Donation Disclosure

1. What this Disclosure covers

This Donation Disclosure explains the relationship between Donate ATC, the donors who use our Site, and the third-party charitable organizations to which we direct donations. It is intended to provide transparency consistent with the principles of charitable solicitation best practices.

2. Donate ATC is not a charity

We are not a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Donate ATC is operated by Donate ATC LLC, a [for-profit/non-profit/LLC] entity organized under the laws of the State of Florida. We do not solicit, collect, hold, manage, or disburse charitable donations.

Donations made through links and pages we provide go directly to third-party 501(c)(3) charitable organizations through their own donation infrastructure (typically a Square store, a payment processor, or a dedicated donation form on the charity's website). Donate ATC never processes payment information and never touches donor funds.

3. The charities we direct donors to

As of the date above, donations are directed to the following registered 501(c)(3) organizations:

We may add, remove, or change beneficiary organizations over time and will update this Disclosure accordingly. We are not affiliated with any of these organizations; we link to them because we believe they do meaningful work for the aviation community.

4. Tax deductibility

Donations made to the listed 501(c)(3) organizations are generally tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law for U.S. taxpayers. The receiving charity will issue a receipt for your donation; Donate ATC does not issue receipts because we are not the recipient of any donation.

We do not provide tax or legal advice. Consult a qualified tax professional regarding the deductibility of any specific donation, particularly if you live outside the United States or are claiming significant amounts.

5. No goods or services exchanged

In connection with any donation facilitated through Donate ATC, no goods or services are provided to the donor in exchange for the donation, other than de minimis items (such as the dedication acknowledgement). This is intended to preserve the full charitable deduction value of the donation, consistent with IRS quid pro quo rules.

6. Honor-donations are not tips or gratuities

A donation made "in honor of" a named air traffic controller, facility, pilot, airline, or flight does not result in any payment, gift, or transferable benefit to that person or entity. The dedication is informational only and is included to allow the donor to express the sentiment behind the gift to the receiving charity.

Specifically:

• Federal employees. Air traffic controllers in the United States are federal employees subject to 5 C.F.R. § 2635, which prohibits acceptance of gifts from persons doing business with or affected by their agency. Donations under this Site are not directed to, paid to, or transferable to any individual controller.
• Airline pilots. Most airline pilots are restricted by airline policy and FAA guidance from accepting personal gratuities from passengers. Donations under this Site are not directed to any individual pilot.
• The charity, not the individual, receives funds. 100% of donations completed through the linked donation pages are received by the third-party 501(c)(3), which then uses the funds in accordance with its own charitable mission.

7. No affiliation with named organizations

Donate ATC is an independent project. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by:

• The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
• The U.S. Department of Transportation
• The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) or the NATCA Charitable Foundation
• The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) or any ALPA-affiliated fund
• The Allied Pilots Association (APA), the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association (SWAPA), or any other pilot union
• Any U.S. or foreign airline
• Any other charity or trade organization referenced on the Site

References to these organizations are made solely for the purpose of accurately describing where donations go.

8. Site revenue and sponsorships

Donate ATC may receive revenue from clearly-labeled sponsor placements on the Site. Sponsor revenue is used to cover the cost of operating the Site (hosting, domain registration, design, legal, etc.) and is not commingled with donor funds (which we never hold). The presence of a sponsor does not constitute an endorsement of that sponsor's products or services, and sponsors have no influence over which charities are featured or how the donation flow operates.

9. State charitable solicitation registration

Many U.S. states require organizations soliciting charitable donations to register with state authorities. Because Donate ATC is a referral platform that does not itself solicit, accept, or hold donations on its own behalf, we take the position that we are not required to register as a charitable solicitor. However, the third-party charities to which we direct donations may be independently registered in various states; check the charity's own materials for state registration disclosures.

If a state regulator determines that Donate ATC's activities require state registration, we will register or modify our activities accordingly. If you are a regulator with questions, please contact donateatc@gmail.com.

10. Refunds and donation disputes

Because Donate ATC does not collect or hold donations, we cannot process refunds. If you need to dispute, cancel, or seek a refund of a donation, please contact the receiving charity directly through their listed donation page.

11. Reporting concerns

If you believe any donation has been misrepresented, misdirected, or otherwise mishandled in connection with the Site, please contact us at donateatc@gmail.com so we can investigate.