Is 990 Scout really free?

Yes. Organization lookup, executive compensation, grant relationships, and the public API are all free with no account required.

Where does the data come from?

The same public source every nonprofit-data tool draws on: the IRS's Form 990 e-file release and Business Master File. 990 Scout presents the filed figures as reported; it does not add outcomes ratings or scores.

philanthropy.org | 990 Resource | FAQ Verify yourself

GuideStar alternative

Looking for a GuideStar alternative?

990 Scout is a free, no-login nonprofit lookup built from public IRS Form 990 filings: organization profiles, executive compensation, who-funds-who grant relationships, and a public API, open with no paid tier.

Look up a nonprofit free →

990 Scout vs GuideStar (now part of Candid)

GuideStar, now folded into Candid, is a well-known nonprofit-data directory. Its basic organization profile is free to view; deeper financial detail, downloads, and several search and filter features are part of Candid's paid GuideStar Pro subscription. 990 Scout takes a different approach: every feature in the table below is free, with no account required.

Feature	990 Scout	GuideStar
Look up a nonprofit by name or EIN	Free, no login required	Free (basic profile)
Executive & officer compensation	Free, shown on every organization page	Part of the paid GuideStar Pro tier
Who funds whom (grant relationships)	Free: the grant graph and per-org “who funds” pages	Limited on the free tier
Programmatic / API access	Free, documented public API	Not offered on the free tier
Underlying data source	Public IRS Form 990 e-file + Business Master File	Public IRS Form 990 filings

Figures for GuideStar reflect its publicly stated product tiers, not a claim about its underlying data quality. 990 Scout does not rate, score, or rank organizations; it presents Form 990 figures as filed.

Questions

Is 990 Scout really free?: Yes. Organization lookup, executive compensation, grant relationships, and the public API are all free with no account required.
Where does the data come from?: The same public source every nonprofit-data tool draws on: the IRS's Form 990 e-file release and Business Master File. 990 Scout presents the filed figures as reported; it does not add outcomes ratings or scores.

Public data from IRS Form 990 e-file & Business Master File (2,076,072 organizations on file). A 990 shows how an organization is run and funded, not its real-world outcomes. Figures are presented without evaluation; we do not rate, score, or rank organizations. · philanthropy.org