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About KUR
KUR is organized and operating as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to collecting and reporting valuable
scientific information from underwater karst environments where scientist are unable to go and
providing this information to the public for future generations to better understand and protect
our unique natural resources.
KUR was incorporated in the State of Florida as a non-profit corporation. KUR's
Articles of Incorporation our mission and that our
handling of assets and earnings to be consistent with the IRS regulations of tax exempt
organizations under section 501(c)(3). Our focus is to identify opportunities for more informative
characterizations and collect scientific information about karst systems for academic research,
environmental protection and public posterity. We fill the crucial niche of supporting scientists
and other concerned parties by pulling information from the ground - literally - that they would
not be able to safely do themselves. We also help scientists plan or refine their research plans
based on our observations and data collections. But, we are not a laboratory or facility. We are a
volunteer organization that relies on the efforts of skilled (and enthusiastic) volunteers with their
own exploration equipment to execute our research efforts.
Because of this focus and our volunteer-driven operating model, we have been able to run with very
low operating costs. Historically, we have not solicited charitable contributions or donations. In
some cases, we have received minimal fees for our data collection, such as cave system surveys/maps
or water samples, and these fees have been consumed reimbursing our volunteers for their expenses to
collect the data and our costs to produce reports. Due to this structure, our gross receipts have
been less than $5,000 annually. The IRS allows such entities to consider themselves as a tax exempt
501(c)(3) entity without having to file the Form 1023 with the IRS for formal recognition of this
status. Because of our extremely low level of gross fees and that we do not solicit for charitable
contributions, we have not found necessary to complete this form at present. However, we may do so if -
at a future point - we consider the formal recognition by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) to be beneficial to
us and any would-be contributors.
Click here to view the KUR Board of Directors
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