Black Caucus Fndtn.

The N.C. Legislative Black Caucus Foundation is under scrutiny because of new ethics regulations.

To maintain its tax-exempt status as a 501(c)(3), the group has to file a detailed annual report, called a Form 990, with the Internal Revenue Service.

Here's what those documents revealed for the 2005 tax year, the most recent available:

* It received $246,324 in contributions and interest and spent $171,290.

* The chair was Beverly Earle, the vice chairs Jeanne Hopkins Lucas and Larry Womble, the treasurer William Wainwright and the chaplain Garland Pierce, all Democratic state legislators. The books were kept by then state Rep. John Hall.

* The tax forms were prepared by Genevia Gee Fulbright, a certified public accountant with Fulbright & Fulbright in Durham.

* The group spent $171,845 on an education seminar and sending members to a national convention for legislative black caucuses and gave $54,237 to victims of Hurricane Katrina.

* It gave out an unspecified amount of scholarships through the financial aid office of historically black colleges.

"The colleges that are typically selected are those that have a large percentage of economically (challenged) students," the paperwork notes. "Their field of study varies, but typically looking for students who wish to change their communities as volunteers and overall productive citizenship."

Correction: An earlier version of this post misstated the amount of scholarships. It is not clear from the forms how much was spent.