Understanding and Advising Today's Philanthro-Capitalists (On Demand Seminar)

A pre-recorded streaming AUDIO replay of the August 2020 webcast, Understanding and Advising Today's Philanthro-Capitalists.

Entrepreneurs, investors, consumers, and even employees increasingly consider social and environmental issues alongside financial matters in evaluating businesses and the products and services they provide. Among business people, terms like “triple-bottom line,” “sustainability,” and “socially responsible investing” and the practices and methods contemplated thereby are much more commonly used and accepted. Importantly, high-net-worth individuals and family offices increasingly are interested in so-called “impact investments” (a/k/a “ESG,” “SRI,” or “mission-related” investing): investments that further a positive social or environmental impact in addition to generating a financial return. Tax-exempt nonprofits such as Goodwill Industries and Habitat for Humanity have been using “social enterprise” to achieve their missions for years, but today for-profit social enterprise businesses are growing. In fact, at least 35 states (including Virginia) have authorized so-called “benefit corporations,” which are designed for social enterprise organizations. Moreover, entire funds are being established to invest in businesses and projects that seek to achieve social or environmental goals as well as financial returns. This presentation provides a basic introduction to the social enterprise/impact investing phenomenon, with emphasis on the relevant legal and tax considerations.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Cassady V. Brewer, Georgia State University / Atlanta, GA

Cassady V. “Cass” Brewer is an associate professor at Georgia State University College of Law in Atlanta, Georgia. He teaches courses in basic federal income taxation, corporate taxation, partnership taxation, the law of nonprofit organizations, and the law of social enterprise.

Professor Brewer received his LL.M. (Taxation) from New York University in 1987, where he served as graduate editor of the Tax Law Review. He is a graduate of the University of Arkansas School of Law (1986), where he was editor-in-chief of the Arkansas Law Review. He received his undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University (1983).

Professor Brewer researches and writes extensively on the legal and tax aspects of nonprofit organizations, business organizations, and social enterprise organizations. He is a co-author (with Elizabeth Minnigh and Robert Wexler) of “Social Enterprise by Non-Profits and Hybrid Organizations,”BNA Bloomberg T.M. #489-2nd (2018) and was a co-editor and co-author (with Dennis Young and Elizabeth Searing) of “The Social Enterprise Zoo: A Guide for Perplexed Scholars, Entrepreneurs, Philanthropists, Leaders, Investors and Policymakers,” Edward Elgar (2016). Professor Brewer also is a frequent speaker at conferences and workshops concerning corporate tax, partnership tax, nonprofit, and social enterprise topics.

Prior to his academic career, Professor Brewer practiced law as a tax attorney in Atlanta for over 24 years, the last 12 of which he served as a partner and practice leader in the tax group of Morris, Manning & Martin LLP.