A small bit of good news: We @themarkup have been waiting to hear from the IRS about whether we had been granted 501(c)(3) nonprofit status. We applied in early January and it can take anywhere from 90 days to many months to get a response. /1
But we forgot that the #IRS likes to communicate by mail. And we shut down our office on March 11. This weekend, @varlogsimon bicycled to the office to pick up a laptop that he needed and he noticed some mail from the IRS. /2 
Since he lives nearby, @varlogsimon dropped by my house and left it on the stoop. I came out and opened it while he stood six feet away on the sidewalk. And that’s when we learned we had obtained our 501(c)(3) status!
(he took this photo of me opening the letter)/3
(he took this photo of me opening the letter)/3
This is huge news for us @themarkup! Being a standalone nonprofit entity means that people can donate directly to us (donors have had to give to our nonprofit parent company @neodifference). We will also have an easier time applying for grants and qualifying for discounts. /4
We are lucky that we got our application in right before the world turned upside down. And we’re so grateful to the IRS for the speedy turnaround. It feels so good to have finally hatched into a full-fledged nonprofit newsroom!
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