§ 509. Private foundation defined

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(a)General rule For purposes of this title, the term “private foundation” means a domestic or foreign organization described in section 501(c)(3) other than—

(1)an organization described in section 170(b)(1)(A) (other than in clauses

(vii)and (viii));

(2)an organization which—

(A)normally receives more than one-third of its support in each taxable year from any combination of—

(i)gifts, grants, contributions, or membership fees, and

(ii)gross receipts from admissions, sales of merchandise, performance of services, or furnishing of facilities, in an activity which is not an unrelated trade or business (within the meaning of section 513), not including such receipts from any person, or from any bureau or similar agency of a governmental unit (as described in section 170(c)(1)), in any taxable year to the extent such receipts exceed the greater of $5,000 or 1 percent of the organization’s support in such taxable year,

from persons other than disqualified persons (as defined in section 4946) with respect to the organization, from governmental units described in section 170(c)(1), or from organizations described in section 170(b)(1)(A) (other than in clauses

(vii)and (viii)), and

(B)normally receives not more than one-third of its support in each taxable year from the sum of—

(i)gross investment income (as defined in subsection (e)) and

(ii)the excess (if any) of the amount of the unrelated business taxable income (as defined in section 512) over the amount of the tax imposed by section 511;

(3)an organization which—

(A)is organized, and at all times thereafter is operated, exclusively for the benefit of, to perform the functions of, or to carry out the purposes of one or more specified organizations described in paragraph

(1)or (2),

(B)is—

(i)operated, supervised, or controlled by one or more organizations described in paragraph

(1)or (2),

(ii)supervised or controlled in connection with one or more such organizations, or

(iii)operated in connection with one or more such organizations, and

(C)is not controlled directly or indirectly by one or more disqualified persons (as defined in section 4946) other than foundation managers and other than one or more organizations described in paragraph

(1)or (2); and

(4)an organization which is organized and operated exclusively for testing for public safety.

For purposes of paragraph (3), an organization described in paragraph

(2)shall be deemed to include an organization described in section 501(c)(4), (5), or

(6)which would be described in paragraph

(2)if it were an organization described in section 501(c)(3).

(b)Continuation of private foundation status For purposes of this title, if an organization is a private foundation (within the meaning of subsection (a)) on October 9, 1969, or becomes a private foundation on any subsequent date, such organization shall be treated as a private foundation for all periods after October 9, 1969, or after such subsequent date, unless its status as such is terminated under section 507.

(c)Status of organization after termination of private foundation status For purposes of this part, an organization the status of which as a private foundation is terminated under section 507 shall (except as provided in section 507(b)(2)) be treated as an organization created on the day after the date of such termination.

(d)Definition of support For purposes of this part and chapter 42, the term “support” includes (but is not limited to)—

(1)gifts, grants, contributions, or membership fees,

(2)gross receipts from admissions, sales of merchandise, performance of services, or furnishing of facilities in any activity which is not an unrelated trade or business (within the meaning of section 513),

(3)net income from unrelated business activities, whether or not such activities are carried on regularly as a trade or business,

(4)gross investment income (as defined in subsection (e)),

(5)tax revenues levied for the benefit of an organization and either paid to or expended on behalf of such organization, and

(6)the value of services or facilities (exclusive of services or facilities generally furnished to the public without charge) furnished by a governmental unit referred to in section 170(c)(1) to an organization without charge.

Such term does not include any gain from the sale or other disposition of property which would be considered as gain from the sale or exchange of a capital asset, or the value of exemption from any Federal, State, or local tax or any similar benefit.

(e)Definition of gross investment income For purposes of subsection (d), the term “gross investment income” means the gross amount of income from interest, dividends, payments with respect to securities loans (as defined in section 512(a)(5)), rents, and royalties, but not including any such income to the extent included in computing the tax imposed by section 511. Such term shall also include income from sources similar to those in the preceding sentence.

