A Deep Dive into Pactman’s Nonprofit Check Plus API

Developer Talha — Mon, 09 Jun 2025 21:52:32 +0000

By Muhammad Talha Mohsin | Published on 6/09/2025

What This Article Covers

Why nonprofit verification matters more than ever
What Pactman's Nonprofit Check Plus API actually does
How it works — with real JSON and code
How fast and reliable it is (with a graph!)
How to use it as a developer
Common data freshness issues — and how the API handles them
Who should use this API
Plans, pricing, and final thoughts

Why Verifying Charities Matters in 2025

We live in a time when donations happen with a click. Platforms, apps, and grant systems must know:
Is this nonprofit real? Is it tax-exempt? Is it clean from sanctions?

That’s where the Pactman Nonprofit Check Plus API comes in. It's designed to give real-time charity verification using official data from the IRS, OFAC, BMF, and Pub 78.

What Is the Nonprofit Check Plus API?

It’s a modern API that verifies nonprofits using their EIN (Employer Identification Number).

Here’s what it checks:

Tax-exempt status via IRS BMF
Inclusion in IRS Pub 78
Absence from the OFAC SDN (Sanctions) list
Info on deductibility and foundation type

This is not a basic database—it’s a live compliance engine built for:

Grant platforms
Donor-advised funds
CRMs
Banking apps
Fintech payment tools

What You Get: Sample API Response

Here's what a real result from the API looks like:

{
  "code": 200,
  "message": "OK",
  "errors": null,
  "data": {
    "pactman_org_url": "https://pactman.org/profile/nonprofit/aborjaily-bannish-foundation-r5U9r8yRcZ",
    "organization_info_last_modified": "5/02/2025 1:01:39 AM",
    "ein": "996589560",
    "organization_name": "ABORJAILY BANNISH FOUNDATION",
    "organization_name_aka": null,
    "address_line1": "50 LOWELL AVE",
    "address_line2": null,
    "city": "WESTFIELD",
    "state": "MA",
    "state_name": "Massachusetts",
    "zip": "01085-2643",
    "filing_req_code": "00",
    "pub78_church_message": null,
    "pub78_organization_name": "Aborjaily Bannish Foundation",
    "pub78_ein": "996589560",
    "pub78_verified": true,
    "pub78_city": "Westfield",
    "pub78_state": "MA",
    "pub78_indicator": "0",
    "organization_types": [
      {
        "organization_type": "Deductions for donations to private non-operating foundations are generally limited to 50 percent of adjusted gross income (AGI). This limit increases to 60% of AGI for cash donations.  For Non-Cash assets held for more than one year, the limit is 30% of AGI.",
        "deductibility_limitation": "50%",
        "deductibility_status_description": "PF"
      }
    ],
    "most_recent_pub78": "3/10/2025 12:00:00 AM",
    "bmf_church_message": null,
    "bmf_organization_name": "ABORJAILY BANNISH FOUNDATION",
    "bmf_ein": "996589560",
    "bmf_status": true,
    "most_recent_bmf": "3/10/2025 12:00:00 AM",
    "bmf_subsection": "03",
    "subsection_description": "501(c)(3) Public Charity",
    "foundation_code": "04",
    "foundation_code_description": null,
    "ruling_month": "07",
    "ruling_year": "2024",
    "group_exemption": "0000",
    "exempt_status_code": "01",
    "ofac_status": "This organization was NOT included in the Office of Foreign Assets Control Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list.",
    "revocation_code": null,
    "revocation_date": null,
    "reinstatement_date": null,
    "irs_bmf_pub78_conflict": false,
    "foundation_509a_status": "N/A",
    "report_date": "6/17/2025 8:27:00 PM",
    "foundation_type_code": "pf",
    "foundation_type_description": "Private non-operating foundation (section 509(a))"
  },
  "took": 8,
  "nonprofit_check_count": 1
}

💡 That means:

The org is real
Tax-exempt
Not on any U.S. watchlists

How Fast and Reliable Is It?

