State-level Charity Check - California
The California endpoint of the Charity Check API provides data about a nonprofit's status with the California Attorney General's Registry of Charitable Trusts and the California Franchise Tax Board.
This data can be used to check the standing of a nonprofit organization in California and confirm that they are eligible to receive donations.
Example request and response
This endpoint uses EIN as a path parameter to return data for an organization.
https://api.candid.org/charitycheck/v1/CA/13-1837418
{
"code": 200,
"message": "Request was processed successfully!",
"took": 11,
"errors": [],
"data": {
"ein": "31-1670408",
"california_entity_id": "2044031",
"organization_name": "PUBLIC LINKS GOLF ASSOCIATION FOUNDATION INC.",
"city": "BUENA PARK",
"state": "CA",
"attorney_general":{
"ag_may_operate_or_solicit_in_ca": "Not Operating/Dissolved",
"ag_registry_status": "Never Registered - Dissolved",
"ag_state_charity_reg_num": "CT0182319",
"ag_issue_date": "2012-05-08",
"ag_last_renewal_date": null,
"ag_status_set_date": "2012-08-21",
"ag_as_of_date": "2023-04-19",
"ag_source_data_conflict": true,
"ag_source_data_conflict_date": "2023-04-15",
"most_recent_ag": "2023-04-19"
},
"franchise_tax_board":{
"ftb_revocation_status": true,
"ftb_revocation_status_date": "2011-08-24 00:00:00.000",
"most_recent_ftb": "2023-04-19",
"ftb_source_data_conflict": true,
"ftb_source_data_conflict_date": "2023-04-15"
},
}
Interpreting data fields
Attorney General (AG)
The attorney_general
object contains information regarding an organization's standing with the California Attorney General's Registry of Charitable Trusts. The ag_may_operate_or_solicit_in_ca
field provides information about whether the organization may or may not operate or solicit in California. The ag_registry_status
field provides additional data about the organization's Charity Registration status.
Below is a table of potential values for these fields. More information on the definition of these registry statuses can be found here.
May_Operate_or_Solicit_in_CA | Registry_Status |
---|---|
No | Delinquent - Late Fees Due |
No | Delinquent |
No | Mutual Benefit |
No | Not Registered - Cease and Desist Order |
No | Revoked |
No | Subject to Cease and Desist Order |
No | Suspended |
Not Operating/Dissolved | Closed - Registration Not Required |
Not Operating/Dissolved | Dissolution Pending |
Not Operating/Dissolved | Dissolution Waiver Issued |
Not Operating/Dissolved | Dissolved |
Not Operating/Dissolved | Exempt - Dissolution Pending |
Not Operating/Dissolved | Exempt - Dissolution Waiver Issued |
Not Operating/Dissolved | Exempt - Dissolved |
Not Operating/Dissolved | Exempt - Withdrawn |
Not Operating/Dissolved | Never Registered - Diss. Waiver Issued |
Not Operating/Dissolved | Never Registered - Dissolution Pending |
Not Operating/Dissolved | Never Registered - Dissolved |
Not Operating/Dissolved | Never Registered - Withdrawn |
Not Operating/Dissolved | Trust Closed |
Not Operating/Dissolved | Withdrawn |
Undetermined | Enforcement Action Pending |
Undetermined | Not Registered |
Yes | Current - Awaiting Reporting |
Yes | Current - In Process |
Yes | Current - Probationary Registration |
Yes | Current - Reporting Incomplete |
Yes | Current |
Yes | Exempt - Facility Financing |
Yes | Exempt - Form 990-PF Required |
Yes | Exempt - Religious |
Yes | Exempt |
Yes | Registered - Corporate Trustee |
Franchise Tax Board (FTB)
The franchise_tax_board
object contains information regarding an organization's standing with the California Franchise Tax Board. The ftb_revocation_status
field is a Boolean value indicting whether an organization's tax-exempt status has been revoked by Franchise Tax Board. If "ftb_revocation_status": true
, the ftb_revocation_status_date
field will list the date the organization's tax-exempt status was revoked.
Example response scenarios
Below are sample responses that provide example of organizations with various different statuses in California. Key fields to validate each scenario are marked "/see here/".
