Global Philanthropy

The NGOsource Repository of equivalency determination information was conceived by grantmakers as a quick, reliable, affordable, and easy-to-use web-based service designed to help U.S. grantmakers evaluate whether an NGO outside of the U.S. is the equivalent of a U.S. public charity. It is expected to launch in April 2011.

The Beta Learning Phase, which ran from October 2009 to April 2010, was designed to gather feedback from grantmakers and NGOs as they put live equivalency determinations (EDs) through a Beta version of the NGOsource service.

For a complete list of FAQs, including membership, management and security visit: www.techsoupglobal.org/ngosource/faq.

• Why was NGOsource created? Surveys conducted by the Council on Foundations and NGOsource show that grantmakers are very interested in a shareable ED process. Our research indicates that streamlining the ED process will bring significant cost and time savings to the sector.
• When will NGOsource become operational? We will be ready to launch in late 2010. The formal launch date is dependent upon IRS approval.
• Who makes the ED certification decision? Based on the materials submitted by the NGO, the ED review team will make the equivalency determination. The ED review team is based in TechSoup Global’s San Francisco offices and is composed of attorneys and other professionals qualified to conduct EDs.
• Does NGOsource reduce ED processing time? NGOsource anticipates reducing average ED processing times by streamlining both the document submission process for NGOs and the ED review process. As a general rule, once the NGO completes its submission, the ED review team will finish its evaluation within four business days. NGOs will receive a high level of multi-lingual customer service and technical support, and NGOsource expects to resolve any issues rapidly.
• Can NGOsource handle Expenditure Responsibility for an NGO? No. NGOsource does not offer ER service at this time because such services are specific to an individual grantmaker. In addition, in our 2009 survey, 36 percent of international grantmakers said that they would prefer to use an ED process, rather than ER, if it were available via NGOsource.

Download the NGOsource overview.

For more information contact: Sheila Warren or Marty Schneiderman.