Form 990
The annual information return that tax-exempt organizations file with the IRS to report their finances, governance, and activities.
Form 990 is the cornerstone of nonprofit transparency in the United States. Every tax-exempt organization with gross receipts above $200,000 or total assets above $500,000 must file a full Form 990 annually with the Internal Revenue Service. Smaller organizations may file the simplified 990-EZ or the electronic 990-N postcard. The form requires detailed disclosure of revenue sources, functional expenses broken down by program, management, and fundraising categories, officer and key employee compensation, governance policies, and related-party transactions. Part I provides a summary snapshot, while Parts VII through IX contain the most donor-relevant data: compensation schedules, revenue breakdowns, and functional expense allocations. ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer makes these filings publicly searchable. For donors, Form 990 is the single most reliable source of financial information about a charity because the data is self-reported under penalty of perjury and independently verified through the IRS review process. NonprofitTruth uses Form 990 data as the foundation for every Efficiency Score calculation.