Teagarden Museum Awarded Tax-Exempt Status

(VERNON, TX) The Jack Teagarden Museum has officially been approved to operate as a tax-exempt entity. Under the IRS Revenue Code, the Jack Teagarden Museum is now considered a 501 (c) (3) corporation, and furthermore considered to be a public charity for the purpose of receiving donations.

“I could not be happier,” said director Mark Farr-Nash. “Having this paperwork in hand was all that stood between us and a number of earnest contributions.” Donations made to the Museum project are now considered tax-deductible, and receipts will be available upon request.

“Our present goal, and the most important goal, remains securing the Joe Showler Collection for the museum’s holdings. Without the collection, we have no museum, no archive, and no project.” In order to obtain the collection, the museum has agreed to pay for half the total cost of the materials up front, with the balance due over a period of several years. The down payment will allow the collection to be moved from its current home in Toronto, Canada, to Vernon, Texas. “Cost-wise, it’s about a tenth of our overall project, but it’s got to be the first tenth that we raise.”

The total cost of the project is estimated to be 1.6 million dollars. This includes renovations to the museum’s future home at 1922 Wilbarger Street. The building recently had new windows installed and a new, energy-efficient rubber membrane roof added. “We’re thinking about long-term solutions,” Far-Nash said of the building upgrades. “That roof will lower our energy needs by around 40%. And it’s good for 20 to 30 years. What we’re going to store in this building is, I think, a Vernon treasure, and it deserves to be well protected.”

People and institutions wishing to donate to the Museum project may now do so from the website, via a PayPal account, or by downloading a pledge card that they can fill out and return. “We also have a number of corporate and private institutions locally who may be waiting on this good news before the make any contributions,” Farr-Nash said. “If anyone is interested in major funding, I urge them to call me. We will be happy to work with anyone who is interested in seeing Vernon grow, mature, and flourish in the future.”

For more information about any aspect of the Jack Teagarden Museum, contact Mark Farr-Nash or call (940) 839-7873. To make a donation, visit the website at www.teagardenmuseum.org.