Why it Works : Take a tour

Whether you are hoping to help organizations in a specific part of the world, improve your grantee experience, reduce costs, or simply have an interest in giving to regions where you do business, NGOsource will significantly streamline your international grantmaking process.

Upon regulatory approval, here's how NGOsource will work:

1. Submit your application to become a member

• You'll first complete our membership application. (Is NGOsource right for me?) After you're approved, you'll be prompted to pay your annual membership fee.
• You will then receive your username and password, which will enable you to log on to the Grantmaker Portal, the entry point for members into NGOsource. You will also receive training on requesting EDs and checking their status.

2. Make an ED request using NGOsource's Grantmaker Portal

• Every request will start with a search to see if we've already processed an ED for your intended grantee. If your grantee is not in the search results, you can still request an ED. If we have previously processed an ED for your grantee, you will request an ED that is valid for your organization. Each time you request an ED, you will pay a processing fee that depends on the grantee's current NGOsource ED status.
• New EDs will typically take 4 to 6 weeks. The time will be largely determined by the responsiveness of the grantee. ED requests for NGOs that have previously had an ED processed by NGOsource can be much faster.
• Your requests are confidential, and other NGOsource members will not be able to see the EDs you requested.

3. We initiate the ED process

• NGOsource's Grantmaker Portal will prompt you to email your intended grantee. This email is essential to minimizing ED processing time. Your email will introduce your grantee to NGOsource and explain that equivalency determination is an important step for your grantee to receive the grant you are considering. NGOsource will provide a customizable email template for you to use.
• We will send a second email to your intended grantee. It will explain the ED process in detail, and introduce your grantee to the NGOsource global partner that will provide customer service to them. This email will also include information about the questionnaire your grantee will need to fill out.

4. Your NGO completes the questionnaire

• The online NGO Questionnaire contains many legally and technically complex questions that the IRS requires. NGOsource will do everything possible to help your grantee complete the questionnaire, which may include providing support in their local language and time zone. Your grantee may contact its NGOsource partner at anytime.
• This phase of the process may take up to 4 weeks, depending on how long it takes your grantee to complete the questionnaire.

5. NGOsource begins the ED review process

• The NGOsource partner will check the questionnaire for completeness, asking your intended grantee for more information if needed.
• The NGOsource team — composed of trained, highly qualified professionals — will evaluate the information provided in the questionnaire. Typically, our team will complete the ED review within 4 U.S. business days. It may take longer if we need to ask your grantee for more information or if the review is especially complex and needs to be escalated to NGOsource's outside counsel, Adler & Colvin.

6. You receive notification

• If your intended grantee is certified as equivalent to a U.S. public charity, you will receive an email with the news along with instructions on how to download and print your ED Certificate. Learn more about the ED Certificate, validity, and documentation.
• If your grantee is found "not certified," we will notify you and explain why. Other NGOsource members will only see that the NGO does not have a current NGOsource certification, not that it could not be certified or why.

7. The NGO's information is held by NGOsource for other ED requests

• NGOsource retains a file on the NGO with the information needed to process ED requests from other grantmakers. This information is kept secure and confidential, and no one will know that you requested the ED. By using NGOsource, you have helped minimize the burden on your grantee caused by future ED requests.