Schneiderman Appoints Head Of Central New York Community Foundation To Team Charged With Improving Regulations & Reducing Burden

Schneiderman: Nonprofits Are Critical Part Of Central New York’s Economy – Must Ensure They Have Resources To Thrive
SYRACUSE – Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced the appointment of Peter Dunn, the President and CEO of the Central New York Community Foundation in Syracuse, to serve on his Leadership Committee for Nonprofit Revitalization. Mr. Dunn is one of 29 leaders the Attorney General has charged with providing recommendations to improve nonprofit regulation and enforcement in New York.

"I am pleased Peter will serve with his colleagues across the state to reform the rules of the road so the nonprofit sector can thrive,” Attorney General Schneiderman said. “Nonprofits provide critical services to their communities and as the second largest employment sector in the state, their success is crucial to our economy. We can be tough on policing fraud without imposing needless burdens and costs on this vital sector, and the Leadership Committee is a central part of achieving those goals.”

The Attorney General oversees nonprofits operating in New York State, and Schneiderman has made the improvement of nonprofit regulation a priority for his office. Earlier this year, he announced he would convene a group of leaders from New York’s nonprofit, business and labor communities to help eliminate unnecessary bureaucracy that has long plagued nonprofits, such as redundant audits and overlapping reporting requirements, and delays in processing and payment of contracts. The nonprofit sector is the second largest employment sector in the state, providing work for between 17 and 18 percent of New York's labor force.

“The Attorney General’s initiative is a much-needed step in the direction of modernizing nonprofit regulation in New York,” Peter Dunn said. “I am honored to be a part of the Leadership Committee, and look forward to working with Attorney General Schneiderman and my colleagues to provide nonprofits with the tools they need to thrive.”

Peter Dunn has served since June 2008 as the President and CEO of the Central New York Community Foundation. With more than $120 million in assets and more than 500 individual charitable funds under administration, the Community Foundation is a leader in promoting philanthropy for the benefit of Central New York communities and distributed more than $5 million in grants in its most recent fiscal year.

Mr. Dunn is currently a member of the Council on Foundations Legal and Regulatory Action Team for Community Foundations, secretary of the Cathedral Square Development Corporation, a member of the Onondaga County Bar Association Finance Committee and a board member of Syracuse 20/20 and the Near Westside Initiative in Syracuse. He is also a board member of the Grantmakers Forum of New York, a regional association of foundations.

The Leadership Committee’s activities will focus on the following:

Making recommendations on how to reduce regulatory burdens and more effectively address regulatory concerns;
Developing legislative proposals to modernize New York's nonprofit laws that would eliminate outdated requirements and unnecessary burdens; and
Proposing measures to enhance board governance and effectiveness, including through new programs to recruit and train nonprofit board members.