About us
Letter from the Board of Directors
Allow us to introduce ourselves, share with you how our organization came into being, and tell you what we stand for. The three of us have deep ties to the Grapevine-Colleyville area and our stories and connection with it reflect the diversity and richness of this great community. Some of what we see in our schools, we like; other things, we don’t. What we all agree upon is the community’s need to know the full story of everything going on in our school district delivered to every household in GCISD. This newspaper is a direct response to that perceived need.
The Grapevine-Colleyville Scholar’s Journal is a nonprofit 501(c)4 organization born out of the desire to restore our schools. Inspired by a previous unaffiliated publication, we have chosen to do business as “GCISD News.” We think that the best way we can support this school district is through honest communication celebrating its victories and acknowledging its shortcomings. Collaboration with the community is only possible if that community is well-informed about how its money is being spent. We all have a vested interest in seeing our schools succeed.
We are aware that our district has new leadership and seek to work alongside it to further our mutual goals. As GCISD embarks on a new beginning, we believe it is time to move forward to academic excellence for all of our community’s children by focusing on increasing measurable academic outcomes. Our shared vision is to uplift this school district to create a better tomorrow for us all.
Our mission is nothing short of a complete revitalization of our community, centered on nurturing the heart of that community--our schools. If this mission resonates with you, then we ask for you to stand with us by supporting our nonprofit.
Sincerely,
Joel Loua, Robert Smullin, and Zariyan Stark
Non-Profit Status
What is a 501(c)4 exactly?
A 501(c)4 organization is a non-profit social welfare organization. They operate to promote social welfare within a community and benefit the entire community--not just a subset. The "Letter from the Board of Directors" reinforces the breadth of our mission. This article from Forbes further explains how a 501(c)4 is known for this broader scope as opposed to a 501(c)3.
On the IRS website, it states that “the promotion of social welfare does not include direct or indirect participation or intervention in political campaigns on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office.” Please follow the link for more details.
Are we affiliated with GCISD?
No. We are an independent news publication.
The Grapevine Colleyville Scholar's Journal chose to do business as "GCISD News" because the journal will give news about GCISD. "Grapevine Colleyville" is a geographical location and cannot be patented or trademarked as a name. "ISD" is part of every school district in Texas.
We have had "Not affiliated with the Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District" on the bottom of every page of our webpage since we began.
Will my donation be tax deductible?
No. Donations to 501(c)4 organizations are not tax deductible, even though they are non-profits.
The disclaimer about not being tax deductible is on our donation portal page at the bottom. This notification has been there since the donation page was created.
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