Colorado Code § 39-22-548

Colorado homeless contribution tax credit - legislative declaration - definitions - repeal
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(1) (a) In accordance with section 39-21-304 (1), which requires each bill
that creates a new tax expenditure to include a tax preference performance statement as part of a
statutory legislative declaration, the general assembly finds and declares that the general
legislative purpose of this tax expenditure is to induce certain designated behavior by taxpayers.
Specifically, this tax expenditure is intended to encourage taxpayers to make contributions to
approved nonprofit organizations providing certain qualifying activities to leverage financial
contributions from Colorado residents and businesses to support providing appropriate housing
and services to assist individuals and families experiencing homelessness. The tax expenditure
will catalyze and strengthen statewide efforts to address the effects of homelessness through
private investment and civic engagement in Colorado-based service providers for individuals and
families experiencing homelessness.
(b) The annual review presented by the division as set forth in subsection (6) of this
section will allow the general assembly and the state auditor to measure the effectiveness of the
tax expenditure.
(2) As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires:
(a) "Approved nonprofit organization" means a nonprofit organization that provides a
qualifying activity and that has been reviewed and approved by the division as specified in
subsection (5) of this section and has a history or track record of success in delivering services
and demonstrated financial viability.
(b) "Approved project" means a project administered by an approved nonprofit
organization that has been evaluated, reviewed, and approved by the division as specified in
subsection (5) of this section, and that implements one or more qualifying activities.
(c) "Capital campaign" means a campaign that encourages public and private
partnerships and is focused on raising funds for a specific capital project. The capital project
must involve construction and implementation that commences within three years of the project
being approved by the division. A "capital campaign" must include a campaign for one or more
of the following:
(I) Supportive housing for individuals or families experiencing homelessness;
(II) Community overnight shelters, community day shelters, or emergency shelters;
(III) Facilities, including the acquisition or rehabilitation of facilities, used to provide
housing or services to individuals or families experiencing homelessness, including facilities that
are necessary to perform qualifying services; or
(IV) Facilities needed to provide administrative support for approved projects.
(d) "Division of housing" or "division" means the division of housing in the department
of local affairs created in section 24-32-704.
(e) "In-kind contribution" means a contribution that is not a monetary contribution and is
valued over five thousand dollars pursuant to an independent third-party valuation, including a
contribution of property, services, stocks, bonds, or other intangible property.
(f) "Monetary contribution" means a contribution in United States currency in any form,
including cash, payment made by check, electronic funds transfer, debit card, or credit card.
(g) "Nonprofit organization" means any organization in good standing with the secretary
of state that is exempt from taxation pursuant to section 501 (a) of the federal "Internal Revenue
Code of 1986", 26 U.S.C. sec. 501 (a), as amended, and listed as an exempt organization in
section 501 (c)(3) of the federal "Internal Revenue Code of 1986", 26 U.S.C. sec. 501 (c)(3), as
amended.
(h) "Operational service" means a service with the primary focus on assisting individuals
or families experiencing homelessness or, in the case of prevention, individuals or families
facing imminent risk of homelessness. An operational service must also be a service that
supports or provides:
(I) Outreach efforts to engage or provide services to unsheltered individuals or families
experiencing homelessness;
(II) Safe emergency, temporary, or transitional shelters, such as day shelters, that may
include supportive services to individuals or families experiencing homelessness;
(III) Prevention services that target individuals or families facing imminent risk of
homelessness as defined by the department of local affairs;
(IV) Supportive housing for individuals or families experiencing homelessness or who
would otherwise be homeless;
(V) Services designed to assist individuals or families experiencing homelessness to
obtain an employment outcome, including job placement services and services that help
individuals become workforce ready;
(VI) Case management, including establishing client goals for individuals or families
experiencing homelessness and coordination of referrals to address health or mental health
benefit procurement and procurement of other essential services for individuals or families
experiencing homelessness;
(VII) Shelters and services for survivors of domestic violence who are fleeing an abusive
household; or
(VIII) The implementation and operation of successor projects or other services for
individuals or families experiencing homelessness that are identified by the division as
emerging, promising, and providing best practices.
(i) "Qualifying activity" means a capital campaign or an operational service.
(j) "Taxpayer" means a resident individual or a domestic or foreign corporation subject
to part 3 of this article 22, a partnership, S corporation, or other similar pass-through entity,
estate, or trust that makes a contribution as an entity, and a partner, member, and subchapter S
shareholder of such a pass-through entity.
