How to Look Up 990 Tax Returns for Free

Every tax-exempt organization in the United States with gross receipts over $50,000 is required to file a Form 990 with the IRS each year. These filings are public record, meaning anyone can look them up.

990s are one of the richest sources of nonprofit financial data available. They include revenue, expenses, executive compensation, board members, grants awarded, program descriptions, and more. Whether you’re a grant writer researching funders, a journalist investigating a charity, or a donor doing due diligence, knowing how to find and read 990s is an essential skill.

What is a Form 990?

The IRS Form 990 is an annual information return that tax-exempt organizations must file. There are several variants:

• Form 990: The standard return, filed by organizations with gross receipts of $200,000 or more, or total assets of $500,000 or more. This is the most detailed version and includes schedules for compensation, grants, governance, and more.
• Form 990-EZ: A shorter version for organizations with gross receipts under $200,000 and total assets under $500,000.
• Form 990-PF: Filed by private foundations regardless of size. Includes detailed information about grants awarded, investment income, and foundation managers.
• Form 990-N (e-Postcard): A bare-minimum electronic filing for organizations with gross receipts of $50,000 or less. Contains only basic identification information.

The variant matters because it determines how much data is available. A large university filing the full 990 will have dozens of pages of financial detail. A small community group filing a 990-N will have almost none.

Where to find 990s

Option 1: 501(see)

501(see) lets you search across 1.8M+ organizations and view extracted 990 data (financials, officer compensation, and grants) without downloading PDFs or reading IRS forms. You can filter by state, category, revenue range, and more.

This is the fastest option if you want to compare organizations, look up compensation, or find grant data across multiple filings.

Option 2: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer

ProPublica offers full-text search across electronically filed 990s and lets you view or download the original filings. Free, no account required. Best for finding specific organizations and reading full filings.

Option 3: IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search

The IRS TEOS is the official government source. You can verify exempt status, download raw XML data files, and access scanned 990 images. The search is limited, but the data is authoritative.

Option 4: Ask the organization directly

By law, tax-exempt organizations must make their three most recent 990s available to anyone who requests them. You can ask in person or in writing, and they’re required to provide copies within 30 days. Most organizations would rather just point you to their GuideStar profile (which is fine), but now you know you have the legal right to ask.

How to read a 990

Once you’ve found a filing, here’s where to look for the most useful information:

Revenue and expenses (Part I)

The summary on the first page gives you the headline numbers: total revenue, total expenses, net assets, and the change from the prior year. This is where you start.

For a deeper look, Part VIII (Revenue) breaks down contributions, program service revenue, investment income, and other sources. Part IX (Expenses) breaks down by functional category: program services, management, and fundraising.

Executive compensation (Part VII)

This section lists officers, directors, trustees, and key employees along with their compensation. You’ll see:

• Reportable compensation from the organization
• Reportable compensation from related organizations
• Estimated amount of other compensation (benefits, deferred comp, etc.)

This is one of the most frequently searched parts of any 990. If you’re researching executive pay at nonprofits, this is where you find it.

Grants and assistance (Schedule I)

Organizations that award $5,000 or more in grants to domestic organizations or individuals must complete Schedule I. This lists:

• Recipient name and EIN
• Amount of cash grant
• Purpose of the grant

For private foundations, 990-PF Part XV contains similar grant information. This is essential data for grant writers looking to identify potential funders.

Mission and programs (Part III)

The organization describes its mission and its three largest program services by expense. This is self-reported and varies wildly in quality (some organizations write detailed descriptions, others phone it in), but it’s the only place in the 990 where the organization explains what it actually does.

Tips for effective 990 research

Look at multiple years. A single year’s filing is a snapshot. Trends in revenue, expenses, and compensation tell you much more than any single number. Is revenue growing? Are program expenses keeping pace? Is executive compensation increasing faster than the budget?

Compare the form type. If an organization switched from 990-EZ to the full 990, that usually means they crossed the $200K revenue threshold, a growth signal. If they went the other direction, that’s worth noting too.

Check the filing date. 990s are due on the 15th day of the 5th month after the fiscal year ends (so May 15 for calendar-year filers), with extensions available. Data can be 1-2 years old by the time it’s processed and available through lookup tools. Always check which tax year you’re looking at.

Use extracted data when possible. Reading raw 990 PDFs works for one-off lookups, but if you’re comparing multiple organizations, a tool that extracts and normalizes the data will save you hours. That’s exactly what 501(see) is built for.

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990 data is public, powerful, and underutilized. Most people don’t know it exists, and those who do often struggle with the IRS’s clunky tools. The good news is that better options exist, and they’re free.

Search nonprofit 990 data on 501(see), free, no credit card required.