Dear Peter, thank you for your suggestion to prepare this mail as background information to your colleagues and friends in the USA. Alpine Peace Crossing (APC) was founded in 2007, originally with the sole purpose to serve as peace initiative in memory of the Jewish Exodus 1947 over the Austrian Alps near Krimml (a tiny village south of Salzburg near the border to Italy). In 2011 was turned into a NGO to support and finance charitable projects for refugees and other people in need. APC is registered with the Austrian Ministry of Finance as entity (similar to 501c3 in the USA), enabling tax deductibility for donations. In the years since then APC has raised about € 1 million to support charitable and educational projects with a considerable variety and range psychotherapy for traumatized people, integration and education projects, housing and subsistence support, catastrophe aid in Syria, Nepal or Haiti). Since 2016 APC's fundraising efforts have benefited also from our status as recipient of the Official Seal of Donations Approval # 06060. Several thousand people from Europe, Israel and USA have participated in our programs. About 50 descendants of 1947 survivors come from Israel and the US every year. 250-300 come on the 8 hours 18 km commemorative híke with us over the Alps every year. Our State President Alexander Van der Bellen was with us in Krimml in 2018 and former Chancellor Franz Vranitzky will give the opening speech at the 15th APC in Krimml on June 25, 2021. We shall be inviting President Biden/Vice-President Harris to appoint a senior representative of the Administration to join us for this major event. At the beginning of 2020 our board has decided to continue our mission with two separate congenial associations with two new separate boards of directors: APC-HELP (located in Vienna) is concentrating on our charitable social projects, and ALPINE PEACE CROSSING (located in Krimml) is dedicated to (i) the annual APC Peace Hike over the Krimml Tauern pass in remembrance of the Jewish Exodus 1947, (ii) the annual Peace Forum on current national or international issues such as the European integration and refugee policies or the historical and recent rise of antisemitism, (iii) the maintenance of the Grove of Flight to honor survivors of the 1947 Exodus, their descendants and outstanding personalities in the areas of peace and humanitarian aid who have been instrumental in establishing and developing APC, and (iv) on educational and societal projects such as the international installation of APC Peace Pyramids, the recognition of individuals for the APC Peace Prize Award, academic student exchanges with Israel (including in the future also Arab Israelis), and joint initiatives with the origin countries in Eastern Europe of the "Krimml Jews 1947". I am closely associated with both associations, serving as Honorary Chairman of both of them. I have furthermore volunteered to be associated also with our plans in the USA and their implementation. In the past years APC has received modest donations from USA citizens and we have been encouraged to investigate the establishment of a 501c3-association in the USA, called perhaps "Friends of APC in USA"so that we may offer tax deductibility to our US donors and, furthermore, tap into other potential sources of funding for APC. Regarding the mission of our activities in the USA: our goal is to raise funds not only in support of future projects of APC but also of charitable and educational projects in the USA. In fact, some of our US members have pointed to their own initiatives (e.g. an inclusive dance program) which could well benefit from moneys raised via the "Friends of APC". Our goal would be to raise anywhere between USD 15.000 and USD 100.000 annually in the USA. We are currently considering to name our APC PEACE AWARD offically in memory of three deceased couples who were associated with APC and whose families would each commit to contribute € 5.000 annually to the budget of APC. (In 2020 some € 8.000 are needed already for the prize money associated with these awards.) So the first option for APC in the USA might be to establish a 501c3-association. I have looked into the internet https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/application-process : according to this link it is a prerequisite for IRS approval that the organization must first be established in a State. If possible, I would suggest the State of Maine since I know personally several people there who might be willing to serve on a board if such a board must be established. But, as discussed with you, there might be a couple of other alternatives for APC to reach our fundraising goals in the USA: (i) signing a cooperation with a "private organization" in the US which has the 501c3-status already and whose mission is to support congenial NGOs (such as APC) internationally. This avenue would of course be much simpler than establishing and running a 501c3-association of our own. In fact, APC-HELP is using this practice successfully in Austria whereby projects of its members are being supported/adopted by us, thus benefiting from our status with tax deductibility for donations in Austria. 100 % of all moneys which we receive as specified for such projects are being passed on to our members or to the organizations represented by them. (ii) defining a specific joint project (or a sequence of projects) with a Foundation which is fully consistent with our respective Mission Statements or Statutes or Articles of Association. For instance, all or any of the projects of ALPINE PEACE CROSSING which I have mentioned under (iv) above might perhaps qualify. Furthermore, social projects under consideration by APC-HELP for 2021 might also qualify and could perhaps be expanded into the USA, e.g. a project supporting kids and adolescents (girls and boys) from poor families to participate in training and competition programs in various team sports, ranging from soccer to basketball, volleyball, hockey and tennis. If further information should be helpful, Robert, Sepp and I will be glad to send it to you or to discuss it with you in person. As you know APC has hardly any funds of its own, we would therefore be especially grateful if any of the above options could be pursued by your legal and/or Foundation friends in the USA on a pro bono basis. Many thanks to you for everything, and very best wishes for 2021, Sincerely, Ernst -- Dr. Ernst Löschner Ehrenpräsident / Honorary Chairman ALPINE PEACE CROSSING APC-HELP A-1190 Vienna, Langackergasse 32, Austria