Library Contact
Contact Information
Paul J. Barrow
734-936-2299
Grants and Foundations Librarian
Corey Seeman
734-764-9969
Director, U-M Kresge Business Library
General Information on Nonprofits
"The non-profit institutions are human-change agents. Their 'product' is a cured patient, a child that learns, a young man or woman grown into a self-respecting adult: a changed human life altogether."
-- Peter F. Drucker, Managing the Non-Profit Organization
- Kresge Business Library - Guide to Nonprofit Organizations & NGOsResources compiled by librarians from U-M Kresge Business Library. Categories include links to nonprofit organizations, nonprofit databases, and freely available resources related to financial management, regulations, board governance and fundraising.
- GuideStar This link opens in a new windowGuideStar's database contains data on more than 900,000 public charities, approximately 118,000 private foundations, and nearly half a million other exempt organizations in the United States. Federal 990 forms can be accessed through Guidestar, and grant activity of both grantmakers and grantees is accessible through the Grant Explorer data set.
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- Better Business Bureau For Charities and DonorsRates and grades charity organizations based on performance, a history of complaints against the organization and other criteria.
- Charity NavigatorCharity Navigator evaluates and compares nonprofit charities for potential donors. Ratings include financial health, accountability and transparency. In addition to rating information sign up for a free login account to access past ratings, IRS information, including current and past IRS 990 forms and links to news articles about the charity.
- GuideStar - General PublicThe free version of the Guidestar.org website offers fewer search options and less information on individual nonprofits. If possible you should always use the U-M Library Premium version, linked above for the best results.
- National Center for Charitable Statistics (NCCS)A project of the Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy (CNP) at the Urban Institute, the NCCS provides brief information on nonprofit organizations including financial information, recent 990 forms and programming information. Search for nonprofits by name or by location or by National Taxonomy of Exempt Entities (NTEE) code.
Also find profiles of the U.S. and individual state nonprofit sectors and search for information on nonprofits by state, county or zip code.
- Legal Information Reference Center This link opens in a new windowDatabase containing hundreds of legal self-help and reference books from publishers like NOLO. Includes downloadable forms for all 50 states.