5 C.F.R. § 950.301 – Federation eligibility.

(a) The Director may recognize federations that conform to the requirements set by the Director and are eligible to receive designations. In order to determine whether the Director will recognize a federation, the Director may request evidence of corrective action regarding any prior violation of regulation or directive, sanction, or penalty, as appropriate. The Director retains the ultimate authority to decide whether the federation has demonstrated, to the Director's satisfaction, that the federation has taken appropriate corrective action. Failure to demonstrate satisfactory corrective action or to respond to the Director's request for information within 10 business days of the date of the request may result in a determination that the federation will not be included in the Charity List. The Director also reserves the authority to place a moratorium on the recognition of federations from time to time.
(b) By applying for inclusion in the CFC, federations consent to allow the Director complete access to its and its members' CFC books and records and to respond to requests for information by the Director.
(c) An organization may apply to the Director for inclusion as a federation to participate in the CFC if the applicant has, as members of the proposed federation, 15 or more charitable organizations, in addition to the federation itself, that meet the eligibility criteria of §§ 950.202 and 950.203. The federation must submit the applications of all its proposed member organizations annually.
(d) After an organization has been granted federation status, it may certify that its member organizations meet all eligibility criteria of § 950.202 and § 950.203 to be included on the Charity List. Federation status in a prior campaign is not a guarantee of federation status in a subsequent campaign. Failure to meet minimum federation eligibility requirements shall not be deemed to be a withdrawal of federation status subject to a hearing on the record.
(e) An applicant for federation status must annually certify and/or demonstrate:
1. (1) That all member organizations seeking participation in the CFC are qualified for inclusion on the National/International or International or Local part of the Charity List. Applicants must provide a complete list of those member organizations it certified in addition to each organization's complete application.
2. (2) That it meets the eligibility requirements and public accountability standards contained in § 950.202 and § 950.203. The federation can demonstrate that it has met the eligibility requirement in § 950.202(a) either through its own services, benefits, assistance or program activities or through its 15 members' activities.
  1. (i) The federation must complete the certification set forth at § 950.203(a)(2) without regard to the amount of revenue reported on its IRS Form 990 and must provide a copy of its audited financial statements. The audited financial statements provided must verify that the federation is honoring designations made to each member organization by distributing a proportionate share of receipts based on donor designations to each member. The audit requirement is waived for newly created federations operating for less than two years from the date of its IRS tax-exemption letter to the closing date of the CFC application period.
  2. (ii) The federation must provide a listing of its board of directors, beginning and ending dates of each member's current term of office, and the board's meeting dates and locations for the calendar year prior to the year of the campaign for which the organization is applying.
3. (3) That it does not employ in its CFC operations the services of private consultants, consulting firms, advertising agencies or similar business organizations to perform its policy-making or decision-making functions in the CFC. It may, however, contract with entities or individuals such as banks, accountants, lawyers, and other vendors of goods and/or services to assist in accomplishing its administrative tasks.
(f) The Director will notify a federation if it is determined that the federation does not meet the eligibility requirements of this section. A federation may appeal an adverse eligibility decision in accordance with § 950.204.
(g) The Director may waive any eligibility criteria for federation status if it is determined that such a waiver will be in the best interest of the CFC.
(h) Two organizations—American Red Cross and United Service Organization—are exempt from the 15- member requirement of paragraph (c) of this section.