(3) (a) For income tax years commencing on or after January 1, 2023, but before January
1, 2027, except as provided in subsection (3)(b) of this section, any taxpayer who makes a
monetary or in-kind contribution to an approved nonprofit organization, or to an approved
project administered by an approved nonprofit organization, is allowed a credit equal to twenty-
five percent of the total value of the contribution, subject to the limitations specified in
subsection (3)(d) of this section.
(b) If a taxpayer makes a monetary or in-kind contribution to an approved nonprofit
organization, or to an approved project administered by an approved nonprofit organization, in
an underserved, rural county, as defined by the division in its guidelines for the program, then
the taxpayer is allowed a credit equal to thirty percent of the total value of the contribution,
subject to the limitations in subsection (3)(d) of this section.
(c) The approved nonprofit organization that receives the allowable contribution shall
issue a tax credit certificate to each taxpayer that makes an allowable contribution pursuant to
subsections (3)(a) or (3)(b) of this section; except that the approved nonprofit organization shall
not issue tax credit certificates that total more than seven hundred fifty thousand dollars per
income tax year, and if the approved nonprofit organization administers one or more approved
projects, in addition to providing a qualifying service, then the approved nonprofit organization
shall not issue tax credit certificates for allowable contributions to one or more approved projects
that total more than an additional seven hundred fifty thousand dollars per income tax year. The
tax credit certificate must state a unique certificate identification number, the amount of the
allowable contribution, the taxpayer's name, the last four digits of the taxpayer's social security
number or the taxpayer's full federal employer identification number, the type of the
contribution, the date the taxpayer made the contribution, the amount of the tax credit that is
authorized for that taxpayer, and any other information that the executive director of the
department of revenue may require. Tax credit certificates shall be issued in the order of
received allowable contributions.
(d) (I) (A) The credit allowed in subsections (3)(a) and (3)(b) of this section shall not
exceed one hundred thousand dollars per taxpayer per tax year.
(B) For a contribution made pursuant to subsections (3)(a) or (3)(b) of this section that is
made in a cash payment, the contribution must be equal to or greater than one hundred dollars.
(C) In the case of a partnership, S corporation, or other similar pass-through entity, the
limitations in this subsection (3)(d) apply at the entity level.
(II) In no event is a credit allowed pursuant to this section for contributions that directly
benefit the taxpayer. If a taxpayer receives a benefit for the contribution, the value of the
contribution is reduced by the value of the benefit received by the taxpayer to arrive at the
contribution that may be certified for the income tax credit allowed in this section.
(III) If the amount of the allowed credit exceeds the amount of income taxes otherwise
due on the income of the taxpayer in the income tax year for which the credit is being claimed,
the amount of the credit not used as an offset against income taxes in that income tax year may
be carried forward as a credit against subsequent years' income tax liability for a period not
exceeding five years and must be applied first to the earliest income tax years possible. Any
credit remaining after the period may not be refunded or credited to the taxpayer.
(4) On or before November 1, 2022, and on or before November 1 of each year
thereafter, the division shall develop and post on the division's website a list, including a
description, of all approved nonprofit organizations and any approved projects administered by
an approved nonprofit organization to which taxpayers may contribute during the next calendar
year for the purpose of receiving a tax credit pursuant to this section. Any modifications to the
list, including nonprofit organizations or proposed projects of an approved nonprofit
organization that are later approved, must be posted on the division's website no later than sixty
days after the modification is made. The division shall review a proposed nonprofit organization
and any proposed project of an approved nonprofit organization for eligibility and approval as
described in subsection (5) of this section.
(5) (a) (I) A nonprofit organization shall apply to the division for approval to receive
allowable contributions under this section, including approval of a proposed project. The
application must:
(A) Set forth the qualifying activity that the nonprofit organization provides, and, in
addition, for a proposed project, the qualifying activity that the project will implement;
(B) Provide a letter of approval from the nonprofit organization's board of directors;
(C) Provide evidence that the nonprofit organization is in good standing with the
secretary of state; and
(D) Submit a recent audit or financial report to the division in a form that is acceptable
to the division.
