LibGuides: Nonprofit Administration: Researching Nonprofits

Financials and Form 990s

Nonprofits with revenues over $25,000 are required to file Form 990 with the IRS. Form 990, which are annual financial reports that also provide information on the mission, programming, and finances. Nonprofits are required to allow inspection of these records, many put them on the internet and you can find them by searching for the name of the charity and Form 990. Below are are few web sites that have information on Form 990s or access to the posted Form 990.

Associations

National Council of Nonprofits The National Council of Nonprofits is a trusted resource and proven advocate for America’s charitable nonprofits. Connecting the policy dots across all levels and branches of governments, the Council of Nonprofits keeps nonprofits informed and empowered to create a positive public policy environment that best supports nonprofits in advancing their missions.
Together SC Together SC serves the thousands of South Carolinians dedicated to community service, leadership, and caring through nonprofit and philanthropic organizations.
Society for Nonprofits Society for Nonprofits is a leading resource for nonprofit professionals and has been helping nonprofit leaders increase their knowledge and grow the capacity of their organizations for more than 30 years.
National Association of Nonprofit Organizations & Executives National Association of Nonprofit Organizations & Executives (NANOE) is a nationwide network of donors, volunteers and charitable leaders whose relentless commitment to significant and sustainable impact transforms the communities we serve.

Places to Start

Guide Star Search
Discover nonprofits by using the search field above and/or filters on the left. Free registration provides access to some information from this source now merged with the Foundation Center from Candid.
ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer Research Tax-Exempt Organizations
Use this database to view summaries of 3 million tax returns from tax-exempt organizations and see financial details such as their executive compensation and revenue and expenses. You can browse IRS data released since 2013 and access more than 14 million tax filing documents going back as far as 2001.
IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search
Find information about an organization's tax-exempt status and filings. You can use the online search tool or download specific data sets.

Demographics & Statistics

US Census
Great for finding demographics in the United States
Pew Research
Great for finding statistics and reports about all subjects
USC Upstate LibGuide: Statistical Resources
Guide to library and web resources good for finding statistics and government information.
Urban Institute
The Urban Institute is the United States’ leading research organization dedicated to developing evidence-based insights that improve people’s lives and strengthen communities. With nearly 50 years of expertise, Urban is a trusted resource for timely, nuanced analysis of social and economic policy. In 1968, President Lyndon Johnson founded the Urban Institute to “help solve the problem that weighs heavily on the hearts and minds of all of us—the problem of the American city and its people.”

Websites

Candid Learning
Candid Learning is your new single destination for trainings, resources, and learning experiences to improve the way you do your work.
Charity Watch
CharityWatch—founded 25 years ago as the American Institute of Philanthropy (AIP)—is America's most independent, assertive charity watchdog. CharityWatch does not merely repeat what a charity reports using simplistic or automated formulas. We dive deep to let you know how efficiently a charity will use your donation to fund the programs you want to support. CharityWatch exposes nonprofit abuses and advocates for your interests as a donor.
National Center for Charitable Statistics (NCCS)
Designed as a portal for nonprofit practitioners, researchers, and policymakers to download and explore data, this is the home for all NCCS publications.
The Nonprofit Times
Supplying breaking news, in-depth reporting, and special issue coverage to help nonprofit executives run their organizations more effectively.
Charity Navigator
Founded in 2001, Charity Navigator has become the nation's largest and most-utilized evaluator of charities. In our quest to help donors, our team of professional analysts has examined tens of thousands of non-profit financial documents.