To find 990 filings for nonprofits, you have three reliable routes: the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search tool, independent databases like ProPublica’s Nonprofit Explorer and Candid, and a direct request to the organization itself, which federal law requires it to honor. Each route has strengths, and serious researchers usually use more than one.
What to Have Ready Before You Search
The single most useful piece of information is the organization’s Employer Identification Number. This nine-digit number works like a Social Security number for the entity and eliminates confusion when multiple nonprofits share similar names. You can often find the EIN on a donation receipt, in the footer of the organization’s website, or in its annual report.1Internal Revenue Service. Valid EINs
If you don’t have the EIN, search by the organization’s legal name rather than its popular or “Doing Business As” name. A community food bank called “Helping Hands” might be legally registered as “Greater Metro Area Community Services, Inc.” State incorporation records or the organization’s own site can confirm the legal name.
One wrinkle catches researchers off guard. Under IRS group exemption rules, a parent organization can file a single group return covering some or all of its subordinate chapters. If a local chapter is included in the parent’s group return, it won’t file separately.2Internal Revenue Service. Exempt Organizations Annual Reporting Requirements – Overview – Returns by Members of Group Ruling When a specific chapter’s filing is nowhere to be found, check the national parent’s 990.
One boundary is worth naming up front. Churches, their integrated auxiliaries, and conventions or associations of churches are not required to file any annual return or notice with the IRS.3Internal Revenue Service. Churches, Integrated Auxiliaries and Conventions or Associations of Churches You generally won’t find a 990 for a local church unless it voluntarily filed one.
Searching the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search Tool
The IRS runs a free portal called the Tax Exempt Organization Search, or TEOS. Select the “Form 990 Series” search option, then enter the EIN or name. The results show a table listing each tax period end date and the type of form filed. Click a tax year to view or download the return as a PDF.4Internal Revenue Service. Tax Exempt Organization Search
The same tool lets you check whether an organization is currently eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions and whether it appears on the Automatic Revocation of Exemption List. Organizations that fail to file any required return for three consecutive years automatically lose their exemption, which is worth checking before a large donation to an unfamiliar charity.5Internal Revenue Service. Automatic Revocation of Exemption
Why the Filing You Want May Not Be There Yet
Don’t expect a return to appear the day after it’s filed. The IRS advises allowing up to four weeks for new filings to show up in the search system.6Internal Revenue Service. Annual Electronic Notice (Form 990-N) for Small Organizations FAQs – After You File
The filing deadline is later than many people assume. Form 990 is due by the 15th day of the 5th month after the end of the organization’s fiscal year, and organizations can request an automatic six-month extension.7Internal Revenue Service. Annual Exempt Organization Return – Due Date A calendar-year nonprofit’s 990 is due May 15, but with the extension it might not file until November 15. Add processing time, and last year’s return may not appear in TEOS until the following December.
The IRS tool is the definitive source, but the interface is bare-bones. You get raw PDFs with no summaries, no trend charts, and no easy way to compare one organization across years. For that kind of work, independent databases are more practical.
Using Independent Databases
Third-party platforms take the same underlying data and present it in ways that are easier to work with.
ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer
Nonprofit Explorer covers over 1.9 million active nonprofits and 18 million tax filings. You can search by organization name, by a person’s name, or with a full-text search that looks inside the filings themselves. The tool displays summary data like revenue, expenses, and executive compensation alongside the full Form 990 in both PDF and digitized formats. For organizations that spent $750,000 or more in federal grant money in a single fiscal year since 2016, it also links to copies of their audits. The data is available through an API for programmatic access. Small organizations that only filed the 990-N e-Postcard are not included.
Candid (Formerly GuideStar)
GuideStar rebranded as Candid after merging with Foundation Directory. The platform combines nonprofit financial data, organizational profiles, and grant information in a single search interface. Some features require free registration with an email address. Candid is useful when you want context beyond the raw filing, such as the organization’s stated mission, programs, and leadership.