(II) An organization that has a program as set forth in section 39-30-103.5 (3)(a) that has
been approved by the Colorado economic development commission under section 39-30-103.5 is
deemed approved for purposes of compliance with this section to receive eligible contributions
unless otherwise specifically disapproved by the division so long as the organization:
(A) Is a nonprofit;
(B) Provides or has the intent to provide a qualifying activity;
(C) Can provide a letter of approval from its board of directors;
(D) Submits a recent audit or financial report to the division in a form that is acceptable
to the division; and
(E) No later than four years from August 10, 2022, submits an application for reapproval
pursuant to subsection (5)(g) of this section.
(III) When reviewing applications and organizations for approval pursuant to
subsections (5)(a)(I) and (5)(a)(II) of this section, with respect to a nonprofit organization's
proposed qualifying activity or activities, the division shall consider the financial management
capacity and operational capacity of the nonprofit organization and evaluate the capability of the
nonprofit organization to enter a monitoring agreement for the purpose of the division evaluating
the efficacy of the nonprofit organization and its qualifying activity or activities.
(b) The division shall review applications received pursuant to subsection (5)(a) of this
section in a timely manner and in a time frame set forth in the division's guidelines for the
program. The division shall issue a notice of approval or disapproval of a nonprofit organization,
a proposed project, or both in writing.
(c) The division is authorized to hold hearings in order to review a nonprofit
organization's request to reconsider a decision regarding disapproval within thirty days after the
date of the disapproval notice.
(d) Once approved, the nonprofit organization shall maintain an accounting system and
appropriate records to track contributions received by taxpayers for which a tax credit was
allowed under this section and to accurately associate the use of the contributions with
qualifying activities, an approved project, or both.
(e) The division shall specify in program guidelines what information regarding
qualifying activities must be reported by the nonprofit organization and can request from the
nonprofit organization an audit or financial report in a form that is acceptable to the division.
(f) (I) No later than June 30, 2025, the division shall complete a review of every
organization and project deemed approved under subsection (5)(a)(II) of this section, and no
later than June 30, 2026, and June 30 of each year thereafter, the division shall complete a
review of every other approved nonprofit organization and approved project to evaluate
performance and compliance with the requirements of this section. The division must review the
qualifying activities being provided and determine how the activities are addressing current and
emerging needs of individuals and families experiencing homelessness in each approved
nonprofit organization's community, or, if applicable, each approved project's community.
(II) The division has the authority to monitor and audit approved nonprofit organizations
and their performance and may disapprove an approved nonprofit organization or an approved
project of an approved nonprofit organization if the approved nonprofit organization is not
meeting expectations or if the approved nonprofit organization is otherwise not in compliance
with objectives outlined in this section or program guidelines, or, if applicable, in the project
proposal. The division shall immediately notify the department of revenue if an approved
nonprofit organization or an approved project of an approved nonprofit organization is
disapproved as a result of a review or audit in order to ensure that contributions made by
taxpayers on or after the date of disapproval are no longer eligible for the tax credit allowed in
this section.
(g) An approved nonprofit organization shall apply for reapproval with the division
every four years in the same manner provided for approval in subsection (5)(a)(I) of this section.
When applying for reapproval, the nonprofit organization may add or remove qualifying
activities in the reapproval application. It is expected that a nonprofit organization will revise
any previously approved goals, objectives, and expected outcomes of its qualifying activities to
adjust to changes in community needs, emerging best practices, and feedback from the division.
(6) The division shall present an annual review of approved nonprofit organizations and
any approved projects administered by an approved nonprofit organization to the state housing
board created in section 24-32-706. The annual review must include individual and collective
outputs and outcomes of each approved nonprofit organization described in this section and must
summarize contributions received and tax credit certificates issued for the reporting period,
including an estimate of expected contributions for the upcoming calendar year.
(7) The division shall develop program guidelines, with stakeholder involvement, for the
administration of this section.
(8) (a) On or before September 30 of each calendar year, the state director of housing or
the director's designee shall transmit to the department of revenue the data regarding income tax
credits allowed pursuant to this section that are certified or approved by the division from
January 1 through June 30 of the same calendar year.
(b) On or before March 31 of each calendar year, the state director of housing or the
director's designee shall transmit to the department of revenue the data regarding income tax
credits allowed pursuant to this section that are certified or approved by the division from July 1
through December 31 of the previous calendar year.
(9) This section is repealed, effective December 31, 2040.

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