2020 Lane Reports
Tuesday, December 1, 2020
Chicago’s 138 Opportunity Zones aren’t gaining the traction they should. Here's how that could change.
The Opportunity Zones program, tucked within the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, was intended to draw private capital into low-income communities throughout the nation by tapping into the massive stockpile of unrealized capital gains wealth,...
Friday, October 30, 2020
Illinois’ high-stakes tax measure pits hope against fear—and its fate turns on trust.
Illinois voters are about to weigh in on a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow a graduated income tax structure to replace the state’s current flat tax.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker, America’s wealthiest officeholder, has spent more than...
Friday, October 30, 2020
Illinois’ high-stakes tax measure pits hope against fear—and its fate turns on trust.
Illinois voters are about to weigh in on a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow a graduated income tax structure to replace the state’s current flat tax.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker, America’s wealthiest officeholder, has spent more than...
Thursday, October 1, 2020
However national climate policy plays out after Nov. 3, the Land of Lincoln must aggressively shift away from fossil fuels. Here's why.
A derecho—a violent wall of wind—brought down trees and knocked out power for 1 ½ million people in Chicago and throughout the Midwest on August 10. $4 billion in homes and crops were lost; and...
Tuesday, September 1, 2020
Borrowing against the organization's balance sheet is a creative way to make more grants at a lower cost.
Photo: Getty Images
For the first time in 40-plus years of supporting charitable efforts in Chicago and around the world, the storied John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is issuing $125 million in taxable "social bonds," with possibly more...
Monday, August 3, 2020
How we redesign Chicago and set its priorities will define who we become, how healthy we are, how long we live and how habitable our city remains.
Photo: Getty Images
We should have expected COVID-19’s disproportionate impact on Black, Hispanic and poor Chicagoans. The unconscionable inadequacy of their health care, the disgrace of food deserts, the...
Wednesday, July 1, 2020
Government is expanding its function beyond funding the programs it supports and tightening or loosening regulations. Increasingly, it’s stepping up as an innovative and disruptive agent of change.
Photo: Getty Images
For generations the nation’s economic sectors were siloed. Public charities pursued their mission-driven programs on their own,...
Monday, June 1, 2020
Illinois’ crumbling infrastructure represents the best opportunity to rebuild the state’s struggling communities.
Last June, Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a bipartisan bill giving Illinois its first capital plan in a decade. The Rebuild Illinois Act committed $45 billion in public funds over six years for long-deferred repairs and improvements to...
Monday, May 4, 2020
StreetWise is now “powered by YWCA Metropolitan Chicago.” When COVID-19 is behind us, should Chicago’s other nonprofits consider merging with one another?
Mark Grapengater/Flickr
StreetWise, the nonprofit publisher of the weekly magazine that homeless people buy for 90 cents and hawk on Chicago’s street corners for $2, has merged...
Wednesday, April 1, 2020
Coronavirus, Economic Meltdown And The World Of Impact: Insights From Marc J. Lane, Attorney And Social Enterprise Advocate
Anne Field, Contributor
Marc Lane LAW OFFICES OF MARC J. LANE, P.C.
What do the Coronavirus pandemic and economic crisis mean for social enterprise and impact investing? Not Only for Profit is talking to a variety of key...
Wednesday, February 19, 2020
If poor communities aren’t lifted up, investments in them won’t increase in value and the intent of the law will be frustrated.
Bloomberg: Boarded-up residential buildings in the Bronx.
Will the benefits of the Qualified Opportunity Zone program trickle down to the residents of Chicago’s most vulnerable communities?
The program is...
Monday, February 3, 2020
The Debate Over Illinois’ Renewable Energy Future
By Alexander Konetzki
A new legislative session is upon us in Illinois, and the development of renewable energy is on the minds of Illinois legislators and Governor J.B. Pritzker. In 2019, State Representative Ann Williams of Chicago and State Senator Cristina Castro of Elgin introduced the Clean...
Thursday, January 2, 2020
“Steward Ownership” Gains Ground!
By Marc J Lane
An executive decision to include a company’s employees in ownership can contribute to their financial security and give them a welcome voice in management. It can also boost the company’s profitability and reduce its tax burden.
No wonder some 11 million U. S. workers participate in...
