CFC Search
The Charity List is a paper or web-based display of national, international, and local organizations that have met CFC eligibility requirements. A sample charity listing is shown below with key elements shown in italics. Key elements include: the organization’s new five-digit CFC code, the legal name in parentheses shown if it is “doing business as” under another name, the employer identification number (EIN), a 25-word statement of purpose (except in abbreviated listings), its administrative and fundraising expense rate (AFR), and its Service Categories (Taxonomy Codes).
Making Informed Giving Decisions
The EIN, AFR, and the Service Categories are included to help donors identify organizations that meet their interests and performance standards.
The EIN is issued by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). It can be used for obtaining additional information about an organization from the IRS (877-829-5500). Please Note: Some organizations may be covered under an umbrella organization’s tax exemption status and EIN or may not be required to have an EIN.
The AFR represents the percentage of dollars spent on administering the charity. It is calculated as a percentage of the organization’s total support and revenue. OPM, as well as the philanthropic community at large, remains concerned about excessive AFR levels. The philanthropic community generally considers an AFR in excess of 35 percent to be problematic. Potential CFC donors should carefully review the circumstances applicable to the potential charities of their choice to be certain they fully understand and accept the AFR situations for such charities before donating to them. Each situation is unique. Donors may contact the charity directly and/or industry oversight organizations in order to better to understand the financial status, service delivery record, and governance policies of the charity before donating. A listing of oversight organizations is available at http://www.opm.gov/cfc/Donors/Giving.asp
The Service Categories (Taxonomy Codes) categorize the types of services that most charitable organizations offer. Charities self-select up to three alpha-codes (shown below) for inclusion in the CFC charity list. Charities that did not select at least one category are assigned “Z” for the “Other” category.
The 26 service categories are derived from the National Taxonomy of Exempt Entities (NTEE) classification system. This system, developed by the National Center for Charitable Statistics, is widely used in the non-profit community.
SERVICE CATEGORIES (TAXONOMY)
A Arts, Culture, and Humanities
B Educational Institutions & Related Activities
C Envir. Quality, Protection & Beautification
D Animal Related
E Health – General and Rehabilitative
F Mental Health, Crisis Intervention
G Disease, Disorders, Medicinal Disciplines
H Medical Research
I Crime, Legal Related
J Employment, Job Related
K Food, Agriculture, and Nutrition
L Housing, Shelter
M Public Safety, Disaster Preparedness & Relief
N Recreation, Sports, Leisure, Athletics
O Youth Development
P Human Services – Multipurpose and Other
Q International, Foreign Affairs, National Security
R Civil Rights, Social Action, Advocacy
S Community Improvement, Capacity Building
T Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Foundations
U Science & Technology Research Institutes, Services
V Social Science Research Institutes, Services
W Public, Social Benefit: Multipurpose, Other
X Religion Related, Spiritual Development
Y Mutual/Membership Benefit Orgs., Other
Z Other
For additional guidance on selecting charities, visit the CFC website at http://www.opm.gov/cfc/html/qfd.asp.
