To help interpret the information found on the IRS Form 990-PF, the Foundation Center has posted a Diagram of Form 990-PF indicating where some of the most important information can be found, including contact information, assets, list of officers, application information, and listings of grants paid and future planned grants. You will need the Adobe Acrobat reader (available for free download) in order to view the diagram.
There is also an online tutorial called Demystifying the 990-PF, where you can learn about the Form 990-PF at your own pace.
All five Center libraries and some Cooperating Collections offer training programs that cover use of the 990-PF in fundraising research (Guide to the Resources on the Foundation Center’s Web Site).
For books and articles containing information on the Form 990-PF, try searching our Catalog of Nonprofit Literature (CNL), the Center's bibliographic database. You could start searching on the subjects "Tax returns" or "Nonprofit organizations--accounting".
Many of the books and articles found through CNL can be located in Center Libraries and Cooperating Collections. It is best to call ahead to verify a specific library's holdings. All articles, but not books, can be obtained through interlibrary loan through your local Cooperating Collection.
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