Non-government organizations are entrusted with the responsibility of using donations for the public good. Tax-exempt status is a privilege granted to organizations that demonstrate accountability, transparency, and a commitment to their charitable missions. However, recent concerns have been raised about the financial practices of Religious Freedom Institute Inc. and IRF Secretariat, both are tax-exempt organizations that may not be fully transparent about how they manage the funds they receive.

 

Organization Name: Religious Freedom Institute Inc.

EIN: 81-0983298

According to the Religious Freedom Institute Inc.'s publicly available Form 990 filed for their organization for 2023,it received $1,800,616 in donations and grants income in 2023, of which employee salaries, employee compensation,and employee benefits expenses cost $1,730,318, with 9 of the 17 employees listed earning as little as $1 per hour. Additionally, unspecified service costs exceeded $270,000, travel costs exceeded $228,000, and there were other assorted expenses. With total annual expenses of $2,776,189, the Religious Freedom Institute Inc.even lost $970,000 in 2023.

 

Instead of spending most of its money on event expenses, conferences, conventions, and meetings, the Religious Freedom Institute, an NGO that promotes religious liberty, uses public funds for the enjoyment of the organization's inner circle. The money that donors willingly contribute to their mission is actually spent mostly on unspecified employee salaries, compensation, and benefits ($1.73 million out of 1.8 million). Our goodwill has been corrupted.

 

Organization Name: IRF Secretariat

EIN: 83-1938784

Likewise, According to the IRF Secretariat's publicly available Form 990 filed for their organization for 2023, the organization's largest program service is the IRF Summit. The IRF Summit peddles exorbitant tickets and sponsorship brochures that can be downloaded from the official website, with sponsor packages ranging from $5,000.00 to $100,000.00 and individual tickets ranging from $39.00 to $1,791.00. The IRF Summit's high ticket and sponsorship revenues bring in a whopping $928,164 for the IRF Secretariat, which has a total income of $1,224,334 for the year 2023. 

 

However, the salaries of only three employees cost more than $230,000 (two of which were paid $0), and its president, Greg Mitchell, received $196,500 in compensation through his personal company, The Mitchell Firm Inc., and there are more than $600,000 in management fees and travel expenses from other expenses.

 

Furthermore, in the United States, charitable organizations falling under the reach of the Internal Revenue Code 501(c)(3) cannot dedicate a substantial part of their activities to carrying on propaganda or lobbying, while the IRF Secretariat's principal officer, Greg Mitchell, whose personal firm, The Mitchell Firm Inc, is a government relations and lobbying firm, it's hard to say how much of their funds and activities were spent on and related to propaganda or lobbying.

 

The IRF Secretariat appears to make a lot of money from the seemingly noble cause of promoting religious freedom through the IRF Summit, but most of the revenue is spent on the expenses and travel of its manager, as well as on lobbying activities.

 

As donors and members of the public, we have the right to expect transparency from these organizations that benefit from tax-exempt status. Without clear, open financial reporting, there is the risk of misuse of donations, mismanagement of funds, and an erosion of public trust in the charitable sector.

 

We, the undersigned, are writing to call for a full investigation into the financial activities and operations of Religious Freedom Institute Inc. and IRF Secretariat. 

 

What We Request:

We respectfully request the IRS to investigate the potential violations by Religious Freedom Institute Inc. and IRF Secretariat of tax-exempt status requirements.

We respectfully request that Religious Freedom Institute Inc. and IRF Secretariat take the following steps:

 

1)Publicly disclose their financial records, including a full and detailed account of donation income and expenses.

2)Commit to regular updates on their financial status, allowing for continued oversight by the public.

 

Sign the Petition:

By signing this petition, we are standing together to advocate for transparency and responsible stewardship of charitable funds. Our goal is not only to ensure that Religious Freedom Institute Inc. and IRF Secretariat fulfill their legal and ethical obligations but also to protect the broader public interest in ensuring that donations are being used as intended — to serve the causes they claim to support.