#MarchforOurLives is a Corporation
#marchforourlives
On Saturday, March 24th, millions of people across the United States participated in the #marchforourlives gun control rallies. The main rally in Washington, D.C. drew an estimated 800,000 people and the March for Our Lives Go Fund Me page shows that, as of this posting, the movement has raised almost all of its $3.8 million goal.
We are told by the mainstream media that this is a grassroots movement made up of high school students concerned with gun violence in schools. However, the professionally designed signs, flags and t-shirts, as well as the extensive and fawning mainstream media coverage are telltale signs of a professional public relations campaign. So is the corporate entity at the center of this “movement”.
March for Our Lives, Inc.
March for Our Lives has a website at www.marchforourlives.com. This comes as no surprise for any type of organization or movement, whether by students or private equity billionaires. The youth of the day, after all, have been the most technologically savvy part of the populace in western civilization for most of the last 100 years. But public relations, the intricacies of corporate formation and the applicable tax code are hardly the domain of even today’s smartphone-toting teen.
March For Our Lives is created by, inspired by, and led by students of all ethnicities, religions, and sexualities across the country.
According to the mission statement page of the organization’s website, “March For Our Lives is created by, inspired by, and led by students of all ethnicities, religions, and sexualities across the country.” But according to the the Terms of Use, the website is owned by “March for Our Lives, Inc.” Things get a little confusing here since the General FAQ page actually refers to two other entities, the March for Our Lives Fund and the March for Our Lives Initiative at the Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund.
501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4)?
You can donate to the March for Our Lives Fund via the red donate button ever-present in the upper-right-hand corner of the website. But, as the General FAQ page explains, if you want to make your donation to March for Our Lives tax deductible, you cannot make it to the March for Our Lives Fund because it is a 501(c)(4) tax-exempt organization. 501(c)(4) organizations aren’t subject to the same restrictions on political lobbying that a 501(c)(3) organization is, but you donations to a 501(c)(3) are tax-deductible.
So instead, the FAQ refers you to the March for Our Lives Initiative at the Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund to make tax-deductible donations. This all makes sense, coming from a grass-roots organization “created by, inspired by, and led by students”. Because, ya know, all the cool kids know you can’t organize under a 501(c)(3) and engage in a lot of lobbying. Ya gotta go 501(c)(4), brah! Then you can do all the lobbying you want without the IRS canceling you! Ya feel me?
Media Inquiries, 18 and up
My sad attempts at co-opting hipster language aside, what is going on here should be obvious. But if it isn’t, then there’s a couple of other things on this website that belie the story of a grassroots student movement. First, there’s a page titled “Press”, as in “the news media”, which is complete with a link for news media to submit their press inquiries. That page provides, or once provided, press credential applications to cover the March for Our Lives. At the time of this posting, those credential applications are now closed.
So these high school students have not only navigated the nuances of the IRS code as it relates to tax-exempt organizations and political action, but they have also been issuing media credentials to cover their event.
This Site is designed for users 18 years and older. If you are under 18, you may use this Site only with involvement of a parent or guardian.
If that’s not enough to start your eyes rolling, then finally, there’s the Terms of Use page, which specifically states “[t]he Site is the property of March for Our Lives, Inc. (“MFOL,” “we,” “our” or “us”)”. It also states “[t]his Site is designed for users 18 years and older. If you are under 18, you may use this Site only with involvement of a parent or guardian.” That’s right, the website of this student-run grassroots movement specifically states that it is age-restricted to exclude almost all school-age individuals from using it, unless they have their mommy or daddy helping them. I know if I was a teenager, that’s what I would do.
For realz.
Related – PR Firm Openly Advertises Fake Protest Services
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