US Non-profit organizations are legal entities that are organized and operated for a collective, public, or social benefit. Many different types of organizations may operate as non-profits, including charities, business associations, churches, social service providers of various sorts, consumer cooperatives, private schools, and even some political organizations. Non-profit entities are tax-exempt in the US, but still must file an “informational” tax return with the Internal Revenue Service each year. As a matter of federal law, these informational returns are public records and freely available to anyone who wants to see them.