Using both the IRS tool and at least one independent database is smart practice. Independent platforms sometimes post new filings before the IRS portal does, and sometimes it goes the other way. If the most recent year isn’t turning up on one, try another.
Requesting the Filing Directly from the Nonprofit
Federal law gives you the right to ask the organization itself. Under 26 U.S.C. § 6104(d), tax-exempt organizations must make their annual returns available for public inspection during regular business hours at their principal office, and must provide copies on request.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 U.S. Code 6104 – Publicity of Information Required From Certain Exempt Organizations and Certain Trusts The obligation covers returns from a three-year window beginning on the filing due date of each return.
How fast the organization has to respond depends on how you ask. An in-person request at the office must be filled immediately. A written request must be answered within 30 days by mail. The organization can charge a reasonable fee for reproduction and mailing, which the IRS pegs at $0.20 per page based on its own FOIA fee schedule.9Internal Revenue Service. Costs for Providing Copies of Documents
There is one important exception. An organization doesn’t have to hand over individual copies if it has made the documents “widely available” by posting them on its own website or through a database like ProPublica or Candid. Many larger nonprofits take this route specifically to avoid handling individual requests, and pointing you to a public online source satisfies the legal requirement.
An organization that fails to comply faces a penalty of $20 per day for each day the failure continues, capped at $10,000 per return.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 U.S. Code 6652 – Failure to File Certain Information Returns, Registration Statements, Etc. Outright refusals are rare, but delays are common. Citing the statute usually resolves the problem quickly.
Direct requests are also the fastest route to the newest filing. The organization has its own copy long before the IRS finishes processing and posting it.
Which Form You’ll Find Depends on the Organization’s Size
Not every nonprofit files the same version, and the version affects how much you’ll learn from it.
- Form 990-N (e-Postcard) is filed by the smallest organizations, those with annual gross receipts normally $50,000 or less. It contains little more than the name, address, and confirmation the organization still exists. No financial detail.
- Form 990-EZ is for organizations with gross receipts under $200,000 and total assets under $500,000, and includes basic revenue, expense, and compensation data.
- Form 990 is the full return, required when gross receipts are $200,000 or more or total assets are $500,000 or more. It covers finances, governance, program accomplishments, and compensation for officers and key employees.
- Form 990-PF is filed by private foundations regardless of size, with detail on grants made, investment income, and foundation managers.
Small organizations that would only owe the e-Postcard can voluntarily file a longer form.11Internal Revenue Service. Annual Electronic Filing Requirement for Small Exempt Organizations – Form 990-N (e-Postcard) Private foundations always file the 990-PF even when their finances would otherwise qualify them for a shorter form.12IRS. 2025 Instructions for Form 990-PF
What’s Public and What’s Redacted
Most of what’s on a 990 is public: revenue, expenses, assets, liabilities, executive compensation, board member names, program descriptions, and governance policies. This is what makes the form so useful for anyone evaluating a nonprofit.
The main redaction involves donor information. For organizations that are not private foundations or political organizations, the names and addresses of contributors listed on Schedule B are withheld from public inspection. Other Schedule B details, such as amounts contributed and descriptions of noncash contributions, are public unless disclosing them would clearly identify the contributor.13IRS. Instructions for Schedule B (Form 990) For private foundations filing Form 990-PF and for political organizations, Schedule B is fully public, contributor names and addresses included. Social Security numbers should never appear on any version of these filings.
Practical Habits That Save Time
Always start with the EIN when you have it. Name searches produce false matches constantly, especially for organizations with generic words like “community,” “foundation,” or “health” in their titles.
When you’re comparing an organization’s finances across several years, an independent database with built-in trend summaries will spare you hours of flipping through PDFs. When the most recent filing isn’t showing up anywhere, check whether the organization is on extension. Calendar-year nonprofits on extension have until November 15, and processing lag pushes public availability out further still. For the newest data, a request under 26 U.S.C. § 6104(d) is often the fastest way in.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 U.S. Code 6104 – Publicity of Information Required From Certain Exempt Organizations and Certain Trusts