Dear Culver City: Nonprofits are indeed "private"

EDITOR'S NOTE: This piece and others in the "Dear Culver City" series are editorial pieces submitted by sources unaffiliated with Culver Crescent. The sentiments expressed in these articles do not represent or confirm the stance or opinions of Culver Crescent or any of its writers.

By Jeannine Wisnosky Stehlin

I have read with interest a recent letter that falsely claim nonprofits are not private organizations. In fact, they are — including Community Corporation of Santa Monica. Churches, too, are private organizations, including Culver-Palms United Methodist Church.

For clarity, I refer readers directly to the Internal Revenue Service:

• IRS Publication 1828 – Tax Guide for Churches and Religious Organizations
  Key Quote:
  “Churches and religious organizations, like many other charitable organizations, may qualify for exemption from federal income tax under IRC Section 501(c)(3). […] Although churches are nonprofit organizations, they are also private organizations.”
  (See the sections on “Churches and Religious Organizations Defined” and “Private Benefit and Inurement.”)
• IRS Publication 557 – Tax-Exempt Status for Your Organization
  Key Quote:
  “A nonprofit organization is a private organization that is operated for exempt purposes and not for profit.”

These facts are not up for debate and are easily verified through a simple search on IRS.gov. It's disappointing to see this basic distinction repeatedly misrepresented in support of a private development project, affordable or otherwise.

Jeannine Wisnosky Stehlin served Culver City as a Cultural Affairs Commissioner from 2016 to 2024, and is currently a member of Culver City Neighbors United. She also serves as a California Democratic Delegate for Assembly District 55 (AD55) and is a member of the Executive Board for the California State Democratic Party.