Joe.My.God. LGBT News
ProPublica reports:
According to documents obtained via the Freedom of Information Act and given to ProPublica, the FRC filed an application to change its status to an “association of churches,” a designation commonly used by groups with member churches like the Southern Baptist Convention, in March 2020. The agency approved the change a few months later. The FRC is one of a growing list of activist groups to seek church status, a designation that comes with the ability for an organization to shield itself from financial scrutiny.
Once the IRS blessed it as an association of churches, the FRC was no longer required to file a public tax return, known as a Form 990, revealing key staffer salaries, the names of board members and related organizations, large payments to independent contractors and grants the organization has made. Unlike with other charities, IRS investigators can’t initiate an audit on a church unless a high-level Treasury Department official has approved the investigation.
Read the full article.
Other anti-LGBTQ hate groups that have recently declared themselves to be churches include the Liberty Counsel and the American Family Association.
As you’ll see at the linked piece, the FRC claims to conduct “church services” at its Washington DC headquarters even though a receptionist denied this when called by ProPublica.
New: The FRC, a staunch opponent of abortion and LGBTQ rights, joins a growing list of activist groups seeking church status, which allows organizations to shield themselves from financial scrutiny. https://t.co/1iDpAR6bsW
— ProPublica (@propublica) July 11, 2022