Non-federal organizations that are eligible to receive federal surplus personal property:
A public agency or a nonprofit, tax-exempt institution or organization that provides shelter or other services to homeless individuals. Institutions or organizations that acquire personal property through the donation program must use the items exclusively in their programs to provide direct assistance to homeless individuals. The Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act, Public Law 100-77, enacted July 22, 1987, amended the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 to authorize donations of Federal surplus personal property to nonprofit, tax-exempt providers of assistance to homeless individuals. Homeless individual means:
Provider of assistance to impoverished families and individuals means a public or nonprofit organization whose primary function is to provide money, goods, or services to families or individuals whose annual incomes are below the poverty line (as defined in section 673 of the Community Services Block Grant Act) (42 U.S.C. 9902). Providers include food banks, self-help housing groups, and organizations providing services such as the following: Health care; medical transportation; scholarships and tuition assistance; tutoring and literacy instruction; job training and placement; employment counseling; child care assistance; meals or other nutritional support; clothing distribution; home construction or repairs; utility or rental assistance; and legal counsel. Nonprofit means not organized for profit and exempt from Federal income tax under section 501 of the Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. 501). Public agency means any State; political subdivision thereof, including any unit of local government or economic development district; any department, agency, or instrumentality thereof, including instrumentalities created by compact or other agreement between States or political subdivisions; multijurisdictional sub state districts established by or pursuant to State law; or any Indian tribe, band, group, pueblo, or community located on a State reservation. Homeless and Impoverished Providers Renewal Application and Checklist (PDF)
Only institutions that meet all the elements of the basic definition for a museum are considered for eligibility. Museum means a public or nonprofit institution that is organized on a permanent basis for essentially educational or aesthetic purposes and which, using a professional staff, owns or uses tangible objects, either animate or inanimate; cares for these objects; and exhibits them to the public on a regular basis (at least 1000 hours a year). The term “museum” includes, but is not limited to, the following institutions if they satisfy all other provisions of this definition: Aquariums and zoological parks; botanical gardens and arboretums; nature centers; museums relating to art, history (including historic buildings), natural history, science, and technology; and planetariums. For the purposes of this definition, an institution uses a professional staff if it employs at least one fulltime staff member or the equivalent, whether paid or unpaid, primarily engaged in the acquisition, care, or public exhibition of objects owned or used by the institution. This definition of “museum” does not include any institution that exhibits objects to the public if the display or use of the objects is only incidental to the primary function of the institution.
Museums Renewal Application and Checklist (PDF)
Service Education Activities Renewal Application and Checklist (PDF)
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