The HVCL is a 501(c)4 non-profit corporation. <\/p>\n
As such, there are certain "rules of the road" we must abide by. The basic definition of a 501(c)4 is "an organization not organized for profit, but operating exclusively for the promotion of social welfare…"<\/p>\n
However, an entity organized as a 501(c)4 is not<\/u> prohibited from political acitivity, including candidate endorsement. Here is a one pager succinctly describing what our type of non-profit organization can and cannot do:<\/p>\n
http:\/\/www.allianceforjustice.org\/nonprofit\/electoral_activities_c4.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n We strongly recommend reading the above Alliance for Justice<\/strong> description of electoral activities.<\/p>\n Here are two other links discussing permissible activities for non-profit 501(c)4’s.<\/p>\n FAQ’s – 501(c)(4) Status for Nonprofit Organizations<\/a><\/p>\n 501(c) – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia<\/a><\/p>\n Note that the Wikipedia article lists the following very politically active organizations as 501(c) 4’s. All of them are very active in the political sphere including endorsing candidates. As long as political action and candidate endorsement is not their main function, this is completely legitimate.<\/p>\n To compare a 501(c)4 with a Political Action Committee (PAC), here is the Wikipedia article on PAC’s. Note that many 501(c)4’s also are associated with PAC’s (for example the National Rifle Association), but that is not a necessity to endorse candidates and positions. The main goal of a PAC is to raise money for political candidates, something which 501(c)4’s are forbidden to do.<\/p>\n\n