Charities and nonprofits in the United States
The United States is home to the largest nonprofit sector in the world, with more than 1.5 million tax-exempt organizations registered with the Internal Revenue Service. American 501(c)(3) charities range from neighborhood food banks and free clinics to billion-dollar disaster-response agencies, university endowments, and disease-specific research foundations like the American Cancer Society and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Whether you are looking for a comprehensive list of charities in the United States, a 501(c)(3) database, or an EIN lookup tool, GiveRadar brings together registration status, Form 990 financials, executive compensation, program-spending ratios, leadership, and an independent integrity score for every organization. Browse our complete US nonprofit database or read about how GiveRadar works before you give.
How charities are registered in the United States
US charities apply to the IRS for tax-exempt status under section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code (irs.gov). The most common designation is 501(c)(3), which covers public charities, private foundations, and most religious and educational organizations, and allows donors to claim a federal tax deduction. Each recognized charity is assigned an Employer Identification Number (EIN) and appears in the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search (irs.gov).
Most exempt organizations must file an annual Form 990 (or 990-EZ, 990-N, or 990-PF for private foundations), which discloses revenue, expenses, executive compensation, fundraising costs, and program activities. Those filings are public, and few countries publish charity accounts in comparable detail. State attorneys general regulate charitable solicitation separately, and most states require their own registration before a nonprofit can fundraise there.
Major causes and well-known charities in the United States
The American nonprofit sector is unusually broad. Major focus areas include:
- Health and medical research: hospitals, disease foundations like the American Cancer Society and the American Heart Association, and research institutes including Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
- Education: universities, K-12 scholarship funds, after-school programs, the College Board, and literacy organizations like Reading is Fundamental.
- Human services: Feeding America, the Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity, and tens of thousands of food banks, shelters, and crisis-intervention programs.
- International development and humanitarian aid: the American Red Cross, Direct Relief, World Vision, Save the Children, Doctors Without Borders USA, and the International Rescue Committee.
- Environment and animal welfare: The Nature Conservancy, World Wildlife Fund, ASPCA, Humane Society of the United States, and Sierra Club Foundation.
- Arts, culture, and humanities: the Smithsonian Institution, Metropolitan Museum of Art, public broadcasting stations, and community arts trusts.
- Religion: congregations, faith-based service agencies, and global mission organizations.
Compare two organizations side by side with our charity comparison tool, or browse best health charities in the United States and best international charities in the United States to narrow by cause.
How to evaluate a US charity before donating
The volume of US nonprofits and the sophistication of online fundraising mean donor diligence matters more than ever. Things to check before giving to any American charity:
- 501(c)(3) status: verify the EIN on the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search and confirm the charity is in good standing.
- Form 990 financials: compare program-spending ratio against fundraising and management costs. A healthy charity typically spends at least 70% on programs.
- Executive compensation: Form 990 (irs.gov) lists top officer pay; flag amounts that look high relative to revenue or peer organizations.
- Third-party ratings: Charity Navigator, GuideStar/Candid, and BBB Wise Giving Alliance evaluate larger nonprofits and publish scores.
- Registration and disclosure record: our free charity checker tool pulls an organization's registration status, filing history, and disclosure record together on one page.
Each profile on GiveRadar combines all of the above into a single 0-100 integrity score. Read our integrity score methodology to see exactly how we weight registration, financial transparency, governance, third-party ratings, and community feedback. For step-by-step guidance, see how to check if a charity is legitimate.
US charity explorer: browse, filter, compare
This page works as a US charity explorer: every IRS-registered nonprofit we hold data on, ranked and filterable by category, financial transparency, presence of a website, and revenue size. Use the filters on the left to narrow by cause area (health, education, human services, environment, religion, animal welfare, advocacy, and more), and the search bar to find a specific organization by name or EIN.
GiveRadar refreshes its US records in periodic bulk passes over IRS data rather than a live daily feed, then enriches them with contact details, financials, programs, and news coverage. To compare American giving against other markets, browse all countries or jump straight to health charities globally.
Donating to charities in the United States
Most American 501(c)(3) charities accept tax-deductible donations directly through their websites and issue donation receipts that itemize for IRS Schedule A. Donors can also give via donor-advised funds at Fidelity Charitable, Schwab Charitable, or Vanguard Charitable, which let you bunch contributions and recommend grants over time.
GiveRadar links directly to each charity's official donation channel where we hold one. For a structured walkthrough of how to plan a charitable gift, read our donor due-diligence guide.