and improved job opportunities. Likewise, another SISPAC could insist on—and threaten media intervention—if an elected official does not act on helping the homeless. Can you imagine a watchdog group—well funded and ready to flood the media with political ads—insisting that a certain congressperson or senator act to fight poverty or homelessness or another social issue? The list of social issues is endless, and the potential effect of SISPACs boggles the mind.

In the 2012 elections, one SuperPAC allegedly donated millions of dollars to political campaigns based on one issue: addressing Iran’s nuclear program.

Last year two large SISPACs emerged:  

• Funded largely by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Everytown seeks to endorse candidates from both parties who support common sense public safety laws that reduce gun violence. It has already claimed several legislative victories throughout the country on gun-related issues.

• Founded by former hedge fund manager Tom Steyer, NextGen Climate supports “candidates, elected officials and policymakers across the country that will take bold action on climate change.” It also is committed to opposing climate change deniers and those candidates who “cater to special interests.”

The rise of SISPACs could have an astounding effect on national discourse and, ultimately, on national and state policies on many major issues. In short, SISPACs could change the world of both philanthropy and public policy, much like Super PACs have changed the world of politics.

The rise of SISPACs creates a fascinating dilemma for philanthropists. Do I give money to charity and get favorable tax treatment? Or do I give it to a SISPAC, forego the favorable tax treatment, and have a potentially greater effect? As SISPACs grow, in my opinion, it is a distinct possibility that charities will get a smaller piece of the pie. Substantial funds formerly going to charities could flow to political advocacy—where the effect could be magnified by tenfold or more.

In short, Andy correctly identified a public policy issue of massive proportions. But the shiny light at the end of the tunnel may well be SISPACs—creating hope for a brighter tomorrow despite some very troublesome trends.

Related posts
5 Trends That May Change U.S. Philanthropy
The Pulse: Nation’s Awareness Builds of Widespread Hardship and Poverty, Toll on Children
Philanthropy Debates Its Role

Exponent Philanthropy board member Floyd Keene is president and founder of The Triple EEE Foundation in Deerfield, IL. He received his bachelor’s and law degrees from the University of Wisconsin and, before leaving the business world, was a senior executive at Ameritech, a Fortune 500 company. He is a strong advocate of impact investing, and his foundation’s assets are currently 100% impact invested. Follow Floyd on Twitter @EEEFoundation.