While charity names can be similar, no two charities have the same EIN.

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 Foundation Center 990 Finder, or even Google — you’ll quickly find available information about the group. The IRS has also added EINs to its EO Select Check online charity search.

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

If you already have the EIN, use the Reverse Lookup tool.