checking legitimacy of foundations

Hey - did you ever get any answers to this question? I'm in the process of applying for grants and I didn't even consider they might be bogus! Let me know - thanks!

You can ask if they are a 501 (c) I think it is - that makes them a non-profit organization. This is a really good question. I hope someone has a great answer, like a number to call to verify the status of the company!?!

We applied to Potter's Hand Foundation in early April 2005. I had spoken with the director of the foundation on the phone in late March and asked him to tell me his adoption story. He seemed like a nice Christian man and he did tell me they were a 501C3. I suggested at the time that they get that fact up on the web site.I sent our $25 application fee and all our personal information -- and waited for weeks. When I didn't hear anything, I emailed the director at the email listed on the application form. He never responded. I then called him and left a message on his answering machine (I looked up his personal listing on Real White Pages.) He didn't return the call. Now, the web site is down. The director has all our personal information and has cashed our $25 application fee check. I have written him a letter which I am sending certified mail. I am hoping he responds. I am PRAYING that he is who he said he is -- a good Christian man -- and that something has just come up that has taken his attention away from this. I will let you know if I get a response to the certified letter (which I have also emailed him).

Correction to previous post - there is a typo - we applied April 2006 (not 2005 - SORRY for that!).We have received our application fee back and a short letter explaining our grant application was not accepted. (no surprise) I have spoken with Terry Schoppe and things are cleared up. They are in the process of changing things over he explained. The foundation is not listed on the irs.gov web site as a 501C3 but Terry insisted the group is registered. He said it takes "years" to get listed on the irs web site. If you feel a need to confirm it for yourself, you would need to contact the irs directly I suppose. I'm satisfied with his explanation and apology for allowing our questions to remain unanswered for some time.

We also applied for grants. [URL="http://www.giftofadoption.org"]www.giftofadoption.org[/URL] was one of them. We heard nothing back, also paid a fee to apply. I talked to my agency about all the organizations I had heard about, and they did not know of any legitimate adoption organizations out there. Check with your agency or a lawyer.I hate that we gave all of our personal info as well. You never know about people now a days.

Another good check (and this is good for agencies, too) is to ask for a copy of their IRS form 990. This is essentially the "tax return" that 501s have to file, and they are required to be public. This form will tell you a lot about the organization -- how much they're paying their staff, how much they're spending on programs or grant making, how much they're bringing in.For example, I looked up one agency and the director made about $200k, and several others were over $100k. (And this wasn't an expensive area of the country either). There were also several high paid consultants listed some of whom appeared to be relatives of the director or members of the board. Their depreciation schedule included several vehicles and a high end audio system for one of the vehicles. Ouch. I decided I didn't want to deal with that organization.You can also often look up the organization on Guidestar. You have to register, but the basic membership is free and this will give you access to the 990s if they have them for that organization.