Tab 8: Public Availability of IRS Form 990
and 990-T
The IRS Forms 990 and 990-T must be readily available to the public.
Material Changes: For the purposes of reconfirmation, a material change is any change to the policy that changes the method of providing copies of the Form 990 or 990-T. Submission is not required if the change increases the availability of the documents.
For more information, review Core materials, FAQs and a glossary of important terms
Related Standards
IV. Stewardship and Accountability
IV.B A community foundation is accountable to the community it serves and regularly disseminates information on its programs and finances.
Key Elements
- Evidence of public availability of IRS Form 990. Such evidence may include a written policy on public availability.
- Evidence of public availability of IRS Form 990-T. Such evidence may include a written policy on public availability.
Suggested Documents
One of the following:
- Written policy
- Printout of website showing availability
- Annual report with evidence highlighted
Why does a webpage printout from GuideStar not satisfy the public availability of IRS Form 990?
The copy of Form 990 available on GuideStar is incomplete - it is not signed, does not include Schedule B, and does not reliably include all attachments. You should also be aware that the copy available on GuideStar does not technically satisfy IRS requirements that the 990 be "publicly available."
My foundation does not have unrelated business income so we don't file a Form 990-T. Why do we need to submit a policy?
It is correct to assume that not all community foundations have unrelated business income and that therefore not all community foundations are required to file the Form 990-T. If your community foundation is in this situation, you may fulfill this key element via a written policy indicating that your foundation will make the Form 990-T publicly available for any years in which you file this form.
A source of information on US nonprofits. A searchable database of more than 1.7 million IRS-recognized nonprofit organizations.
IRS Form 990
Form 990 is an annual reporting return that certain federally tax-exempt organizations must file with the IRS. It provides information on the filing organization's mission, programs, and finances.
IRS Form 990T
If a nonprofit organization has unrelated business income of $1,000 or more it is required to file IRS form 990 T. This form is in addition to the requirement to file other returns such as IRS form 990.
Pension Protection Act
The Pension Protection Act of 2006 was signed into law on August 17, 2006. Among its many provisions, it legally defined and regulated donor advised funds for the first time.
Unrelated business income
Income from a trade or business that is regularly carried on and is not substantially related to the organization's exempt purpose.
Reconfirming?
Review all key elements and consider if your organization has made changes to your policies, powers or practices.
Pay special attention to key elements and core materials marked with ![[R icon]](/images/icon_reconfirm_body.gif){kind=icon}
and a ![[P icon]](/images/icon_pension_body.gif){kind=icon}
. These represent minimum requirements for reconfirmation as well as Pension Protection Act requirements. Items marked with a are particularly critical for those who submitted record books prior to January 2007.
Document your compliance with each of these items as well as with all other key elements where support materials may have changed.
