Article I. EducateONE Organizational Policies
Chapter 2. Tax-Exempt Status, Charitable Limitations, and Private Benefit Restrictions
EducateONE Organizational Policy § 2.6.00. Political Campaign, Legislative Activity, and Lobbying Policy.
(a) Lobbying Activities.
(1) It is the policy of EducateONE that any lobbying or political campaign activities undertaken by EducateONE, or by any employee, Board member, or other agent of EducateONE on behalf of EducateONE, shall comply with the applicable federal and state requirements, including those established under the Internal Revenue Code, the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995, as amended, the Federal Election Campaign Act, and the Byrd Anti-Lobbying Amendment.
(2) No employee, Board member, or other agent of EducateONE shall engage in any lobbying activity on behalf of EducateONE without the express prior approval of the Executive Director.
(b) Political Campaign Activities.
(1) EducateONE, and any employee, Board member, or other agent acting on behalf of EducateONE, is absolutely prohibited from participating or intervening in any political campaign.
(2) A “political campaign” shall be deemed to begin when an individual announces his or her candidacy for an elective public office, or is proposed by others for an elective public office.
(c) Expenditure of Federal Funds.
(1) EducateONE prohibits the expenditure of any federal funds received by EducateONE as the recipient of a federal contract, grant, loan, or cooperative agreement for lobbying or political campaign activities.
(2) In addition, no federal funds shall be used to pay any person or organization for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of an agency or member of Congress, or employee of a member of Congress, with respect to:
(A) the awarding of any federal contract;
(B) the making of any federal grant;
(C) the making of any federal loan;
(D) the entering into of any cooperative agreement; or
(E) the extension or modification of any federal contract, grant, loan, or cooperative agreement.
(d) Reporting.
(1) EducateONE shall ensure that all disclosures of lobbying which are required by law are submitted in a timely manner.
(e) Accreditation and Standards-Setting Activity.
(1) EducateONE may participate in lawful accreditation, standards-setting, public-comment, regulatory, legislative, and public-policy processes.
(2) EducateONE shall not use private influence, association leverage, undisclosed conflicts, insider access, or back-channel pressure to improperly influence an accrediting body’s standards, policies, procedures, recognition decisions, institutional decisions, program decisions, or accreditation actions.
(3) Nothing in this subdivision prohibits EducateONE from submitting public comments, responding to accreditor requests, communicating through ordinary authorized channels, participating in open policy processes, or advocating for innovation-friendly, student-centered, outcome-based, competition-supporting, or less restrictive standards.
(f) Individual Activity.
(1) Nothing in this policy shall preclude an employee, Board member, or other agent of EducateONE from engaging in political campaign activities or lobbying activities on his or her own time, provided that EducateONE is not connected with such activities and provided that EducateONE’s funds and other resources are not used in connection with such activities.
Source Note
This policy is adapted from the Sample Policy on Lobbying and Political Campaign Activities published through health-center advocacy materials, with modifications for EducateONE’s charitable, educational, and tax-exempt structure. The accreditation and standards-setting subdivision is informed by the U.S. Department of Education’s 2026 Accreditation, Innovation, and Modernization negotiated-rulemaking consensus language concerning accreditor independence, related association influence, public feedback, credential inflation, and unnecessary barriers to entry.
References
Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(3).
Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995.
Federal Election Campaign Act.
Byrd Anti-Lobbying Amendment.
U.S. Department of Education, Accreditation, Innovation, and Modernization Negotiated Rulemaking, Final Version Consensus Language, May 21, 2026.
