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Idealistorg Inc

EIN 13-3836763 · New York, NY

Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthWeak35 out of 100GovernanceStrong93 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

Points to look into

  • Raising each dollar of donations cost 245 cents.

These come from the organization's own tax return. There may be a good explanation; ask the charity.

What it says it does

Idealist.org Inc. the Organization" is a not-for-profit organization incorporated under the laws of the State of New York in 1995 and is exempt from federal income taxes under Section 501c3 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code and from state and local taxes under comparable laws. The Organization connects people organizations and resources to help build a world where all people can live free and dignified lives. The Organization is independent of any government political ideology or religious creed. Its work is guided by the common desire of its members and supporters to find practical solutions to social and environmental problems in a spirit of generosity and mutual respect.

Income
$5.7 million
Spending
$8.8 million
Spent on programs
86%
Reserves
3.5 months of spending
Largest source of income
fees for its services, 95%
Employees
29
Volunteers
20
Highest pay
$368,853, executive dir

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Weak: 35 out of 100. Higher than 4% of charities in its peer group (international, $1m to $10m).

  • Reserves

    20 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 3.5 months of spending.

  • Debt

    5 of 20

    It owes 50% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    0 of 15

    Spending exceeded income by 53% of income.

  • Income trend

    10 of 15

    Income fell 6% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    0 of 15

    86% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 245 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Strong: 93 out of 100. Higher than 54% of charities in its peer group (international, $1m to $10m).

  • Independent board

    18 of 25

    2 of 3 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    8 of 8

    Has a written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    7 of 7

    Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    10 of 10

    Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    5 of 5

    Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.

  • Independent check of accounts

    15 of 15

    Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Impact evidence

Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.

Programs described in its return (1)
  1. $7.5 million spent. Idealst.org maintains the most popular English-lanugage directory of nonprofit organizations and social enterprises on the web. Over 156,000 organizations have created profiles on Idealist where they post their services jobs internships volunteer opportunities and events. Currently over 2.1 million individuals have created accounts on the site with hundreds joining every day and hundreds of thousands opt to receive free email alerts when new listings are posted that match their areas of interest and geographic location. All of these services are also available in Spanish and Portuguese. Alongside the thousands of nonprofit jobs that are posted on Idealist the Organization also provides free online tools for career assessment and self-knowledge including a career blog and a resource center. In 2024 the Organization hosted one in-person graduate school fair in New York where representatives of graduate degee programs could meet with thousands of prospective students. In 2023 the Organization paused the grad fair program and no in-person fairs were hosted. On idealist.org the Organization also hosted a directory of graduate school profiles and provides a free resource center with profiles of specific degrees for the public good information about admissions and financial aid and more. The directory was deprecated on March 31 2024.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Legitimacy checks

  1. Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.

    Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  2. Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.

    Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.

    Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated November 6, 2026.

  3. Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.

    On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.

    Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  4. Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.

    Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2024.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since November 1995.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  6. Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.

    Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.

    Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated November 4, 2026.

Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.