Foundation Center

What Foundation Center does

Foundation Center operates as Candid, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1956 and headquartered in New York that maintains what it describes as the most comprehensive database of U.S. nonprofits and foundations. The platform consolidates data on 1.9 million organization profiles, 3 million annual grant transactions, and $180 billion in annual grant dollars, combining publicly available IRS 990 information with proprietary data collection, standardization, and enrichment. Candid's product suite centers on Candid Search (a web research platform for looking up, verifying, and finding funding for nonprofits), Candid APIs (real-time data feeds for technical integration), Custom Datasets (bespoke data extracts), Foundation Maps (geographic visualization of funding flows), and the Nonprofit Compensation Report (sector benchmarking).

The underlying technology combines a large relational nonprofit database with standardized tagging, real-time APIs, and emerging AI-driven analytics. Candid's GTM is primarily self-serve and product-led: free registration opens basic access, with premium subscriptions and API licensing unlocking detailed profiles, dashboards, and programmatic feeds. Custom datasets are sold via direct engagement for specialized analysis needs. Customer segments include four verticals — nonprofits seeking funding, funders/donors researching grantees, business and financial services firms conducting due diligence, and technical solution providers embedding nonprofit data into their products. Distribution is global via the web platform and APIs, with localized engagement through the "Candid near you" program.

Revenue mechanics blend earned income (subscription and licensing across Candid Search tiers, API contracts, custom dataset sales) with philanthropic support, consistent with its 501(c)(3) status. The organization is led by President Bradford Smith and employs 251–500 people. No consolidated revenue figure is publicly disclosed in the source materials; pricing tiers and contract structures are partially opaque, though free-tier, premium-subscription, and enterprise-API paths are all in active use.

Name

Foundation Center

Legal name

Candid

Website

https://foundationcenter.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1956

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Foundation Center, operating as Candid, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit data platform that maintains profiles on 1.9 million nonprofits and foundations, offering search tools, APIs, custom datasets, and mapping products to nonprofits, funders, business services firms, and technical providers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Intelligence and Philanthropy Data Services

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning (MEL) & Reporting for Donor Programs (BPADAOAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

Keywords

• Nonprofit data platform
• Grant funding research
• Philanthropy intelligence
• Nonprofit verification services
• Foundation data APIs

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Subscription and Licensing: Platform access with tiered pricing for Candid Search with detailed profiles and dashboards. API access for technical solution providers. Custom dataset requests available for specialized needs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Foundation Center, operating as Candid, provides a nonprofit and foundation intelligence platform that aggregates, standardizes, and enriches data on 1.9 million organizations, 3 million annual grant transactions, and $180 billion in annual grant dollars. Its core products include Candid Search (a web research platform), Candid APIs (programmatic data access), Custom Datasets (tailored data extracts), Foundation Maps (geospatial visualization), and a Nonprofit Compensation Report, sold via freemium web access and paid subscriptions to nonprofits, funders, business/financial services firms, and technical solution providers.

Product overview

Candid operates as a comprehensive nonprofit intelligence platform consolidating foundation and nonprofit data into an integrated suite. The core offering centers on Candid Search, which provides access to 1.9 million organization profiles and 3 million annual grant transactions worth $180B in annual grant dollars. Data Solutions (Candid APIs and Custom Datasets) enable programmatic access and tailored data extraction. Additional tools include Foundation Maps for geographic visualization, the Nonprofit Compensation Report for sector benchmarking, and nonprofit profile management features. Together these products serve nonprofits seeking funding, funders researching grantees, business services supporting nonprofit clients, and technical providers building on nonprofit data.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Candid Search: Nonprofit and foundation search platform for researching organizations, finding funding, and verifying nonprofits.
• Foundation Maps
• Candid APIs
• Candid Learning
• Issue Lab
• Candid Labs
• Nonprofit Compensation Report
• Candid near you

Products and services

• Candid Search Primary search platform that enables users to research 1.9 million nonprofits, funders, and grants by name, EIN, keyword, mission, programs, and location; includes tools to look up nonprofits, verify nonprofit status, and find nonprofit funding, with freemium registration and premium subscriptions for detailed profiles and dashboards.
• Candid APIs Programmatic API product that provides real-time data updates on nonprofits, funders, and grants for technical solution providers to integrate nonprofit information into their own workstreams and systems.
• Custom Datasets Tailored nonprofit data sets customized to specific organizational needs, providing datasets configured to particular requirements for specialized analysis.
• Nonprofit Compensation Report Compensation benchmarking tool providing salary and compensation data across the nonprofit sector for HR, executive compensation planning, and sector benchmarking.
• Foundation Maps Interactive mapping platform for visualizing foundation funding flows, geographic distribution of grants, and exploring foundation payout rates across the U.S.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1.9 million organization profiles accessible through Candid Search
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature5 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Open990: Searchable database of IRS 990 filings on nonprofits, directly competing with Candid Search's baseline functionality on publicly available nonprofit financial data.
• GrantStation: Membership- and subscription-based grant database and resource hub for nonprofits seeking funding — a direct peer in the nonprofit funding intelligence category.
• Cause IQ: Subscription-based nonprofit and grant research database serving nonprofits, foundations, and consultants — a directly competing product to Candid Search with overlapping customer segments.
• Instrumentl: Grant discovery and management platform for nonprofits and grant writers, offering curated funding opportunities and matching — a direct competitor in the grant research SaaS category.
• FoundationSearch: Database of U.S. foundations and grants for funders and nonprofits, closely comparable to Candid Search and Foundation Maps in scope and target audience.
• Benevity: Corporate giving and CSR platform connecting companies with nonprofits, overlapping with Candid's funders & donors segment and CSR-focused nonprofit verification use cases.
• Fluxx: Grants management software used by foundations to administer grantmaking workflows — complementary and partially overlapping with Candid's funder-facing products.
• Bloomerang: Donor management and fundraising CRM for nonprofits, adjacent to Candid's nonprofit-facing products but focused on donor retention rather than funder discovery.

Emerging players

• TechSoup: Nonprofit technology resources, discounted software, and capacity-building programs — adjacent rather than directly competitive, but overlapping in the nonprofit support and capacity-building mission space.

Broad incumbents

• Salesforce.org (Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud): Enterprise CRM and program management suite for nonprofits from a global incumbent — a broader incumbent offering overlapping nonprofit relationship management but not specialized in grant intelligence.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/fdncenter
• Facebookfacebook.com/foundationcenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-foundation-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Foundation Center