Candid (formerly GuideStar) is where donors and grantmakers check whether a charity is transparent. A Candid profile is free. The 501(c)(3) application requires your profile at the Gold Seal of Transparency or higher, and two links to it.
Seals of Transparency
Candid awards Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum seals as you complete more of your profile. Gold is FFC’s minimum for 501(c)(3) charities. It asks for your basic organization details, mission, programs, leadership and key financial information: things a healthy charity already has, and the same work makes you more fundable everywhere else. Platinum is welcome but not required. Candid’s seals guide (PDF) (opens in a new tab) lists exactly what each seal needs.
Claim your profile
- Create a free account at candid.org (opens in a new tab).
- Find your organization by its EIN. Candid builds a starter profile for every IRS-recognized 501(c)(3).
- Ask to be linked to it. Candid checks that you are authorized to update the profile, which can take a few business days, so start early.
- Fill in each section the Gold seal needs, then submit your updates. The seal appears once Candid processes them.
The two links the application asks for
- Public profile link: your profile’s permanent address on
app.candid.org, the one anyone finds by searching Candid. - Full-profile (sharable) link: from Benefits › Get your sharable link. It ends in
?pkId=followed by a code that unlocks your full profile for anyone who clicks, without a Candid login. That is how we check your seal-level details. Copy the whole address, including everything after the question mark.
Our GuideStar (Candid) profile guide shows real examples of both links and walks through each profile section.
Not IRS-recognized yet?
Candid builds profiles from IRS 501(c)(3) records, so new groups usually can’t have one yet. That is one reason the Pre-501(c)(3) application exists; there, Candid is optional (see its Candid section).