Nellie Callahan Scholarship Fund v. Commissioner

73 T.C. 626, 1980 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 208
United States Tax Court·Decided January 3, 1980·No. Docket No. 9512-77X·Published·Cited by 7 cases

Opinion

OPINION

Nims, Judge:*

Respondent determined that petitioner is a private foundation as defined in section 509(a), I.R.C. 1954.1 The petitioner has invoked the jurisdiction of this Court, pursuant to section 7428, for a declaratory judgment that it is a supporting organization as described in section 509(a)(3) and therefore not a private foundation. Petitioner has satisfied the prerequisites for this declaratory judgment action: it has exhausted its administrative remedies, section 7428(b)(2); it is the organization the classification of which is at issue, section 7428(b)(1); and it filed its petition in a timely fashion, section 7428(b)(3). The case was submitted upon the basis of the pleadings, petitioner’s oral argument presented at the hearing, and the facts recited in the administrative record (which the parties have stipulated). The latter are assumed to be true for the purposes of this decision. See Rule 217, Tax Court Rules of Practice and Procedure.

Petitioner (sometimes referred to herein as the fund), an organization described in section 501(c)(3) and exempt from taxation under section 501(a), is a testamentary trust whose principal office, at the time of filing the petition herein, was c/o Shirley A. Webster, Farmers & Merchants State Bank Building, Winterset, Iowa. Petitioner filed its Application for Recognition of Exemption (Form 1023) with the Internal Revenue Service in Des Moines, Iowa.

The principal issue for our decision is whether petitioner, as created under the Will of Nellie Callahan, deceased, failed to satisfy the requirements for exception from private foundation status under section 509(a)(3) because it was not operated, supervised, or controlled by or in connection with one or more organizations described in paragraphs (1) and (2) of section 509(a), as required by section 509(a)(3)(B). In the event this issue is decided adversely to the petitioner, a second issue is whether petitioner’s private foundation status ceased, assuming defects in its organization and operation were cured, in the absence of complying with the formal termination procedures imposed by section 507 and the regulations thereunder.

Petitioner was created under the Will of Nellie Callahan and received its initial funding from her estate on August 25, 1967. Under the terms of the will, the original trustees were Robert 0. Frederick of Winterset, Iowa, and the Iowa-Des Moines National Bank.

Article IV of the decedent’s will provides in pertinent part as follows:

Subject to the above and after payment of the costs of administration of my estate and such taxes as may be payable from my estate, I give, devise and bequeath all of the property, real and personal, which I may own at the time of my death, to Iowa-Des Moines National Bank of Des Moines, Iowa, and Robert 0. Frederick of Winterset, Iowa, as trustees to be by them managed, administered and the principal thereof and the income therefrom held and distributed in accordance with the following provisions:
A. Said trust estate shall be known as the NELLIE CALLAHAN SCHOLARSHIP FUND.
B. Said trustees shall use the income from said trust fund each year to finance, or aid in financing, the education of a pupil, or pupils, selected from the graduating class from the Winterset Community High School of Winterset, Iowa, which pupil, or pupils, shall be selected by a committee of three (3) persons, to-wit: The president of said school board, the superintendent of said school district and the principal of said high school. The selection of the graduate, or graduates, shall be made by said committee of three, taking into consideration the student’s qualifications and capabilities for mental advancement and the financial need of said student. Said selection shall be made by said committee without regard to the sex or religious beliefs of the student involved. It is my intention that funds from this trust shall be made available to provide, or assist in providing, for educational opportunities for those students who might otherwise be unable to continue their education.
C. The trustees, from year to year, shall, in their discretion, determine the amount of the scholarship, or scholarships, to be awarded which in any event shall not exceed One Thousand Dollars ($1,000) for any year for any one recipient.
D. The recipients of the scholarship shall be entitled to said scholarship, in the discretion of the trustees, for a period of not to exceed two (2) years, providing said recipients maintain satisfactory grades or reports of progress in the field of education or training which they have chosen.
E. It is further provided that the funds herein shall be used to assist any of the eligible and selected graduates in attending any college or university, business training, mechanical or technical training offered by any recognized educational institution within the state of Iowa.
F. The committee and the trustees herein, in the selection of the recipients and in the determination of the amount to be available, shall consider the probabilities of said recipient completing his chosen training, or educational program, in order to assure themselves that the recipient chosen shall be able to complete his chosen training, or education.
G. The amount of the scholarship to be awarded annually may, at the election of the recipient, be spread over a period of more than two (2) years by said recipient electing to divide the two-year award over a longer period. Said recipient may either administer the award himself over a longer period or may request the trustees herein to divide the award over a longer period than two years.
H. It is further provided that the number of recipients who shall at any one time participate in the benefits of this trust fund shall be determined by the trustees in accordance with the amount of income available and with the consideration and care being used by said trustee so that no graduate will be started on any course of education, or training, without reasonable prospect of funds being available for the payment from this fund on a basis of two years’ training, or education. In the event there is not sufficient income in any given year to permit the continuation of prior awards as well as the awarding of current scholarships, the trustees herein should then either reduce the awards made currently or discontinue the current year’s award so that as not to jeopardize the recipients already receiving said awards.
I. It is further provided that in the event any student who has been selected to receive benefits from this trust fund dies, or in any manner becomes unable to either commence or continue his course of study, or training, or in the event the trustees herein determine that a student already selected is not qualified to continue his course of training, said trustees shall determine, in their own discretion, whether a successor should be chosen to receive the benefits left available by the death or disqualification, and if so, shall notify the committee to make such alternate selection immediately.

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Nellie Callahan Scholarship Fund v. Commissioner, 73 T.C. 626, 1980 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 208 (tax 1980).

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