Example organization not in good standing in California
{
"code": 200,
"message": "Request was processed successfully!",
"took": 355,
"errors": [],
"data": {
"ein": "20-0307526",
"california_entity_id": "2560233",
"organization_name": "ROCK THE CLASSROOM",
"city": "SANTA MONICA",
"state": "CA",
"attorney_general": {
/*see here*/"ag_may_operate_or_solicit_in_ca": "No",
"ag_registry_status": "Revoked",
"ag_state_charity_reg_num": "123602",
"ag_issue_date": "12/31/2005 12:00:00 AM",
"ag_last_renewal_date": "5/6/2009 12:00:00 AM",
"ag_status_set_date": "2/3/2022 12:00:00 AM",
"ag_as_of_date": "6/21/2023 12:00:00 AM",
"ag_source_data_conflict": false,
"ag_source_data_conflict_date": "",
"most_recent_ag": "6/21/2023 12:00:00 AM"
},
"franchise_tax_board": {
/*see here*/"ftb_revocation_status": true,
"ftb_revocation_status_date": "6/1/2011 12:00:00 AM",
"most_recent_ftb": "6/13/2023 12:00:00 AM",
"ftb_source_data_conflict": false,
"ftb_source_data_conflict_date": ""
}
}
}
Example organization in good standing in California
{
"code": 200,
"message": "Request was processed successfully!",
"took": 717,
"errors": [],
"data": {
"ein": "33-0841281",
"california_entity_id": "2133191",
"organization_name": "PANCREATIC CANCER ACTION NETWORK INC.",
"city": "MANHATTAN BEACH",
"state": "CA",
"attorney_general": {
/*see here*/"ag_may_operate_or_solicit_in_ca": "Yes",
"ag_registry_status": "Current",
"ag_state_charity_reg_num": "114088",
"ag_issue_date": "6/30/2006 12:00:00 AM",
"ag_last_renewal_date": "1/3/2023 12:00:00 AM",
"ag_status_set_date": "1/3/2023 12:00:00 AM",
"ag_as_of_date": "6/21/2023 12:00:00 AM",
"ag_source_data_conflict": false,
"ag_source_data_conflict_date": "",
"most_recent_ag": "6/21/2023 12:00:00 AM"
},
"franchise_tax_board": {
/*see here*/"ftb_revocation_status": false,
"ftb_revocation_status_date": "",
"most_recent_ftb": "",
"ftb_source_data_conflict": false,
"ftb_source_data_conflict_date": ""
}
}
}
Example organization not registered in California
Organizations that are not operating or fundraising in California are not required to register in California. If the organization has no status in California, a 404 error will be returned, indicating that no California data is present.
{
"code": 404,
"message": "Request was processed successfully but we could not find the resource, 85-2814738",
"took": 13,
"errors": []
}
Example organization not located in California, but prohibited from operating/soliciting in California
Organizations that are not located in California can be prohibited from operating and soliciting in California.
{
"code": 200,
"message": "Request was processed successfully!",
"took": 191,
"errors": [],
"data": {
"ein": "91-1303277",
"california_entity_id": "1968784",
"organization_name": "THE JOHN GABRIEL RYAN ASSOCIATION",
"city": "RENTON",
"state": "WA",
"attorney_general": {
/*see here*/"ag_may_operate_or_solicit_in_ca": "No",
"ag_registry_status": "Revoked",
"ag_state_charity_reg_num": "132205",
"ag_issue_date": "12/31/2005 12:00:00 AM",
"ag_last_renewal_date": "6/22/2010 12:00:00 AM",
"ag_status_set_date": "2/3/2022 12:00:00 AM",
"ag_as_of_date": "6/21/2023 12:00:00 AM",
"ag_source_data_conflict": false,
"ag_source_data_conflict_date": "",
"most_recent_ag": "6/21/2023 12:00:00 AM"
},
"franchise_tax_board": {
"ftb_revocation_status": false,
"ftb_revocation_status_date": "",
"most_recent_ftb": "",
"ftb_source_data_conflict": false,
"ftb_source_data_conflict_date": ""
}
}
}
Source data conflicts
Occasionally a nonprofit notifies Candid that their status with the AG or FTB has been updated since the last file posting. If the organization is able to provide documentation of their updated status, that will be noted in the ag_source_data_conflict
or ftb_source_data_conflict
field, respectively. The date the conflict was identified is recorded in the ag_source_data_conflict_date
or ftb_source_data_conflict_date
field, and the applicable status fields will be updated to the correct values.
Updated 12 months ago