The TalkOrigins Foundation

"What is the TalkOrigins Foundation?"

The TalkOrigins Foundation, Inc., is a Texas nonprofit corporation created on April 26, 2004. The Foundation is intended to provide a mechanism to cover the cost of hosting and maintaining the TalkOrigins Archive and its related sites (Talkdesign.org, The Panda's Thumb) through grants, contributions, and other revenues.

"How does the Foundation differ from the TalkOrigins Archive?"

The TalkOrigins Archive is this web site. It has been in existence for over a decade, providing mainstream scientific information about biological and physical origins. The Archive is maintained by volunteers and contains articles written by various contributors to the talk.origins Usenet newsgroup.

In contrast, the TalkOrigins Foundation is a nonprofit corporation created to support the Archive.

"Who runs the Foundation?"

Wesley Elsberry is the Foundation's President, and John Wilkins is its Vice-President. Kenneth Fair is the Foundation's Secretary-Treasurer. The three of them are also the Foundation's initial directors.

"Can I join the Foundation?"

At this time, the Foundation does not have members (unlike, say, the National Center for Science Education). At some future point, the Foundation may have members. We'll let you know.

"How can I contribute to the Foundation?"

Simply go to our donation page.

"How do I contact the Foundation?"

You can send email to the Foundation, or mail to its physical address:

The TalkOrigins Foundation
5914 Hummingbird
Houston, TX 77096-5828
United States of America

Foundation corporate documents

Articles of Organization: (Word - 29K) (PDF - 284K)
Bylaws: (Word - 45K) (PDF - 772K)
Organizational Resolution: (Word - 25K) (PDF - 156K)
02 Apr 2005 - Notice of 2005 Annual Meeting: (Text - 2K)
22 Apr 2005 - Secretary's Report: (Text - 3K)
22 Apr 2005 - Treasurer's Report: (Text - 4K)
13 Aug 2005 - Minutes of 2005 Annual Meeting: (Text - 2K)
13 Aug 2005 - Treasurer's Report: (Text - 2K)
27 Nov 2005 - Treasurer's Report: (Text - 2K)

IRS filings & correspondence

IRS Form SS-4 Application (to get EIN): (PDF - 191K)
IRS Form SS-4 Response (giving EIN): (PDF - 171K)
IRS Form 1023 (to get nonprofit classification): (PDF - 1.1M)
13 Jul 2004 - Letter from IRS acknowledging receipt of Form 1023: (PDF - 98K)
31 Jan 2005 - Letter from IRS requesting additional information on Form 1023: (PDF - 208K)
08 Feb 2005 - Letter to IRS providing information requested in 31 Jan letter: (PDF - 3.6M)
18 Feb 2005 - Letter to IRS providing information requested in 17 Feb telephone call: (PDF - 836K)
25 Feb 2005 - Letter from IRS requesting change of initial tax year: (PDF - 104K)
01 Mar 2005 - Letter to IRS with revised IRS Form 872-C: (PDF - 124K)
07 Mar 2005 - Countersigned IRS Form 872-C: (PDF - 116K)
08 Mar 2005 - IRS Notice granting tax-exempt status: (PDF - 528K)

State of Texas filings & correspondence

Certificate of Incorporation: (PDF - 93K)
Letter from Secretary of State - 28 April 2004: (PDF - 116K)
Letter from Comptroller - 28 May 2004: (PDF - 112K)
Texas Taxpayer Questionnaire - 14 July 2004: (PDF - 181K)

Budgets & financial statements

2005 Q2 Balance Sheet: (PDF - 16K)
2005 Q2 Income Statement: (PDF - 16K)
2005 Q3 Balance Sheet: (PDF - 16K)
2005 Q3 Income Statement: (PDF - 16K)

Receipts

28 Apr 2004 - Filing fee for incorporation: (PDF - 79K)
31 Mar 2005 - Bill for checkbook supplies: (PDF - 104K)
16 Jul 2005 - Bill for 2005-06 Archive hosting: (PDF - 44K)