How do I find the source of donations to Religious groups?

October 29, 2008 7:58 PM

How do I find out who's paying the bill for The Call to use Qualcomm stadium?

I mean, I've traced the event from The Call to, The International House Of Prayer University to Lou Engle, but I'm just getting lost in the maze. Are any of these organizations required to declare their funding sources - And if so, is there any way for a private citizen to find out?

posted by Orb2069 to Law & Government (2 answers total)

Best answer: No, 501(c)3 non-profits are not required to disclose specific donations. They file Form 990, which requires them to disclose the annual total, as well as some other basic information such as officers. Note that the offiical address is where Engle is, in South Carolina. Some years they rake in a few million, other years they appear all but dormant.

You can find these at the group's GuideStar profile.

As there are no contribution limits this could all come from a private anonymous donor (who could be Engle or anyone), or it could come from every Sunday School student in America who gave a penny -- you just can't tell.

IHOP seems to be a separate organization, but Mike Bickle is involved in both.
posted by dhartung at 12:13 AM on October 30, 2008

Another free source for 990's.

Engle appears to be the President of the orgs, while Che Ahn is the CEO. Ahn is a "faith healer" tied to Todd Bently the "faith healer" who has been outed as a charlatan by James Randi and Nightline and has since left his wife and ministry to persue a relationship with a member of his staff.
posted by Pollomacho at 5:30 AM on October 30, 2008