Resources on Nonprofit Organizations

By learning more about the organizations you may wish to support, you can help make sure your money will be used wisely. These organizations can help with your giving decisions.

Minnesota Resources

Charities Review Council provides tools for donors to make informed giving decisions that help build a stronger nonprofit sector. The council pursues this mission by maintaining accountability standards and applying them through reviews; providing information that will help donors make informed charitable giving decisions; and encouraging accountability in the charitable sector. Charities Review Council, 2610 University Avenue West, Suite 375, Saint Paul, MN 55114-2007; 651-224-7030 or 800-733-GIVE. Web site: www.crcmn.org.

The Minnesota Attorney General’s Office maintains a helpful Charities Database of organizations registered with the office’s Charities Division. Data is taken directly from each organization’s financial statement and information return. Charities Division, 445 Minnesota St., Suite 1200 NCL Tower, St. Paul, MN 55101-2130; 651-296-3353. Web site: www.ag.state.mn.us/charities/CharResources.html.

The Minnesota Council of Nonprofits (MCN) is a statewide membership association of nonprofit organizations sharing information, services, and research to educate its members and the community. MCN has more than 1,300 members representing all activity areas, budget ranges, and geographic regions of Minnesota. MCN works to inform, involve, strengthen, and increase the capacity and effectiveness of nonprofits and the nonprofit sector in Minnesota. Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, 2314 University Ave., Suite 20, St. Paul, MN 55113; 651-642-1904. Web site: www.mncn.org.

Minnesota Grantmakers Online provides access to the Web’s largest database of Minnesota grantmakers and grants. The Grant Search feature (available by subscription enables you to find out which nonprofits have received past funding from the state’s largest foundations and corporate grantmakers in areas that match your funding interests and needs. You can search for grants by up to eight criteria. Although some new and emerging nonprofits are not yet in the database, this site is helpful in identifying nonprofits working on the issues that you care most about. Web site: www.mcf.org/mngrants.

National Resources

Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance offers information about specific nationally soliciting charities and publications to help donors make their giving decisions. Note: This program is a merger of the former Philanthropic Advisory Service of the Better Business Bureau and the National Charities Information Bureau. BBB Wise Giving Alliance, 4200 Wilson Blvd., Suite 800, Arlington, VA 22203; 703-276-0100. Web site: www.give.org.

Charity Navigator provides an analysis and rating of the financial health of more than 3,900 of America’s largest charities. Web site: www.charitynavigator.org.

GuideStar is an on-line public research library for the nonprofit sector. It offers a database of more than 850,000 nonprofit organizations with information about organizations' missions, goals, results, budgets, staffing, and needs. Web site: www.guidestar.org.

Internal Revenue Service (IRS) provides information on tax-exempt organizations, such as how to apply for tax-exempt status, filing requirements, IRS customer service locations, and a toolkit containing "federal forms and publications for tax-exempt organizations". The site is also useful for looking up a grant applicant's tax status from a list of tax-exempt organizations in the United States. Web site: www.irs.gov/charities/index.html.

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