Research and Course Guides: STCM 344: Writing for Strategic Communication: Nonprofits

Nonprofit Resources: Finding 990 Forms

Nonprofit organizations (including private and corporate-sponsored foundations) in the U.S. with 501(c)(3) status and revenues over $25,000 are required to file Form 990, Return of Organizations Exempt from Income Tax, with the IRS each year. The form includes financial statements and background information on the nonprofit, and can include names and salaries of key employees or trustees and officers, application information, and a complete grants list.

ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer
Searchable database of IRS TI-990 nonprofit organization tax filings. Also tables of revenue by state.
CitizenAudit.org
A full-text searchable database (now available for a fee) of full digitized nonprofit financials, with PDFs of the 990 forms back to about 2002. It was created by Washington, D.C.-based reporter Luke Rosiak.
990 Finder - Candid
Search for a nonprofit's IRS return. Formerly, the Foundation Center's 990 Finder.
Guidestar
Search site for nonprofit organizations. You need to register to look at the financial data.

Sources for Articles on Nonprofits

ABI/INFORM Trade & Industry This link opens in a new window
Contains articles and industry reports from trade and news publications, and is good for researching smaller, niche industries.
Business Source Premier This link opens in a new window
Includes articles from trade publications and scholarly journals as well as company profiles, investment research reports, industry reports, market research, country reports, and SWOT analysis.
ProQuest US Newsstream, including Star Tribune This link opens in a new window
US Newsstream enables users to search current U.S. news content, as well as archives that stretch back into the 1980s. It features top newspapers, wires, broadcast transcripts, along with national and regional news sources including The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Star Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, and Chicago Tribune.
Access World News This link opens in a new window
Contains thousands of national and international newspapers and other news sources, including college & university news, broadcast news transcripts, and business news. Excellent source for smaller news outlets.

Suggested Keywords

Bookstores, Charities, Colleges & universities, Donations, Foundations, Fund raising, Museums, Nonprofit organizations, Philanthropy, Schools, Volunteers.