Charity Check

Automatically verify applicants' Employer Identification Number (EIN) with Charity Check.

Pam English avatar
Written by Pam English
Updated over a week ago

Charity Check offers grantmakers an automatic way to screen applicants based on their EIN and enables them to view associated data as provided by Candid. The Charity Check form field is available to use in Initial, Additional, and Eligibility forms.

Initial and Additional Forms

To use the Charity Check feature in Initial and Additional forms, drag the form field from the toolbox on the left into your form:

Note: The title in the Charity Check field will be shown on column headers later in reporting, so you'll want to keep it brief.

Applicants will be prompted to fill in their organization's EIN. Entry of any valid EIN pulls data from Candid that will automatically populate once a form is submitted.

Note: Validation or detection of an invalid EIN does not happen in real time as an application is being filled out; it only occurs after an application is completed and submitted.
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​If an EIN is valid, after submission, the application will look like this:

If an invalid EIN is entered, the applicant will not be able to access the submission form. They will see the Ineligible Message you've set up in the Project's General Settings.

If the applicant enters an incorrect but valid EIN, they will be able to complete the submission. Applications can be opened for editing in order to correct any errors with the originally submitted EIN.
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​Note: EIN data gathered from Candid on Initial and Additional forms is not visible to applicants or organizations until after applications are submitted. After applications are complete, all valid EIN data will be visible to both applicants and grantmakers.

Eligibility Forms

When using Charity Check in Eligibility Forms, further options are made available in the field to request information for specific IRS subsections:

With eligibility forms, grantmakers can select Collect Organization Name in the Project's General Settings:

The organization name will appear in the Organization column in the submission list view:

With this information, you'll be able to search, sort, filter and report using the validated EIN-related organization name. The information can also be concealed during review in the Project's settings, dependent on the concealment threshold setting in the Notifications tab.

Note: Charity Check only returns data from Candid, therefore only registered nonprofits in the U.S. that are listed in the Candid directory will be returned. If you are planning to receive applications from NPOs, individuals, or other types of businesses, we recommend creating separate Projects: one for U.S. nonprofits only, and the other for any applicant not registered with Candid, such as an individual, for-profit organization, or an organization with a pending nonprofit status.

To add the Charity Check feature to your account, please contact account management.


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