Navigating the Form 990 to find funding

By Melissa Pulis | May 19, 2022

If you work at a nonprofit or have thought about starting one, chances are you’re already familiar with the Form 990. All tax-exempt organizations, including foundations, must file some version of Form 990 with the IRS each year to comply with federal regulations. Because of that, they’re chock full of vital information about a nonprofits’ and foundations’ finances and operations.

On the one hand, this is great, knowledge is power! On the other hand, they can be cumbersome and overwhelming to navigate. Here we share some quick facts about the Form 990 to help you quickly access the information you seek.

Do foundations file the same Form 990 as nonprofit organizations?

No, private foundations file Form 990-PF (PF stands for Private Foundation), which is a different version from the Form 990 filed by public charities (organizations that use publicly collected funds to directly support initiatives).

Title page of the original Foundation Directory

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