[OSGeo-Announce] OSGeo Receives 501(c)(4) Tax Exempt Status

[Anne Ghisla]

OSGeo is pleased to announce that the U.S. Internal Revenue Service
(IRS) has accepted our application [1] for non-profit status under
section 501(c)(4) of the tax code. Our 501(c)(4) status declares that
we are a Social Welfare Organization [2]. This determination affirms
OSGeo's role in serving the public through our mission, focused around
Open Source Geospatial software.

This determination helps ensure that the organization will not have to
pay US federal taxes on money accumulated toward the fulfilment of our
mission. Unfortunately, unlike a 501(c)(3) (Charitable) status, this
does not allow financial contributors to OSGeo to treat the
contributions as a charitable contribution which can have a tax benefit
for US tax payers. There should still be no problem with commercial
organizations treating contributions to OSGeo as a business expense.

OSGeo owes a special debt to past Executive Director Tyler Mitchell,
and current Treasurer Daniel Morissette who have carried this process
to a successful conclusion after several years of work. Current OSGeo
President, Jeff McKenna, says "Both Daniel and Tyler should be thanked
by the entire community for their dedication to such a challenging
task. Our future foundation events, and OSGeo in general, will benefit
from their hard work for years to come."

About the Open Source Geospatial Foundation

The Open Source Geospatial Foundation, or OSGeo [3], is a not-for-profit
organization founded in 2006 whose mission is to support and promote
the collaborative development of open geospatial technologies and data.
The Foundation provides financial, organizational and legal support to
the broader open source geospatial community. It also serves as an
independent legal entity to which community members can contribute
code, funding and other resources, secure in the knowledge that their
contributions will be maintained for public benefit. 

[1]
http://svn.osgeo.org/osgeo/board/irs_docs/OSGeo-Determination_Letters_c3andc4-20130909.pdf 
[2]
http://www.irs.gov/Charities-&-Non-Profits/Other-Non-Profits/Social-Welfare-Organizations
[3] http://www.osgeo.org/
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