In most instances, the time between filing Form 990s and posting them on Candid's web site is 5-7 months. We receive the latest Forms 990-PF from the IRS every few weeks and add them to our collection, accessible through our various databases.

However, the total lag time between the end of a foundation's fiscal year and the point when its IRS filing is publicly available can be anywhere from 12 to 18 months. Forms 990 must be filed by the 15th day of the fifth month after the end of an exempt organization's accounting period, but they can request filing extensions. So, if a foundation's fiscal year ends on December 31, it might not send its Form 990 to IRS until 11 months later. Also, not all foundations end their fiscal year on December 31.

You can see when a foundation usually files its return by looking at "Date Received" stamp on past years' returns. This filing pattern may help you estimate when a funder's latest IRS filing will be publicly available online.

To help shorten the lag time, grantmakers can send us information on grants electronically as they are awarded. We then add this information to our searchable grants database in Foundation Directory so you can view a grantmaker's giving history sooner.

Get Update Alerts in Foundation Directory

If you are an Foundation Directory subscriber, sign up to receive alerts for a specific grantmaker by clicking the bell icon in the Tools area near the top right of a profile.

Alerts will contain information on profile and status changes; details on newly posted grants; links to new 990 filings; and links to newly posted news articles, job openings, RFP announcements, and publications. Note: Alerts will be sent to the email address associated with your Foundation Directory account. To change your email address, please update your Foundation Directory account profile.

See also our related Knowledge Base articles:

- Where can I find an organization's Form 990 or 990-PF?

More articles about Forms 990 and 990-PF