Public charity
A 501(c)(3) organisation that draws support from the general public or from many sources, rather than from one donor. It is the default classification a new charity seeks, and it carries lighter rules than a private foundation.
Part of the GrantTrove grant funding glossary — one entry for every field the catalogue stores.
Also called 509(a) organisation
In detail
The classification is tested against a support calculation over several years. An organisation whose funding narrows to one large donor can lose it, which is a real strategic constraint on accepting a single transformative gift.
Public charities can be grantmakers as well as grant seekers — community foundations are the obvious case — so the classification does not tell you which side of the table an organisation sits on.
Against a private foundation
Support base, not size. A public charity has many sources; a private foundation has one. It decides which return is filed, and our `data_source` on a funder record names the document a figure came from because a 990 and a 990-PF publish different things.
How GrantTrove stores it
- `type` on a funder record records the kind of grantmaker, from the filing rather than from the name.
- Every financial figure carries `data_year` and `fiscal_year`, so a number is never shown without the year it describes.
Common questions
Can a public charity make grants?
Yes. Community foundations do it as their main activity.
Can the classification be lost?
Yes, if the support base narrows enough over the test period.
Which is better for eligibility?
It depends on the notice. Both appear in eligibility lists.