About Obscure

• Contact Us
• Purpose
• History
• Legal Documents

Contact Us

You can reach us by U.S. Mail at:

The Obscure Organization
300 S Jackson St
Arlington, VA 22204

Our main e-mail address is info@obscure.org.

Obscure's President, Richard Bullington-McGuire, can be reached by phone at 571-236-0938.

Purpose

The Obscure Organization promotes creativity and community through technology. Obscure is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, a public charity dedicated to educating individuals and the public about the benefits of using technology to further creative expression and build communities. Our Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws spell out the rules regarding how we are organized.

Obscure gives free computer accounts to anyone who asks nicely, to help people expand their knowledge and use of Internet technologies. See the "How do I become an Obscure User? section of the FAQ for more information.

Obscure has helped sponsor people's efforts to learn more about the Internet, the World Wide Web, artistic expression and new media, electronic communities, computer programming, UNIX and Linux, and our evolving culture.

Obscure is the collective creation of its users - people with a wide variety of tastes and interests. Some have used Obscure to show their art to the world, some have used it to expand their knowledge of Web publishing, while others have used the programming and human resources here to polish their resumes.

Many of the users use their Obscure accounts to help others expand their knowledge of technology and creative expression. Obscure has become a community offering mutual aid and support to people wishing to be creative on the Internet.

We accept tax-deductible contributions from members and the general public to offset the costs of operating our services and programs.

History

Founded in 1995 to promote experimentation in the arts and technology, Obscure started as a learning excercise to see if it was possible to operate a full-time Internet site on a shoestring budget. Once it was on the Internet full-time, it seemed obvious to give accounts to people who could benefit from learning about these new technologies, or who could use Obscure's resources to further their own personal, professional, and artistic development. In 2002, to further develop Obscure's potential, it was reorganized as a non-profit corporation. In 2003, the IRS issued an advance ruling that The Obscure Organization is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt entity. In 2007, the IRS issued a final ruling that The Obscure Organization qualifies as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt public charity, qualifying under section 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) of the code.

Legal Documents

• Articles of Incorporation
• Bylaws
• IRS Tax Exemption Advance Ruling (1.02 MB PDF)
• IRS Tax Exemption Final Ruling (49 KB PDF)
• IRS Form 990 - 2002 (940K PDF) - our initial tax return