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Nonprofits: Home

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Purpose of Research Guide

This guide curates research and information sources for business. Use the side menu to navigate to relevant sources.

Email the University Libraries for guidance: Researchassistance@unc.edu

Identifying Nonprofits

N.C. Center for Nonprofit Organizations
Provides a directory of members
VolunteerMatch -- Triangle Area
Covers hundreds of area nonprofits
Candid/GuideStar search
Covers U.S. nonprofits

Data Axle Reference Solutions
Identifies nonprofits by type and location (as well as companies) using the U.S. Businesses module.

Access: Off Campus Access is available for: UNC-Chapel Hill students, faculty, and staff; UNC Hospitals employees; UNC-Chapel Hill affiliated AHEC users. North Carolina residents with a borrower's card may access from off campus by visiting NCLive directly. Contact the Davis Library Service Desk for the NCLive password (instructions).
Coverage: Current information only

Financial Reports on Nonprofits: Getting the IRS Form 990

About IRS Form 990:

The IRS Form 990 is required for most non-profits, but there are different versions of the form..
The 990 form covers income & expenditures, salaries, accomplishments, officers & board of directors, and more.
More about form 990s from Wikipedia

Sources of 990 forms:

Foundation Directory Online Professional
FDO Professional provides subscribers with access to timely, comprehensive information on grantmakers and their grants. Included is a database of the entire universe of over 140,000 foundations, corporate giving programs, and grantmaking public charities in the U.S.; a database of over 4,000 sponsoring companies, offering a quick pathway to corporate funders; a database of over 9.5 million grants; and a keyword-searchable database of over 1 million recently filed IRS Forms 990 and 990-PF.

Access to this resource is provided by the Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations at UNC.

Access: Off Campus Access is available for: UNC-Chapel Hill students, faculty, and staff; UNC Hospitals employees; UNC-Chapel Hill affiliated AHEC users.

ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer
Over 3 million tax returns from tax-exempt organizations
GuideStar search
Requires free registration to view the 990 forms

Researching Nonprofit Industries

IBISWorld Industry Reports
Covers the entire U.S. economy, providing in-depth and concise business intelligence and industry analysis. Global and China industry reports provide market information for many industries and business sectors.

Access: Off Campus Access is available for: UNC-Chapel Hill students, faculty, and staff; UNC Hospitals employees; UNC-Chapel Hill affiliated AHEC users.

Researching Trends in Social Services and Nonprofit Management

Social Work Abstracts
The Social Work Abstracts database, produced by the National Association of Social Workers, Inc., contains records, from social work and other related journals on topics such as homelessness, AIDS, child and family welfare, aging, substance abuse, legislation, community organization, and more.

Access: Off Campus Access is available for: UNC-Chapel Hill students, faculty, and staff; UNC Hospitals employees; UNC-Chapel Hill affiliated AHEC users.
Coverage: 1977-Present
Sociological Abstracts
Database covering over 2500 journals in sociology, both theoretical and applied, and related disciplines including anthropology, economics, education, medicine, community development, philosophy, demography, political science, and social psychology. Articles in 30 different languages from about 55 countries.

Access: Off Campus Access is available for: UNC-Chapel Hill students, faculty, and staff; UNC Hospitals employees; UNC-Chapel Hill affiliated AHEC users.
Coverage: 1963-present
Business Source Premier
Covers nonprofit management

Access: Off Campus Access is available for: UNC-Chapel Hill students, faculty, and staff; UNC Hospitals employees; UNC-Chapel Hill affiliated AHEC users.
Coverage: Varies widely.
ABI/INFORM Collection
Covers nonprofit management and other related topics

Access: Off Campus Access is available for: UNC-Chapel Hill students, faculty, and staff; UNC Hospitals employees; UNC-Chapel Hill affiliated AHEC users.
Coverage: Coverage varies. Some academic journals start in the 1800s, and some newspapers start in the early 1900s.
Language: Primarily English. Over 20 languages total.

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