Cotton Introduces Bill to Ban Certain Foreign Nationals from Nonprofit Boards

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Caroline Tabler or Patrick McCann (202) 224-2353
September 17, 2025

Cotton Introduces Bill to Ban Certain Foreign Nationals from Nonprofit Boards

Washington, DC — Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) today introduced the Nonprofit Governance Integrity Act to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to prohibit foreign nationals from China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and Cuba from serving on the board of directors of certain nonprofits, to include 501(c)(3)s, 501(c)(4)s, and 501(c)(6)s.

“Nonprofits that receive tax breaks should be completely free from malign foreign influence. Organizations influenced by adversarial foreign nationals should not benefit from our tax code,” said Senator Cotton.

Text of the bill can be found here.

The Nonprofit Governance Integrity Act would:

• Prohibit any 501(c)(3), 501(c)(4), or 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization from receiving tax exempt status if any member of the board of directors, or a similar governing body, is a citizen or national of a nation listed as a Foreign Entity of Concern (FEOC).
• This rule would not apply to churches or a convention or association of churches.

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