Charity Navigator
Getting Started

Charity Navigator Data API

Charity Navigator is the world's largest independent evaluator of nonprofits, with ratings for more than 245,000 U.S. 501(c)(3) organizations. The Data API gives you programmatic access to that dataset over GraphQL: search and filter rated organizations, look up records by EIN, and retrieve Encompass scores, star ratings, publication dates, causes, locations, and alert levels.

Getting Access

  1. Register or log in to this portal.
  2. Browse the Pricing Page and choose the plan that fits your use case — see Usage & Quotas for quotas and rate limits.
  3. Subscribe to get access to an API key. Your credit card will not be charged until your 30-day free trial has ended.

Authentication

Every request must include your API key as a request header. Pass it in the Authorization field of your request headers.

Your API key is secret. Never expose it in client-side code or public repositories.

Request headers

JSONCode
{
  "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
}

Keys sent without the Bearer prefix are still accepted, so tokens carried over from the previous gateway keep working unchanged. New integrations should send Bearer — the bare-token form is a compatibility shim, not the supported format.

Related Reference Guide

  • How Ratings Work: Explains how Charity Navigator calculates star ratings, beacon scores, and financial/accountability metrics.
  • How Alerts Work: Details how highestLevelAdvisory and CN Alerts are surfaced and when ratings are suppressed.
  • Usage & Quotas: Additional information about usage and quotas.
  • Data Sharing Requirement: Details on the annual usage reporting check-in for partners.
  • Attribution Guidelines: Brand assets, required badges, and usage rules for displaying Charity Navigator ratings.
  • Terms of Use: Legal terms governing data API access.
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How Ratings Work