Yuri's Night Officially Recognized as 501(c)(3) Organization

Washington, DC, April 13, 2011 --(PR.com)-- On the week of April 12, 2011, the 50th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's first human spaceflight and the 30th anniversary of the first launch of the Space Shuttle, Yuri's Night is quite pleased to announce that Yuri's Night, Inc., the organization which maintains Yuri's Night on the global level, has been officially recognized as a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit group by the IRS. This gives Yuri's Night certain financial advantages; just as importantly, it means that any donations to Yuri's Night dating back to September 2010 are tax-deductible in the U.S. tax code.

Yuri's Night was a project of the Space Generation Advisory Council from its creation in 2000 until 2010, when the leaders of SGAC and YN agreed that Yuri's Night would be better served as an independent organization. Yuri's Night was organized as a corporation in the state of California last fall, and just this week has received official notice of their 501(c)(3) status.

"I'm very happy that Yuri's Night has finally been recognized as a non-profit organization," said YN Assistant Director Brice Russ. "This new stage in the history of Yuri's Night will allow us to grow and better serve fans of space exploration and development around the world."

Donations to Yuri's Night can be sent via Paypal to donations@yurisnight.net.

Yuri’s Night, the World Space Party, is celebrated annually on or around April 12th, the anniversary of Gagarin’s historic spaceflight in 1961. This year, not only is it 50 years since Gagarin’s flight, but also the 30th anniversary of the first launch of the U.S. space shuttle Columbia, and the 10th anniversary of Yuri’s Night. Over 340 events are registered at yurisnight.net. Yuri’s Night is supported by many individuals, groups and organizations, including Richard Garriott and the Musk Foundation.

###