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philanthropy.org Review

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Should I use philanthropy.org?

What is free, and what the Verified organization badge, Pro tiers and Verified person cost. Amounts are read live from Stripe. - philanthropy.org

· 16 hours ago

Use it free for Form 990 funder lookups and sector analysis; that is where its value ends. Do not pay for Pro or Verified tiers on thin evidence, and do not expect ratings, grants, or CRM features.

Confidence

Low. Based on 30 public sources; no independent user reviews or published pricing found, so confidence is low.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of useNo usability evidence found.
  • Feature depth
  • Support qualityNo support evidence found.
  • Security posture

Pricing

Not disclosed

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes

Best for

  • Donors checking who funds a nonprofit
  • Grant writers tracing funder histories
  • Nonprofit leaders following sector analysis

Not for

  • Anyone wanting charity ratings or scores — the site refuses to rate
  • Orgs seeking grant money — it funds no one
  • Teams needing a nonprofit CRM or fundraising platform
  • Buyers who require a documented security posture

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

No security page — unknown data handling before you submit org or personal details

medium

Pro and Verified badge pricing shown live via Stripe; no published rates found

medium

Privacy page says multiple vendors handle the data it collects

low

Figures come straight from public 990 filings with no evaluation or error-checking layer

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Free 990 profiles and funder histories, e.g. grants traced 2020–2024
  • Filterable nonprofit search by cause, state, and revenue band
  • Publishes original analysis for nonprofit leaders and donors
  • States plainly it does not rate, score, or rank organizations

Cons

  • No security page published
  • No ratings or scores, so it offers no vetting signal
  • Publisher, not a grantmaker; accepts no applications
  • Paid tiers and Verified badges exist but public pricing details unavailable

Sources & method

- 8 sources - No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

official x5security x2news x1

Key stats

  • Value for money: 4/5

    Rating

  • Not disclosed

    Starting price

  • 8

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 4/5. Core 990 data and analysis cost nothing.
  • Ease of use. No usability evidence found.
  • Feature depth: 3/5. Deep 990 histories, but no ratings or screening.
  • Support quality. No support evidence found.
  • Security posture: 2/5. No security page published.
  • Yes Free tier 990 profiles, funder histories, analysis
  • IRS Form 990 Data source public filings, no evaluation added
  • 549 LinkedIn following company page followers

Pricing

Free tier: Yes

Security

No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

What users say

No independent user reviews found in sources reviewed; the site's 990 reporting is cited in Givebutter's press resources.

Alternatives

Compare philanthropy.org with each alternative.

Full analysis

Based on 30 public sources; no independent user reviews or published pricing found, so confidence is low.

Free 990 lookup and nonprofit journalism. Pay nothing unless you need Verified badges; evidence for paid tiers is thin.

Methodology

Based on 30 public sources; no independent user reviews or published pricing found, so confidence is low.

Read how a report is made.

Sources

  1. Philanthropy.org | The Most Trusted Voicephilanthropy.org
    official
  2. Who funds Alternatives Incorporated? | 990 Scoutphilanthropy.org
    official
  3. Search donation-seeking nonprofitsphilanthropy.org
    official
  4. Contact Us — publisher, not a grantmakerphilanthropy.org
    official
  5. Security page (none found)philanthropy.org
    security
  6. Privacy — philanthropy.orgphilanthropy.org
    security
  7. Givebutter Press & Media Resourcesgivebutter.com
    news
  8. Philanthropy.Org on LinkedInlinkedin.com
    official

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