The Christian hate-group Family Research Council, which has long been a non-profit organization pushing a conservative agenda, is now technically a “church” in the eyes of the IRS, according to a new report from ProPublica. That designation allows it to shield information about donors, salaries, and more from the public eye.

FRC and its leader Tony Perkins have spent the past several years fighting against things like civil rights for LGBTQ people and abortion rights. As a non-profit group, they have every right to do this. But like all non-profits, their tax-exempt status comes with a simple catch: They have to file a Form 990 report with the IRS explaining (among other things) how much money they took in, how it was spent, and how much their top staffers made in salaries. The 990s are public documents that allow the public to keep tabs on whether non-profits are really living up to their mission.

Importantly, that rule does not apply to churches, even though they’re also technically non-profits. They don’t have to fill out the form. They don’t have to make those details public. That means we don’t always know how much money big-name megachurch pastors make—or how much of the congregation’s money goes right into his pocket. We don’t know who’s donating to those churches or where all the money goes. ...