Here’s how the API performed across 2,143 calls:

How Developers Can Use It

Example: Single EIN Lookup in Python

import requests
import json
from datetime import datetime

EIN = "996589560"
API_URL = f"https://entities.pactman.org/api/entities/nonprofitcheck/v1/us/ein/{EIN}"

response = requests.get(API_URL)

if response.status_code == 200:
    raw = response.json()
    data = raw["data"]

    # Deductibility logic
    org_types = data.get("organization_types", [])
    deductibility = {
        "cash": "60% of AGI",
        "non_cash": "30% of AGI",
        "standard": "50% of AGI"
    }
    if org_types:
        first_type = org_types[0]
        if "deductibility_limitation" in first_type:
            deductibility["standard"] = first_type["deductibility_limitation"]

    # Date parsing for ISO format
    def to_iso(date_str):
        try:
            return datetime.strptime(date_str, "%m/%d/%Y %I:%M:%S %p").isoformat() + "Z"
        except Exception:
            return None

    output = {
        "status": raw["code"],
        "message": raw["message"],
        "data": {
            "legal_name": data.get("organization_name"),
            "ein": data.get("ein"),
            "irs_status": data.get("subsection_description"),
            "foundation_type": data.get("foundation_type_description"),
            "deductibility": deductibility,
            "address": {
                "street": data.get("address_line1"),
                "city": data.get("city"),
                "state": data.get("state"),
                "zip": data.get("zip")
            },
            "last_updated": to_iso(data.get("organization_info_last_modified"))
        },
        "took_ms": raw["took"]
    }

    print(json.dumps(output, indent=2))
else:
    print("Error:", response.status_code, response.text)

API Response (Simplified for Developer Use)

{
  "status": 200,
  "message": "OK",
  "data": {
    "legal_name": "ABORJAILY BANNISH FOUNDATION",
    "ein": "996589560",
    "irs_status": "501(c)(3) - Public Charity",
    "foundation_type": "Private non-operating foundation (section 509(a))",
    "deductibility": {
      "cash": "60% of AGI",
      "non_cash": "30% of AGI",
      "standard": "50% of AGI"
    },
    "address": {
      "street": "50 LOWELL AVE",
      "city": "WESTFIELD",
      "state": "MA",
      "zip": "01085-2643"
    },
    "last_updated": "2025-05-02T01:01:39Z"
  },
  "took_ms": 8
}

Key Fields for Developers

Common Use Cases

Donation Platforms – Verify tax-deductible status before processing donations.
Grant Management Systems – Automatically validate nonprofit eligibility.
Financial Software – Check deductibility limits for tax reporting.
Nonprofit Directories – Pull the latest IRS-recognized org data.

⚠️ Best Practice: Keep batches ≤ 50 EINs to avoid timeout delays.

The IRS Delay Problem — And How Pactman Solves It

Even with the best tech, government data updates lag. Here's what to expect:

🔐 But the API helps by exposing this field:

"irs_bmf_pub78_conflict": true

So your system can flag mismatches, giving your team or clients the chance to double-check.

Real Success Story: Automating Grants with DAFs

A top donor-advised fund (DAF) provider integrated Pactman and reported:

They replaced spreadsheet reviews with a smart system that "just worked."

Pricing and Access

You don’t need a credit card to start using the API.

🔐 Secure with API Key
📚 Documentation
💬 Support via email and online

Who Should Use This API?

If you’re building or working with:

Fintechs managing donations
CRMs for nonprofits
Government grant systems
Payment platforms needing charity compliance
Banks and auditors

Then you need this API. It keeps your app compliant, fast, and trustworthy.

Final Thoughts

The Pactman Nonprofit Check Plus API isn’t just a charity lookup tool — it’s an insurance policy for modern financial platforms. With real-time data from the IRS and OFAC, clean JSON, developer-first architecture, and low false positives, it’s a must-have for serious platforms.

Start free today and never doubt your donations again.
🔗 Try the API Now

DEV Community: Developer Talha