Carolyn (Morey) Ward

Counsel

Carolyn (Morey) Ward, counsel in our Washington D.C. tax practice, focuses her practice on advising tax-exempt organizations on a variety of matters, including tax planning, governance, unrelated business income tax issues, endowments, charitable giving, and audits.

Morey counsels clients on tax structuring, corporate governance, operational policies and procedures, domestic and international grant making, donor-advised funds, compliance with private foundation rules, unrelated business income tax, endowments, gift agreements, lobbying and political activity, executive compensation, intermediate sanctions, corporate transactions, complex organizational structures, joint ventures, audits, voluntary compliance procedures, and program-related investments.

Morey is the immediate past Chair of the Committee on Exempt Organizations of the American Bar Association, Section of Taxation.

From 1998-2000, Morey served as legislation counsel for the Joint Committee on Taxation where she was responsible for advising members of the U.S. Congress and their staff on matters involving tax-exempt organizations and charitable giving.

Experience

Colleges & universities and university alumni associations
Museums and cultural organizations
Private foundations, private operating foundations, corporate foundations and family foundations
Public charities, foreign charities, churches, government instrumentalities, and disaster relief organizations
Supporting organizations
Donor-advised funds and DAF sponsoring organizations
Economic development corporations and affordable housing organizations
Scientific research organizations
Trade associations and social clubs

Publications

Quoted, “Budget Bill May Wipe Out Endowment Tax For Colleges,” Law360 (September 29, 2021)
Co-author, “Institutional Funds,” MCLE College and University Law Manual, 2^nd edition (Updated August 2021)
Quoted, “IRS Group Exemption Tweaks May Drive Some Out Of Program,” Law360 (May 28, 2021)
Co-author, “Management of Endowment and Institutional Funds,” MCLE Massachusetts Nonprofit Organizations, 6^th edition (Updated December 2020)
Quoted, “How the world’s richest doctor gave away millions—then steered the cash back to his company,” STAT (March 6, 2017)
Quoted, “How Gift Agreements Can Safeguard Against Unmet Pledges,” The Chronicle of Philanthropy (March 2, 2017)
Quoted, “Four Ways Charitable Giving Could Change With a Tax Overhaul,” Bloomberg BNA's Daily Tax Report (December 12, 2016)

Presentations

Speaker, “Tax Issues for Fundraising Platforms, Donors and Donees,” ABA Midyear Tax Meeting (February 2022)
Speaker, “Legal and Practical Issues in Drafting Charitable Gift Agreements,” Tulane Tax Institute (November 2021)
Speaker, “Ask the Experts,” Georgetown Law – Representing and Managing Tax-Exempt Organizations (April 2021)
Speaker, “Problems and Solutions – Private Foundations and Donor Advised Funds,” Tulane Tax Institute, (November 2020)
Speaker, “Update on Endowment Excise Tax,” NACUBO Endowments Forum (February 2020)
Speaker, “What to Do When the Family Foundation Isn’t Working: Practical and Tax Consequences of Terminations, Divisions and Transfers,” “Dissolution, Division, Distribution, or DAF: Options for the Obsolete Family Foundation,” Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning (January 2020)
Speaker, “A View of the Sector: Implementing Tax Reform for Tax-Exempt Organizations,” UT Law Nonprofit Organizations Institute (January 2020)
Speaker, “Ask the Experts,” 2019 Representing and Managing Tax-Exempt Organizations, Georgetown Law (April 2019)
Speaker, “Negotiating and Drafting Charitable Gift Agreements,” 2019 Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning (January 2019)
Speaker, “Managing the Tax Consequences of Alternative Investments,” American Health Lawyers Association, 2018 Tax Issues for Health Care Organizations (October 2018)
Speaker, “Ask the Experts,” 2018 Representing and Managing Tax-Exempt Organizations, Georgetown Law (April 2018)
Speaker, “Family Offices and Private Foundations: Exploring the Tensions,” UT Law Nonprofit Organizations Institute (January 2018)

Education

LLM (Taxation), Georgetown University Law Center, 1997; with distinction
JD, cum laude, American University Washington College of Law, 1993; First Prize, Nathan Burkan Memorial Competition
BA, Duke University, 1989