# What Form 990-PF tells you about a private foundation

Source: https://welltoldgrants.com/guides/what-is-form-990-pf/

> Form 990-PF is the annual tax return every US private foundation files with the IRS, and it is public. It shows the foundation's assets and spending, lists every grant it paid with recipient and purpose, and says whether it accepts applications and how to apply. That makes it the most reliable public record of what a foundation actually funds.

## What is in the return

The return covers one tax year. It reports the foundation's assets at fair market value, its income and expenses, and the total it paid out in grants. Private foundations must pay out a minimum share of their assets each year, so assets give a rough idea of how much a foundation can give.

The supplementary information section is the part grant seekers care about most. It lists every grant and contribution paid during the year, with the recipient's name and address, the relationship to the foundation if any, the purpose and the amount. It also holds the application information: who to contact, the form applications should take, deadlines, and any restrictions such as geographic areas or types of organizations. A checkbox there says whether the foundation only gives to preselected organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests.

## How we use it

Each foundation page on this site comes from the foundation's most recent electronically filed 990-PF. We total its grants, work out the typical (median) and largest grant, group its grants by cause and by the state where the recipient is, and compare with the year before to see how many grantees are new. The application details are quoted as the foundation filed them.

## What it cannot tell you

The return does not say how many applications a foundation received or what share it funded. Grants to individuals are listed without names on our pages. And because returns are filed after the year ends, check the foundation's website or contact it for current deadlines before you apply. Start with the [foundation directory](/foundations/) or our guide to [finding foundation grants](/guides/how-to-find-foundation-grants/).

## Questions people ask

### Is Form 990-PF public?

Yes. Private foundations must make their returns available, and the IRS publishes electronically filed returns. Our foundation pages are built from them.

### How current is the information?

A return covers the foundation's previous tax year and is often filed months after it ends, so the grants listed are usually one to two years old. Recent grants and application details may have changed since.

### What is the difference between a private foundation and a public charity?

A private foundation is usually funded by one family, person or company and mainly gives grants. A public charity raises money from the public and mostly runs programs. Public charities file Form 990 instead of Form 990-PF.