Hello-

As at least one other poster has noted, GuideStar can be a very useful source for assessing the status of a variety of not-for-profit organizations (not just museum).   They're located at www.guidestar.org.  However, you must register to access data, and without becoming a "select" or "premium" member, the info you can access is limited.  I use it to review IRS Form 990s (one way of assessing an organization's viability).  I also visit the Secretary of State's web site for the state the organization is located in.  Many sites have data bases in which you can search for the organization to confirm incorporation, charter, by-laws, etc. (this is done on a state by state basis).  And of course, contacting the IRS either by phone or via web at www.irs.gov can also provide you with some information.  If you click to their "Search for Charities" you can plug in an organization's name and determine if its recognized as a tax exempt entity by the IRS.  The site also has "States Link" that will link you to official state web sites.  From there you can follow links to Secretary of State pages/sites. 

Hope this is helpful. Feel free to contact me offline if you like.  I use the Internet regularly to assess viability of various kinds of museums.

__________________________________________________
Sarah J. Sessions
National Museum of the United States Air Force
[log in to unmask]

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).