--Last Updated 3/5/2007

Foundations & Charities

Introduction:
Just like researching a business, to get a well rounded picture of a Nonprofit Organization or Foundation, it is good to look at the institution's financials, funding, and programming.

1. First use databases and directories to gather basic information on the target Foundation or Organization:
   
   
• BBB Give.org:
  The Better Business Bureau Analyzes the financials of many charities and organizations.
  http://www.give.org
  http://search.bbb.org/ (National Charities)
  http://www.stlouis.bbb.org/search.html (St. Louis Charities)



• Economic Research Institute (ERI)
  Gives brief financial snapshots of many Foundation and gives access to their 990 filings.
  http://www.eri-nonprofit-salaries.com



• Encyclopedia of associations: regional, state, and local organizations.
  In Library Use Only: Call # R061.3 Encyclopedia ("On Display SP Ready Reference")



• FC Search 10.0: (CD-ROM Product & Available Online - In Library Use Only, Spencer Road)
  FC Search contains information on more than 72,300 grant makers, as well as names of trustees, officers, donors, and corporate contributors.



• Foundation Directory:
  In Library Use Only: Call# R061 Foundation ("On Display SP Ready Reference")



• Foundation 1000
  In Library Use Only: Call# R061 Foundation ("On Display SP Ready Reference")
  In-depth profiles of the largest 1000 U.S. Foundations



• Guidestar: Gives a brief overview of nonprofit organizations, including 990 access, financial information, and programs. Also, the Grants Explorer feature allows you to search for Foundations and shows which organizations it supports.
  http://www.guidestar.org



• Guide to U.S. Foundations, Their Trustees, Officers, and Donors
  In Library Use Only: Call # R361.7632 Guide ("On Display SP Nonprofit Resources")



• NonProfit Times Top 100:
  The Top 100 Nonprofits are analyzed in this article by the Nonprofit Times
  http://www.nptimes.com/Nov05/sr_npt100.html



• Forbes.com: "Most and Least Efficient Charities"
  http://www.forbes.com/2003/11/19/charityland.html




2. Check the 990 form of the NP What's a 990? A 990 is a form that nonprofits have to file with the IRS. This file is a good way to see where a nonprofit is getting its funding from and what the Organization is spending it on. One can also use the 990 to find contact information for the organizations' board members.  One thing to note is that Organizations that make less than $9,000 do not have to file a 990 with the IRS, and therefore may not be listed. 
   
   For more information read "How to Read the 990 form" by the Nonprofit Coordinating committee of New York http://www.npccny.org/Form_990/990.htm

To get the 990 file search by Organization or Foundation name in the following databases:


• Economic Research Institute (ERI)
  Gives brief financial snapshots of many Foundation and gives access to their 990 filings.
  http://www.eri-nonprofit-salaries.com



• Foundation Center:
  http://www.fdncenter.org



• GrantSmart 2.0:
  http://www.grantsmart.org



• Guidestar
  http://www.guidestar.org



• JustGive.Org
  http://www.justgive.org



• Secretary of State Database:
  http://www.nass.org/busreg/corpreg.html (National)
  http://www.sos.mo.gov (Missouri)


3. Check local newspapers for events or other information related to the Organization:



• Lexis-Nexis: Staff Mediated Database
  This source can be used to find news articles, contact information, and credit ratings on the target organization.



• St. Louis Business Journal: (Available on Proquest)
  http://www.youranswerplace.org/lanmenu/business.html



• St. Louis Commerce Magazine:
  http://www.stlcommercemagazine.com/search/index.asp
  Also Available on Proquest (Full Text 1990 - Current)
  http://www.youranswerplace.org/lanmenu/business.html



• St. Louis Post-Dispatch: (Available through the Library's Database)
  http://www.youranswerplace.org/lanmenu/magsnews.html



• The Suburban Journals of the St. Louis Metro Area:
  STLtoday - neighborhoods
  http://stltoday.com/neighborhoods



• Bizjournal: Search business journals of many major cities
  http://www.bizjournals.com/search.html



4. Check the Nonprofit trade journals for any mentions and for industry trends:
   Search by entering your nonprofit's name in the keyword search to find articles that mention your desired organization



• Charity Navigator News:
  http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.start#site



• Capital Research Center:
  Search CRC's Searchlight database for online resources on corporate giving to non-profit organizations.
  http://www.capitalresearch.org



• Foundation News:
  http://www.foundationnews.org/cme/searchform.cfm



• On Philanthropy News:
  http://www.onphilanthropy.com/



• Philanthropy News:
  http://www.fdncenter.org/pnd/



• Philanthropy News Network:
  http://pnnonline.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=index



5. Check the Web



• Google:
  http://www.google.com
  When using the search engine, enter the organizations name and the state it is located in to narrow down the search.
       (i.e. Spencer Road Branch AND Missouri)
  Also, try typing in the name of the target organization with the limiter "SITE: org" to retrieve only WebPages that are supported by an organization and have the tag ".org".  
       (i.e. Spencer Road Branch SITE: org)

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