What Is the Difference Between a 501(c)(3) and a 501(c)(4)?
A 501(c)(3) organization is a nonprofit organization established exclusively for one of the following purposes: charitable, religious, educational, scientific, literary, testing for public safety, fostering national or international amateur sports competition, or preventing cruelty to children or animals. These organizations are mostly prohibited from engaging in lobbying. Alternatively, 501(c)(4) organizations, which are also nonprofit, are social welfare groups and allowed to engage in lobbying.