DURHAM, N.C. — Organizers of the North Carolina Pride Festival and Parade, set for Durham on Sept. 28, have yet to restore their federal tax-exempt status nearly three years after realizing they were not complying with IRS non-profit requirements.
In the fall of 2010, NC Pride Director John Short informed qnotes that his organization — at the time, a non-profit with 501(c)3 tax-exempt status from the IRS — was out of compliance. The organization had failed to file annual 990 tax returns for three years. At the time, Short said an accountant would begin work to correct the filing oversights.
But, catching up on the filings apparently never happened. In June 2011, NC Pride’s tax-exempt status was revoked by the IRS. Since then, Short has refused to speak openly about his organization’s filing troubles. A short statement in June 2011 was the last qnotes heard from Short on the matter.
In the absence of a non-profit status, Short has apparently been operating the organization as a for-profit venture. Short did not respond to qnotes’ latest requests for comment as we went to press with this issue. It is not clear if Short is the only business owner of NC Pride or if there are other business partners. It also remains unclear what monies NC Pride collects and how it is distributed, and there remains no official accounting of how NC Pride donations and other funds were utilized when the organization still had its tax-exempt status. : :
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