(f)Requirements for supporting organizations

(1)Type III supporting organizations For purposes of subsection (a)(3)(B)(iii), an organization shall not be considered to be operated in connection with any organization described in paragraph

(1)or

(2)of subsection

(a)unless such organization meets the following requirements:

(A)Responsiveness For each taxable year beginning after the date of the enactment of this subsection, the organization provides to each supported organization such information as the Secretary may require to ensure that such organization is responsive to the needs or demands of the supported organization.

(B)Foreign supported organizations

(i)In general The organization is not operated in connection with any supported organization that is not organized in the United States.

(ii)Transition rule for existing organizations If the organization is operated in connection with an organization that is not organized in the United States on the date of the enactment of this subsection, clause

(i)shall not apply until the first day of the third taxable year of the organization beginning after the date of the enactment of this subsection.

(2)Organizations controlled by donors

(A)In general For purposes of subsection (a)(3)(B), an organization shall not be considered to be—

(i)operated, supervised, or controlled by any organization described in paragraph

(1)or

(2)of subsection (a), or

(ii)operated in connection with any organization described in paragraph

(1)or

(2)of subsection (a),

if such organization accepts any gift or contribution from any person described in subparagraph (B).

(B)Person described A person is described in this subparagraph if, with respect to a supported organization of an organization described in subparagraph (A), such person is—

(i)a person (other than an organization described in paragraph (1), (2), or

(4)of section 509(a)) who directly or indirectly controls, either alone or together with persons described in clauses

(ii)and (iii), the governing body of such supported organization,

(ii)a member of the family (determined under section 4958(f)(4)) of an individual described in clause (i), or

(iii)a 35-percent controlled entity (as defined in section 4958(f)(3) by substituting “persons described in clause

(i)or

(ii)of section 509(f)(2)(B)” for “persons described in subparagraph

(A)or

(B)of paragraph (1)” in subparagraph (A)(i) thereof).

(3)Supported organization For purposes of this subsection, the term “supported organization” means, with respect to an organization described in subsection (a)(3), an organization described in paragraph

(1)or

(2)of subsection (a)—

(A)for whose benefit the organization described in subsection (a)(3) is organized and operated, or

(B)with respect to which the organization performs the functions of, or carries out the purposes of.

(Added Pub. L. 91–172, title I, § 101(a), Dec. 30, 1969, 83 Stat. 496; amended Pub. L. 94–81, § 3(a), Aug. 9, 1975, 89 Stat. 418; Pub. L. 95–345, § 2(a)(1), Aug. 15, 1978, 92 Stat. 481; Pub. L. 109–280, title XII, §§ 1221(a)(2), 1241(a), (b), Aug. 17, 2006, 120 Stat. 1089, 1102.)

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Pub. L. 91–172, title I, § 101(a)
83 Stat. 496
Pub. L. 94–81, § 3(a)
89 Stat. 418
Pub. L. 95–345, § 2(a)(1)
92 Stat. 481
Pub. L. 109–280, title XII
120 Stat. 1089
Pub. L. 109–280
Pub. L. 109–280, § 1241(a)
Pub. L. 109–280, § 1221(a)(2)
Pub. L. 109–280, § 1241(b)
Pub. L. 95–345
Pub. L. 94–81
Pub. L. 109–280, title XII, § 1221(c)
Pub. L. 109–280, title XII, § 1241(e)
120 Stat. 1103
Pub. L. 95–345, § 2(e)
92 Stat. 483
Pub. L. 99–514, § 2
100 Stat. 2095
Pub. L. 94–81, § 3(b)
section 101(k)(1) of Pub. L. 91–172
Pub. L. 91–172
Pub. L. 109–280, title XII, § 1241(c)
Pub. L. 109–280, title XII, § 1241(d)

Citation graph

cites case law

§ 509

Private foundation defined

Stat.×17

U.S.C.×12

Fed. Reg.×6

U.S.C.§ 4940

U.S.C.§ 1058

Pub. L.Pub. L. 91–172, title I, § 101(a)

Stat.83 Stat. 496

Pub. L.Pub. L. 94–81, § 3(a)

Stat.89 Stat. 418

Pub. L.Pub. L. 95–345, § 2(a)(1)

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