- Hershey is a public company. Most certainly NOT owned by either a charity or a non-profit. The only way a non-profit comes into the picture is that a significant portion of their 'Class B' stock is owned by a trust which is dedicated to a non-profit (the Milton Hershey School). (https://www.thehersheycompany.com/content/dam/corporate-us/d... pp 36-37)
> To be tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, an organization must be organized and operated exclusively for exempt purposes set forth in section 501(c)(3) [CHARITY], and none of its earnings may inure to any private shareholder or individual [NON-PROFIT].
You can be a charity (albeit not tax exempt) without being a non-profit, and moreover you can be a non-profit without being a charity. (See also https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/other-nonprofits ; and keep in mind that still other types of non-profits are not tax-exempt at all!)
- Trust "owning" Hershey's: If you look at the document I cited, you'll note that the trust (which is still neither a charity nor a non-profit!) owns only 5.5% of Hershey's common stock.
- Hershey is a public company. Most certainly NOT owned by either a charity or a non-profit. The only way a non-profit comes into the picture is that a significant portion of their 'Class B' stock is owned by a trust which is dedicated to a non-profit (the Milton Hershey School). (https://www.thehersheycompany.com/content/dam/corporate-us/d... pp 36-37)