Counsel to a wide range of charitable and other nonprofit entities, and those who support them, Mike Cooney provides the nonprofit corporate and tax-exempt context in which these organizations can drive mission and margin. He directs the firm’s focus in higher education and exempt organizations.
My work optimizes the ability of nonprofits to accomplish their mission by identifying opportunities for enhanced fundraising and grant access, project management, governance and legal compliance. The approach benefits from the widest array of institutions and geographies, with a fundamental understanding of what makes nonprofit institutions successful in today’s competitive environment. The focus is largely structural, with an emphasis on sustainable and organic growth through systems that align the client’s resources and goals.
That work takes many forms. Charitable institutions and their donors have an array of tax benefits available to help advance their mission. We understand those incentives and advise on how to increase their impact in today’s economy. That spans program-related investments by private foundations in technology and startup companies to the proper structuring of an integrated fundraising campaign and the development of communities around university campuses.
Good governance is vital to operations and fashion approaches that make the most of precious volunteer time and resources. That includes the use of multicorporate environments and joint ventures to accomplish exempt purposes.
At the same time, we appreciate that success involves a degree of risk, so that when challenges arise our work involves the identification of a plan and resources necessary to continue the focus on success. In the highly regulated environment in which our clients exist, it is essential to be able to marshal such resources quickly and efficiently.
I work with colleges and universities doing life science research as well as help donors and entrepreneurs wanting to take advantage of PRIs to advance life science research.
The capacity of our nonprofit institutions to provide needed services and perspectives is being fundamentally challenged by economic forces and an increasingly hostile regulatory environment. Success will be rooted in new collaborations and new partners, drawing on the best practices of the business and governmental sectors, but making them our own.
Nonprofit & Government Times | June 29, 2018
Washington DC corporate partner Michael Cooney wrote this contributed article on donor-advised funds, a type of low-paperwork charitable trust, and how their use will change in light of new guidance and proposed regulations.
Rochester Business Journal | December 14, 2017
Rochester private equity and investment funds partner Jeremy Wolk, M&A and corporate transactions counsel Anita Pelletier and Washington DC M&A and corporate transactions partner Mike Cooney authored this column about the impact of U.S. tax reform on nonprofits.
The Art Newspaper | May 10, 2017
This article discusses the most pressing legal questions facing museums. Washington DC M&A and corporate transaction partner Mike Cooney is quoted on the possible legislation by Congress to limit income tax deductions for charitable donations.
Rochester Business Journal | February 09, 2017
Rochester private equity and investment funds partner Jeremy Wolk, Washington DC nonprofit organizations partner Michael Cooney and Rochester nonprofit organizations counsel Anita Pelletier co-authored this column about updates to the Nonprofit Revitalization Act of 2013 and what New York nonprofits will need to do in order to comply.
Rochester Business Journal | January 19, 2017
This article about charitable giving features Washington DC nonprofit/higher education partner Mike Cooney discussing the personal drivers behind choosing a charity.
University of Virginia, J.D., Managing Editor, Virginia Journal of International Law
Hamilton College, B.A., magna cum laude (Senior Fellow)
New York
District of Columbia
Florida
Michael was selected, through a peer-review survey, for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© 2020 in the fields of Nonprofit/Charities Law and Tax Law. Michael has been listed in Best Lawyers since 2007, and was named 2017 and 2019 Non-Profit/Charities Law “Lawyer of the Year” in Washington, DC.
Mike has also been recognized in Super Lawyers New York—Metro in Nonprofit, Schools & Education, and Health Care (2012). A Thomson Reuters publication, Super Lawyers evaluates lawyers based on a peer-review surveys and independent research.
Mike is a member of the American, New York State, District of Columbia, and Florida bar associations and the National Association of College and University Attorneys. He is currently a board member of Charity Navigator, the Eastern Association of College and University Business Officers and the George Eastman Museum. Mike is honored to have served on New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s Leadership Committee to Revitalize Nonprofits.
