Tax-exempt financing offers a powerful tool for 501(c)(3) organizations to fund essential capital improvements at significantly lower interest costs compared to conventional debt options. By issuing tax-exempt bonds, organizations can tap into a pool of investors who are not subject to federal income tax on interest payments, allowing for lower interest rates.
Taxable nonprofits are those entities that are organized as nonprofit entities but do not elect to become tax-exempt.
Generally, organizations which are exempt from taxation are listed in § 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code (“I.R.C.”). Instead, political organizations are governed under I.R.C. § 527. 501(c) organizations are exempt from income tax for various public policy reasons, such as helping to improve lives, strengthening communities and the economy, and lightening the burdens of government. To incentivize social good, the government subsidizes 501(c) organizations by eliminating their tax burden. Conversely, political organizations organized under § 527 do not provide charitable services or improve social welfare. Rather, their sole function is to influence the election of candidates for public office.
According to the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, charter schools serve more than 3 million students throughout the nation, however, charter schools do not
Have you ever considered starting your own private family foundation? For those who have causes you are passionate about, creating a family foundation gives you the
There are 29 different exemptions under Code Section 501, the most popular of which is Section 501(c)(3). If the corporation plans to qualify for tax-exemption under Section 501(c)(3), the articles must limit the corporation’s activities to tax-exempt purposes. Tax exempt purposes include:
religious,
charitable,
scientific,
testing for public safety,
literary,
educational,
to foster national or international amateur sports competition, or
promote the arts, or for the prevention of cruelty to children or animals.
A plain language explanation of the difference between a nonprofit organization and one that is tax-exempt.
Before 1996, the only option the IRS had when faced with a tax-exempt organization that had violated the private inurement rules was to do nothing or to revoke the organization’s tax-exempt status, a penalty that often punished the organization’s beneficiaries more than the insiders who benefited from the inurement. To cure this problem, Code Section 4958 was added to the Internal Revenue Code in 1996 to provide the IRS with an “intermediate” tool between the extremes of either ignoring the problem or revoking the nonprofit’s tax-exempt status.
Derived from “IRS Publication 557: Tax-Exempt Status for Your Organization (1997)” Note: This table may not include every type of organization that qualifies for some form
State charitable tax credits are a win for everyone; qualified charities receive the support they need at no extra expense to the taxpayer beyond what they would already owe to the state in taxes. Note that while credits are non-refundable (i.e. if you don’t end up owing enough in taxes to fully benefit from the credits, you will not get a refund from the state), unused credits can be carried forward for 5 years.
Most states require you to register your organization if you solicit donations from their residents. Many states also require registration if your organization collects substantial or ongoing donations from their residents, even if you aren’t specifically targeting donors in that state. Download our comprehensive list of each state’s requirements.
Download our free guide to learn about the many elements needed to run a successful nonprofit organization, as well as how to avoid common pitfalls and mistakes.