On August 31, 2006, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) released a statement of its receipt of a letter from the IRS informing the NAACP that the IRS had concluded its investigation of the organization’s activities with a finding that the NAACP did not violate the prohibition against political campaign activities applicable to 501(c)(3) organizations.

According to the NAACP, the IRS launched the investigation in 2004 "after receiving complaints from several Republican members of Congress who said their constituents believed NAACP National Board of Directors Chairman Julian Bond crossed the line of non-partisanship in a speech at the NAACP 2004 National Convention critical of Bush administration policies."  In response to the IRS determination, Bond said, "The good news is that we are vindicated.  The bad news for us and for other freedom-loving Americans is that [the investigation] was launched for partisan purposes to threaten our right to free speech."

Read the NAACP statement here.

Read the new article on "Charities, Churches and Politics" that currently headlines the IRS website.