I know this is a governance issue, but the judge’s decision references how the Kennedy Center filled out its IRS Form 990, which most people think of as both “financial” and a “tax return.”

I posted about this on LinkedIn yesterday, based on the following report on The Hill’s website:

Judge rules Kennedy Center must allow Dem lawmaker to attend…

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1. Are Form 990 submissions made under penalty of perjury?

2. A charity’s public-facing Schedule B includes dollar amounts but no source information. I know that source information is confidential, but isn’t dollar amount information also confidential on public-facing 990 forms?

Thanks!

I’ve had a spate of client and media(!) contacts recently about whether a nonprofit’s 990 indicates problems with the organization. This reminded me of an article and webinar I did for The Nonprofit Quarterly (NPQ) several years ago. Here’s a link to the LinkedIn post I wrote about the topic:…

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I’m embarrassed to say the situation was easily resolved. The former client and I both panicked, not realizing that the IRS request for documentation included an acknowledgement than no payment was due. The third-party payroll service was able to generate the proper form almost immediately and at no charge.

I assisted a nonprofit in its dissolution from 2022 until 2024. In 2025, the IRS contacted the former board chair requesting Form 941 information from 2022. All records were archived in third-party long term storage and no one involved with the nonprofit is expert in Form 941 issues.

Can anyone here answer some questions or refer to a qualified…

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I really like Steve and Ruth’s article because it’s one of the few recent that focuses on nonprofits taking charge of their own organizations and their own capabilities.

One tactic alluded to in the article can be fleshed out in the medium and longer term. Namely, the analysis and planning of new development/fundraising strategies designed to…

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Wade:

I’m surprised you’d need access after dissolution. I chaired a nonprofit board that dissolved nine years ago, and I dropped off the records for long-term storage and eventual destruction (this vendor no longer provides the service!). I was never contacted to access records, even though it was a statewide organization with all Federal funding.

Thanks!

Mark:

Thanks! I hadn’t considered digitizing the records. If successful, I could store the electronic files and one remaining agency laptop myself. I’d probably need to get guidance from the state AG’s office on whether electronic copies are sufficient to meet retention requirements.

There are no local vendors who provide long-term records…

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I’m assisting a nonprofit child care center with its dissolution. One thorny situation left unresolved by legal and accounting counsel is what specific records must be kept in long-term storage and eventually destroyed? Most advice I’ve received so far says to “play it safe” and keep everything from the past seven years of operation. With all…

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I’m really on the fence with this one. Should we also ask for postage, mailing, third-part fundraiser fees, fundraising salaries, and other reimbursements of the cost of raising funds?

At the end of the year, I gave a $1,000 charitable gift online. I was asked to pay an additional $39.XX to reimburse the charity for processing fees. I paid the…

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