What is a 527 non-profit

What is a 527 tax exempt Non-Profit organization?  Below is the Wikipedia definition of a 527.  The United Police Fund is an Issue Advocate for Police.  It has no interest in Political Candidate support.  Issues such as officer suicide, cumulative PTSD, mental health concerns, officer safety and equipment procurement are paramount to our advocacy.  The UPF intends to be as transparent as possible in its dealings with the public and our federal/state campaign finance reports and additional disclosures. 

Wikipedia Definition:

A 527-organization or 527 group is a type of U.S. tax-exempt organization organized under Section 527 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. § 527). A 527 group is created primarily to influence the selection, nomination, election, appointment or defeat of candidates to federal, state or local public office. 

Technically, almost all political committees, including state, local, and federal candidate committees, traditional political action committees, "Super PACs", and political parties are similar to 527’s.  However, in common practice the term is usually applied only to such organizations that are not regulated under state or federal campaign finance laws as long they advocate in issue-advocacy. A 527 can "expressly advocate" for the election or defeat of a candidate, referendum, or party. 

There are no limits on who can make contributions to 527’s. This means corporations, labor unions, and indian tribes can directly contribute to 527’s. Federal and some state campaign finance laws have banned contributions directly from corporations and labor unions dating back to the 1920’s. There are no spending limits imposed on these organizations. The organizations must register with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), publicly disclose their donors and file periodic reports of contributions and expenditures.[1]  527’s that engage in expressed advocacy maybe subject to additional disclosure requirements imposed by a respective state elections board and/or the Federal Election Commission (FEC). 

Because they may not coordinate with any candidate’s campaign, many 527s are used to raise money to spend on issue advocacy,  and voter mobilization. Examples of 527s are Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, Texans for Truth, The Media Fund, America Coming Together, the Progress for America Voter Fund, and the Secretary of State Project.[2]  Other 527’s such as the Republican and Democratic Governors Association along have long engaged in expressed advocacy. 

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