CATS given federal nonprofit status

The Community Action Team Sisters (CATS) has been awarded 501c-3 status with the Internal Revenue Service, according to Executive Director Ted Viramonte.

The federal designation as a non-profit is necessary to receive grants and loans from some charitable foundations, Viramonte said.

Viramonte said that CATS currently has an application for a grant requesting operating funds from a local bank.

"This designation takes away something they might question in the application process," said Viramonte.

He mentioned both the Meyer Memorial Trust and the Ford Foundation as organizations that require federal, non-profit recognition.

In a related matter, CATS is discussing the disposition of $10,000 applied for by the Cascade Community Development for a low-income housing project in Sisters.

Cascade Community Dev-elopment applied for and won the grant when they and Sisters Area Affordable Housing Solutions, a CATS subcommittee, were working together.

Cascade Community Development, a Bend-based organization, and CATS may be headed in different directions, according to Viramonte.

There were differences over which organization should have final control over projects, and differences in priorities.

"A land bank was (Cascade's) first priority, and they felt that since they would be putting resources on the line, they should make the decisions," said Viramonte. "CATS had immediate low-income housing as a higher priority, and felt that Sisters people should be making decisions on projects that would (occur) directly in Sisters."

Talks on whether the $10,000 would be spent by Cascade or CATS or returned to the Federal Home Loan Bank of Seattle were scheduled for this week.