Followup: Commonwealth Organization

[Bussardre@aol.com]

As a followup to my earlier note on the Commonwealth Organization (and what 
appears to be associated groups):

1) in 1998, it received some $560,000 from various Scaife Foundation grants. 
See:
http://www.politicalamazon.com/scaifefoundations.html

They are:
    
---Commonwealth Education Organization
---Commonwealth Foundation               
----Commonwealth Foundation for Public Policy Alternatives

2)  As of this year, the foundation status is unclear. 
See:  http://www.unclefed.com/Tax-Bulls/2003/ann03-28.pdf.

Former Public Charities. The follow-
ing organizations (which have been treated
as organizations that are not private foun-
dations described in section 509(a) of the
Code) are now classified as private
foundations:

Commonwealth Education Organization
Pittsburgh, PA

If an organization listed above submits
information that warrants the renewal of its
classification as a public charity or as a pri-
vate operating foundation, the Internal Rev-
enue Service will issue a ruling or
determination letter with the revised clas-
sification as to foundation status. Grant-
ors and contributors may thereafter rely
upon such ruling or determination letter as
provided in section 1.509(a)-7 of the In-
come Tax Regulations. It is not the prac-
tice of the Service to announce such revised
classification of foundation status in the In-
ternal Revenue Bulletin

--Billee