Drawn largely from a posting on rec.scouting, dated Wed, 3 Jun 1992 The National Boy Scouts of America is a private not-for-profit organization with a Congressional Charter, meaning that it must report to Congress every year--but it arguably receives no funding from the U.S. Government. The access to US Military Bases is extended as a courtesy by the Post Commander. It is often used as a form of advertisement to get youth to think about joining the Military. Best advertising they could have! The Boy Scouts of America are organized: National Council funded from lower levels, 1325 Walnut Hill Lane corporate sponsors, & Irving, TX 75015 special events (jambos, NOACs) National President, VP, & A not-for-profit private Board of Directors (Exec Brd) corporation. Chief Scout Executive (Ben Love) National Director, BS Division , CS Division , Exploring Division ... || Regional Offices (4) funded by National Council (Eastern, Western, Central, Southern) [effective 01 Jul 92] Regional President & Committee Regional Directors || || Area Offices (often the area director's home) Area President & Committee same as regional... Area Directors : (Sections are between local | council and areas but serve little | purpose in the hierarchy, except : for things like the OA) | Local Council Funded by whatever means IT Your City/Town, USA decides to pursue. Often the Council President, VP, & United Way contributes (10% - Board of Directors (Exec Brd) 30%) to the operational budget. Scout Executive Other funding is by individual District Executives & corporate donations or by : Special events/fundraisers. | They are only a member of the : BSA because they petition the | National Council every year to : obtain a Charter, without that | they cannot use the words `BSA' : but can still exist and run any | program they wish! : The local council is a state | chartered NFP corporation and : not financially linked to the | Sponsoring Nat'l Council in any way. To : Organization qualify for a charter they must | | conform to certain financial, : | accounting, & programmatic stds. | | Local Boy Scout Troop These organizations are given Local Explorer Post BSA charters every year and Local Cub Scout Pack allowed to run the `BSA' program. Local Varsity Team They are not legally or Your City/Town, USA financially linked to the Local or Nat'l Council and are sponsored by some organization (often churches, but sometimes schools, and even 'groups of citizens'). Their sponsor is under no obligation to provide them with anything, including funding, except an Institutional Representative (a voting member- at-large of the Local Council). In the case of churches, since they usually have strong dogmatic beliefs, they usually impart them onto their constituency. Every unit has different dogma and can prevent a member from advancing as they see fit if the scout does not conform to their belief structure. If you believe in the Christ, Allah, the Cosmic Muffin, or Luke Skywalker's Force as your God, you might want to pick a sponsoring institution that is more in tune with you. I am a member of one of the `group of citizens' that sponsors a troop that has never asked a scout what kind of God he believes in. I guess we would even accept the scout saying the he is his own God and his body is the temple, if we were to ask. `Reverent' does not always mean to a deity. One the topic of sexual orientation, even if you were to change the Nat'l Council's view you would still have the same problem at the local unit level. They are the real controllers of the program, ask any Scoutmaster or Cubmaster.