Non-profit Organization

An organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals rather than distributing them as profit or dividends.

Category Name and Code
Name REMS Category 
Business Related/Interest Group 5
Foundation/Charitable Trust 6
Charitable Organization 7

Business Related/Interest Group

Non-profit organization sponsored by one or more businesses or other entities engaged in activities for profit, including: corporate foundations, industry or trade associations; and professional, union, or lobbying organizations. For US Nonprofits, any organization not defined as 501(c)(3).

Examples:
National Pork Producers Council
National Association for Biomedical Research
Infectious Diseases Society of America

Foundation/Charitable Trust

Non-profit foundations or charitable trusts, as defined in The Foundation Directory excluding corporate foundations, and including funds or endowments designated by the Internal Revenue Service as private grant-making foundations, community foundations, family foundations, and charitable trusts. New codes are not assigned to this category; previously created codes remain assigned to this category.

Examples:
Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation 
Deer Creek Foundation 

Charitable Organization

All new sponsor codes for charitable organizations are assigned to this category, unless the entity is found to be Business Related/Interest Group. For US Nonprofits, any organization with IRS tax exemption under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code falls under this category. For non-profit entities outside of the US, a sponsor code will generally be linked to this category.

Examples:
North County Health Services 
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation 

Verifying an Organization's Non-Profit Status

Entities in the United States must have active IRS tax-exempt status. You can use the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search or GuideStar to verify an entity's non-profit status. (Note that some non-profit entities, such as religious organizations or homeowners' associations, may not appear in these databases. Please contact REMS@ucop.edu for assistance in researching these entities.) The U.S. non-profit’s state business registry information can be used to verify the exact legal name of the organization.

Verifying the non-profit status of entities outside the United States can be more difficult as many countries do not have a searchable central registry of non-profit organizations and, as such, non-profits located in those countries typically are validated through third-party sources. However, national non-profit databases are available for the following countries/areas (please note that some may not be available in English and will require in-browser translation):