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Communications Between NPR and "Meac": - Vivian Schiller - President & CEO - 202-513-2005
Communications Between NPR and "Meac": - Vivian Schiller - President & CEO - 202-513-2005
REQUEST FOR DOCUMENTATION FROM JOYCE SLOCUM TO “OMAR KASAAM”
We are very grateful for the kind consideration being given by the Muslim Education Action Center to a
generous gift to NPR. I'm sure you will understand that we need to verify certain information with respect
to any organization that proposes to make a significant gift to NPR. In the case of an organization that
holds itself out as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, contributions to which are tax deductible, we need
in particular to satisfy ourselves that the organization is in compliance with the applicable requirements of
the Internal Revenue Service ("IRS"), so as to ensure against any risk of being caught up in later
compliance activity. In most instances, we're able to verify this information without troubling the donor
organization, by using publicly accessible information. Unfortunately, we have not been able to locate the
necessary information about the Muslim Education Action Center, and so we need to ask that you provide
it.
The Muslim Education Action Center does not appear in IRS Publication 78, which lists all organizations
which have received a 501(c)(3) determination letter from the IRS, and whose status as a tax exempt
organization has not been suspended or revoked. (Only churches are exempt from the requirement of
obtaining an IRS determination letter, though even many churches voluntarily do so.) Since the Muslim
Education Action Center does not appear in Publication 78, we need to ask for a copy of the IRS
determination letter as to its 501(c)(3) status.
Also, most tax exempt organizations are required to file an annual form 990 in order to maintain their tax
exempt status. Failure to file for three consecutive years results in an automatic revocation of tax exempt
status. Again, because such organizations are required to make their three most recently filed annual
990 returns and all related supporting documents available for public inspection, we are usually able to
obtain copies of these from the organization's own website, or if not there, from GuideStar or the
Foundation Center. We have been unable to locate the 990's for the Muslim Education Action Center
through any of these sources, so need to ask that you also provide those for our review.
I would very much appreciate receiving the requested items at your earliest convenience, so that I might
review them and provide appropriate guidance to my client.
Please do not hesitate to call if you have any questions or I may otherwise be of assistance.
Best regards,
Joyce D. Slocum
| Joyce D. Slocum | General Counsel & Sr. Vice President | jslocum@npr.org | Telephone: 202-513-2045 |
Fax: 202-513-3021
Dear Omar,
Thank for your kind note and continued interest in NPR. Our General
Counsel, Joyce Slocum, has sent you a note under separate cover with a few
questions. We look forward to hearing back from you.
Kindest regards,
Vivian
Dear Vivian,
Ibrahim informed me about your conversation earlier. It sounds as though the concerns you
raised regarding tax status are minor enough, though before sharing some of the information
your representatives have been asking for, we will of course need your promise of confidentiality
- perhaps you have already granted it to Ibrahim, but please confirm.
On the other hand, information such as a list of our contributors is not possible I'm afraid -
much the way NPR does not disclose its donors. If the interest in that information is a desire to
solicit from our donors, I can assure you that we are already doing our best to raise funds on
your behalf, and fund-raising on this issue has been quite fruitful for us given the ever rising
specter of Islamophobia in America. I am also quite confident it will only become easier.
Based upon my experience and the confirmations of our legal counsel, none of this information is
legally necessary from either an individual donor or an institution, but we will be happy to
oblige on issues like tax status and 990's nonetheless.
Please feel free to work with Raja to arrange a time to speak with me further, if you prefer it to
email - I'm told you have a time available tomorrow. It would be a great pleasure as NPR has
become a priority for the Trust, and we are more than eager to help NPR fight back against the
sensationalized, ratings-driven corporate media and their relentless efforts to sew mistrust and
xenophobia among America's citizens.
Best Regards,
Omar
--
Omar Kasaam
Board of Trustees, Vice Chairman
Muslim Education Action Center Trust