Charity DNA – checking the unique EIN

While charity names can be similar, no two charities have the same EIN. EINs are like charity DNA.

EIN checking is more precise than DNA testing

What’s an EIN? Every charity has its own unique federal employer identification number (EIN), which it obtains by applying to the IRS. An EIN is typically a nine-digit number, shown like 12-3456789. A few charities have EINs with eight or fewer digits (normally shown with a leading zero like 01-2345678). 

Using an EIN is the quickest path to successful charity research

Just enter the EIN (with or without the hyphen) at Reverse Lookup, GuideStar.org, the ProPublica.org Nonprofit Explorer – full text search, or even Google — you’ll quickly find available information about the group. The IRS has also included EINs to its EO Select Check online charity search.

Use the EIN to super-fast find an organization’s IRS Form 990.

Don’t know the EIN yet?

Use the CharityCheck101.org Name Search tool to find a charity or nonprofit EIN.

Charities should readily show their EINs – Charity DNA

Learn why charities should show their EINs.