It is easy to conflate allyship with friendship. An ally can be a friend, of course, but allyship in the workplace is about more than building camaraderie. As part of its anti-racism resources, Harvard University defines an “ally” as someone who makes the commitment and effort to recognize their privilege and work in solidarity with oppressed groups in the struggle fo [...]

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the Pandemic Response and Safety (PRS) Grant Program. This program provides grants to food processors, meat processors, distributors and wholesalers of nondurable goods that meet SBA small business size standards. Approximately $650 million is available to fund applications through this program. The funds will be use [...]

Under the California Nonprofit Integrity Act of 2004 (the Act), charities with gross revenues of $2 million or more must establish and maintain an audit committee. The $2 million threshold excludes grants received from governmental entities if the nonprofit is required to provide accounting on how the grant funds are used. Member Composition Considerations: The aud [...]

Becoming a leader is something many employees strive for, but not everyone accomplishes this goal. GHJ’s Managing Partner Tom Barry and Partner and Chief Strategy Officer Mari-Anne Kehler spoke at the 2021 Association for Accounting Marketing (AAM) Summit about how to earn a seat at the leadership table. Their insightful dialogue focused on the synergies among culture [...]

Originally published in Los Angeles Times. Nonprofits have always been important pillars of the community. Last year, organizations, such as the YWCA Greater Los Angeles (YWCA GLA), were on the frontline to provide much-needed social services to those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. YWCA GLA President and CEO Faye Washington has dedicated her career to community [...]

Originally published in Chief Executive Magazine As the boundaries between work and home continue to blur, how companies respond to social and political issues is more important than ever. Employees are taking note of their employer’s stance on key issues and subsequent actions, and creating an environment of trust, support and psychological safety can help leaders p [...]

In the past 18 to 24 months, two acts were signed into law that could have a significant impact on plan 2020 year audits — namely, the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act (passed in December 2019) and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act (passed in late March 2020). Each act contains provisions that will affect [...]

The state of California offers several programs to restaurants, those in the food supply chain and other small food and beverage companies. In addition, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) announced a grant program to support the agricultural producers and businesses in this industry with pandemic assistance funds. Qualifying food and beverage companies may ta [...]

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017 brought about several significant changes to the federal tax code. One notable change relates to the state and local tax deduction for individual taxpayers. Prior to 2018, an individual who itemized deductions on his or her personal income tax return could deduct 100 percent of state property taxes as well as either state incom [...]

Originally published in Risk Management Magazine There is no way around it—in the current environment, organizations cannot prevent social and political views from being shared in the workplace. Especially after the events of 2020, from politics to police violence to the pandemic, the lines between work and social discussions have increasingly blurred. This is not n [...]