Kanye West has gone through so many different phases in his career that his Sunday Service era now feels like a distant memory. The rapper’s charity organization, launched in 2019, was a reflection of his deeply Christian phase at the time, incorporating his faith into his art and music. Because of its religious focus, Sunday Service received tax-exempt status as a 501(c)(3) organization, which the government grants to entities serving "religious, educational, or charitable" purposes. Unfortunately, this is no longer the case.
On May 14, Kanye West's Sunday Service lost its charity status after the IRS revoked it due to improper tax filing. The organization failed to submit the required Form 990-series returns or notices for three consecutive years.
This news is likely to be disheartening for Kanye, who claimed in 2020 that he had spent $50 million of his own money on Sunday Service. Driven by his desire to spread his Christian message, Kanye even funded the Sunday Service Choir’s performance at Coachella.
In a 2020 interview with Nick Cannon, Kanye shared, "I spent every dime that I have for marketing from Yeezy on Sunday Service. Every dollar I had. I spent $50 million last year on Sunday Service... The Yeezys, they were selling themselves. So instead of paying for ads, I invested it in the church. I invested in spreading the gospel. I invested in saying Jesus' name on high." Despite this, Kanye’s involvement with Sunday Service has diminished over the years as he returned to making secular music with his "VULTURES" series and stirred controversy with a series of antisemitic remarks.
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Kanye West initially helped promote the Sunday Service Choir’s album Jesus Is Born in 2019. However, since then, the choir and the organization have largely operated on their own.
A follow-up release, Sample Sounds, came out in 2022 with little attention. Jason White, who co-founded Sunday Service with Kanye, discussed the release with Broadway World but notably did not mention Kanye’s name, despite their past collaborations. "We’re really, really excited," White said, "to see how [the release] will spark creativity in so many different artists and producers."