Project ACTION to seek tax-free status

Project ACTION, the nonprofit organization that has been working on issues facing Springfield, is applying to become a 501(c)3 organization, which would clear the way for the organization to apply for state and federal funds.

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Published May 20, 2016 in the Rutland Herald Project ACTION to seek tax-free status By Susan Smallheer SPRINGFIELD — Project ACTION, the nonprofit organization that has been working on issues facing Springfield, is applying to become a 501(c)3 organization, which would clear the way for the organization to apply for state and federal funds. The Internal Revenue Service tax-free status would also allow it to be the fiscal agent for Springfield’s neighborhood organizations, which are working to address problems in their own neighborhoods, from blighted and dilapidated buildings to the need for more information from police and corrections officials. Springfield Selectwoman Stephanie Thompson, who is the de facto head of Project ACTION, said Tuesday that she had received the group’s draft articles of incorporation from its attorney, and hope to complete the application next month. Typically, Thompson said, it takes “six or eight or nine months” for the federal government to review the application and approve it. Project VISION, which is based in Rutland, has been a guide for the Springfield group, but Thompson said Project VISION doesn’t have tax-free status because it is headed by a city employee. The executive director is a captain in the city police department, she said. “We’re getting the ball rolling,” said Thompson. The group has been active since January 2015, and has three main subcommittees devoted to issues surrounding safety and policing, the neighborhoods and community development, and social service agencies. Last month, the Springfield Select Board agreed to sponsor Project ACTION’s application fees, and also designated it as the future fiscal agent for the town’s neighborhood organizations. The town set a deadline of July 15 for the application to the IRS to be completed, Thompson said. On Tuesday, during a meeting of the neighborhoods and community development subcommittee, members talked about working with the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce to establish a townwide community calendar, with people able to post their events in various categories. Thompson also made a plea for the use of a trailer that Project ACTION could use in next month’s Springfield Alumni Parade. The theme of this year’s parade is camping, she said, and she hoped to have the organization have a float in the popular parade. http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20160520/NEWS02/160529978