Quoting from a letter from the IRS:
Dear Applicant:
We are pleased to inform you that upon review of your application for tax exempt status we have determined that you are exempt from Federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Codfe. Contributions to you are deductible under section 170 of the Code. You are also qualified to receive tax deductible bequests, devises, transfers or gifts under section 2055, 2106 or 2522 of the Code. Because this letter could help resolve any questions regarding your extempt status, you should keep it in your permanent records.
Organizations exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Code are further classified as either public charities or private foundations. We determined that you are a public charity under the Code section(s) listen in the heading of this letter.
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Hooray! Finally!
The effective date of the exemption is June 20, 2003 (our founding date), so this is fully retroactive.
--Jimbo