Re: Newtonmas Reminder

From: Eliezer Yudkowsky (sentience@pobox.com)
Date: Sun Dec 19 2004 - 21:10:03 MST


Gordon Worley wrote:
> Hi, all!
>
> As many of you know, Newtonmas is fast approaching and it's the final
> crunch to get gifts. This year, consider giving a gift that will have
> profound effects for the future. Give the gift of a donation to SIAI.
>
> Making a Newtonmas donation to SIAI in someone's name is particularly
> important this year because SIAI is seeking permanent non-profit
> status. If SIAI earns this designation, your donations will continue to
> be tax-deductible, thus making your donations to SIAI count twice: once
> for the future, and once for your taxes.

Correction: SIAI is not seeking permanent non-profit status - being
not-for-profit is a property of a corporate charter, and does not change
regardless of IRS determinations. SIAI is seeking permanent status as a
public charity, rather than as a private foundation. If the IRS determines
that we are a private foundation, donations would still be tax-exempt, but
we could no longer receive grants from private foundations, and SIAI would
be barred from retaining me as a Research Fellow - as one of the initial
members of the Board, I would be a permanently "disqualified person" under
the rules governing private foundations. It would be very hard for SIAI to
operate as a private foundation.

Welcome to the wonderful world of Internal Revenue Service regulations.

-- 
Eliezer S. Yudkowsky                          http://intelligence.org/
Research Fellow, Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence


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