About Guidestar

About Guidestar

GuideStar® is an initiative of Philanthropic Research, Inc., a 501(c)(3) public charity founded in 1994. GuideStar® mission is to help improve the effectiveness of the nonprofit sector through the collection and presentation of exhaustive information about nonprofit organizations.
GuideStar® database includes information on all IRS-registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations (these are the organizations to which donations are tax-deductible). Currently, there are over 1 million organizations in the database.
The database is designed to handle a range of information from organizations -- from program descriptions, to financial information, to supplementary information such as newsletters, press releases, and classified ads.
GuideStar® financial information comes from:
  • The IRS Business Master File of 501(c)(3) nonprofits
  • The IRS Form 990 or 990 EZ, financial returns filed by nonprofits with over $25,000 in annual revenue.
  • The GuideStar Basic Financial Statement, a form we ask nonprofits that do not file with the IRS to fill out
Other information such as programs, accomplishments, and objectives, are obtained directly from an individual organization and included whenever available.
The amount of information that appears for each nonprofit organization depends upon the information available to GuideStar® and the participation level of the organization.
For more information about GuideStar® visit their Web site at www.guidestar.org.
Need Assistance?
Call (800) 746-6216
or send us an email