Within the Form 990-PF there is information that is of the utmost importance to the serious prospect researcher. But you need to know where to find this information and how to interpret it. To help you do this, we have provided samples of some of the most significant search requests which show you precisely how you can find the information. All words contained within the Form 990-PF are fully searchable. However, to search for a particular section of the document, your search request must ask for the location of the particular word or phrase in relation to a common term or word on the Form 900-PF itself.

To narrow your search to include organizations that are based in a specific city or area, you would use the following example in your search request: Instructions w/40 San Francisco. This request would provide a list of foundation forms which contain the area San Francisco within 40 words of Instructions on page one of the return.

In Part XV, Supplementary Information line 2C contains any proposal submission deadline information. You can streamline your search to include those foundations with submission deadlines in a specific month. As an example, to locate a foundation whose submission deadline is in April, use the following search criteria: deadlines w/10 April.

Recipients of foundation funding are listed in the Contributions Paid section of the Form 990-PF.  To conduct a search for specific types of recipients found within this section, you would use the following as an example: Contributions w/200 hospital.  As an alternative, you can simply enter the name of the group or organization you are searching for; i.e. School, University, College,  Museum, Shelter etc.  Your search result will contain all documents containing the specific word anywhere within the document.

If you would like to create a list of foundations that contain the particular name of a board member (that is to say a Director or Trustee), your search request would be similar to the following example: Director* w/200 Michael Roberts. The resulting search would include all foundations with the name Michael Roberts found within 200 words of Director or Directors.

Making connections early in the funding cycle of a foundation can help to establish your organization as a recipient. The line above the Identification Section on page one, is marked yes when a newly formed foundation completes its initial (or first) return. The following search example will result in providing you with a list of the foundations who answered yes to this question: X w/1 initial.

Knowing when a new year of granting begins or capitalizing on what remains left in a budget near the end of a fiscal year is relevant prospect research information. The top of page 1 contains the foundation's fiscal year end. A fiscal year is the 12 months covered by the foundation's financial statements. To create a search resulting in a list of foundations whose fiscal year ends in May, enter the following search criteria: ending w/2 May.

Often, the Form 990-PF will contain the name of the person to whom applications should be submitted.  To pinpoint this section simply enter the following text into the search: should be addressed. This query would provide a result highlighting the contact information section.

The tax reporting year is located in a box at the top right side of page 1, State Reporting Requirements To conduct a search which would include only those forms submitted in a particular reporting year, the following example would be used: requirements w/8 1999. The result would provide you with a list containing those form 990s submitted in the year 1999.

By simply entering a search for the word scholarships, you will obtain a list of all Form 990-PF’s which contain this word within the document.

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