Walt Cade Foundation Page

Our Mission at The Walt Cade Foundation is:
Providing assistance with empathy, trust and thoughtfulness

Organizations that are exempt under section 501(c)(3) and are not private foundations because they are: churches, schools, hospitals, governmental units, entities that undertake testing for public safety; organizations that have broad financial support from the general public; or organizations that support one or more other organizations that are themselves classified as public charities. Public charity status is a more favorable tax status than private foundation status. Obtaining 501c3 tax-exempt status is one of the best actions you can take for your charitable organization. Not only will donations to the nonprofit be tax-exempt, but they will also be tax-deductible for the donors, meaning donors will be significantly more motivated to give to your charity. Moreover, income from business sources related to the organization’s tax-exempt purpose is also tax-exempt. For example, an organization could teach homeless individuals how to paint, and later could sell their paintings to others. The income from selling the paintings would be directly related to the exempt purpose of the organization–rehabilitating homeless individuals through painting workshops–and so would not be taxed income. Note that unrelated business income, such as this organization also running a for-profit art gallery (separate from their selling of the paintings by the homeless individuals), is generally taxed if grossing more than $1,000 annually.

Registered 501c3 organizations are also perceived as more credible by potential donors. Donors, especially those with large donations to make, want to be sure that their money will be used wisely and effectively to support the cause toward which they are donating. Registering as a 501c3 indicates that your charitable work has been approved of by an impartial governmental agency (the Internal Revenue Service), and that you have taken certain required steps such as establishing a board of directors. In addition, grant-making foundations will usually refuse to make a grant to an organization that is not a registered 501c3. Because these situations frequently involve large sources of funding for nonprofits, it is very beneficial to obtain your 501c3 status early.

A 501c3 is a nonprofit corporation considered by the IRS to be either a “public charity” or a “private foundation” under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Upon filing the required documents and receiving IRS tax-exempt status, such an organization is tax-exempt, meaning that it is not required to pay taxes on donations made to it, or even on certain forms of income made by the organization.

Section 501(c)(3) is the portion of the US Internal Revenue Code that allows for federal tax exemption of nonprofit organizations, specifically those that are considered public charities, private foundations or private operating foundation. At this time we are a private and taxed foundation.. A 501(c)(3) organization is a corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of 501(c) nonprofit organizations in the US.

To be tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, an organization must be organized and operated exclusively for exempt purposes set forth in section 501(c)(3), and none of its earnings may inure to any private shareholder or individual. In addition, it may not be an action organization, i.e., it may not attempt to influence legislation as a substantial part of its activities and it may not participate in any campaign activity for or against political candidates. Organizations described in section 501(c)(3) are commonly referred to as charitable organizations. Organizations described in section 501(c)(3), other than testing for public safety organizations, are eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions in accordance with Code section 170. The organization must not be organized or operated for the benefit of private interests, and no part of a section 501(c)(3) organization's net earnings may inure to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual. If the organization engages in an excess benefit transaction with a person having substantial influence over the organization, an excise tax may be imposed on the person and any organization managers agreeing to the transaction. Section 501(c)(3) organizations are restricted in how much political and legislative (lobbying) activities they may conduct. For a detailed discussion, see Political and Lobbying Activities. For more information about lobbying activities by charities, see the article Lobbying Issues PDF; for more information about political activities of charities, see the FY-2002 CPE topic Election Year Issues PDF.

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Walt Cade, CAI, ATS, BAS, CES, TxLic# 16645 LaLic#1726
305 D K Ellis Rd, Longview, Tx 75602, Phone: 903-738-7821