Fellow listers,

1)  Those interested in the intersection of museum and theatre should be
aware of two peer groups -- the International Museum Theatre Alliance, and
the Museum  Theatre Professional Interest Council.  Contact information for
IMTAL is available at the Council of Affiliates section of the AAM website
(www.aam-us.org); MTPIC information is available at the Professional
Interest Council section.

2)  Congress passed a law in 1997 that tells you when to regard income from
corporate sponsorship as a charitable contribution and when to regard it as
taxable, non-mission-related income.  The IRS issued rules implementing the
law last March.  Seeing as I don't follow this stuff any more, I don't know
whether those rules are final, but you're allowed to rely on them without
fear of penalty.  You can get to the rules through the AAM website.

You can also see how some other non-profits deal with the ethics of
corporate sponsorships by going to the Independent Sector website --
www.independentsector.org -- the relevant section is at the bottom of the
home page.

3)  Finally, I'll be leaving the U.S. Department of Education in January to
take a position with the National Environmental Education & Training
Foundation.  I hope and expect to continue working with museums in my new
job.

Andy Finch
U.S. Department of Education
202-401-3292
[log in to unmask]

*Not an official communication*

=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).