How do i apply for charitable (educational) foundation in the state of maryland without the costly exense?

i am operating a non-profit, educational foundation in the philippines for very poor grade school children. i need to get a license or permit in the state of maryland to set the organization in germantown, md. due to the cost involve in the process of becoming a non-profit org i have not filed the applicationto be operational in the states and unfortunately, my expenses for the children last year that was nearly $12k could not be applied to my tax returns for 2005. please help! thanks. klaire