Candid MCP Server

The Candid MCP connector brings Candid's nonprofit and funder data directly into Claude. Candid is the organization formed by the 2019 merger of GuideStar and Foundation Center, and it operates the largest source of information on U.S. nonprofits and grantmakers. The connector lets Claude search millions of organizations, surface funders and grants in specific issue areas or geographies, and pull from Candid's expert knowledge base (research reports, training materials, blog posts, and curated news) all through natural language.

This is a provider-hosted remote MCP server. There is no GitHub repository to clone and no server to self-host. Users add the Candid connector from Claude's Connectors Directory and sign in with their Candid account credentials. Basic search and knowledge base access is free for any registered Candid user. Holders of paid Candid subscriptions (such as Foundation Directory) can click through to advanced fields like grant histories, in-depth financials, affiliated people, and openness to applications.

The connector is notable for being one of the first authoritative data sources for the U.S. social sector exposed via MCP. It uses hybrid keyword and semantic search, automatically links organization mentions to canonical Candid profiles, and can map free-text descriptions to the Philanthropy Classification System taxonomy.

Tools

Prerequisites

• A Claude account (the connector is intended for Claude.ai, including Pro, Teams, and Enterprise plans)
• A free or paid Candid account. Register at app.candid.org/registration if you don't have one. Some advanced fields require a paid Candid subscription such as Foundation Directory.

Install for an individual user

• Open Claude and go to Settings > Connectors
• Click Browse connectors and find Candid
• Click Connect
• Sign in with your Candid credentials when prompted (OAuth-style flow)

Install for a team (Teams / Enterprise admins)

• Go to Admin settings > Connectors
• Find Candid and click Add to your team
• Team members can then enable it from their own Connectors page and sign in with their Candid credentials

Notes

• This is a provider-hosted remote MCP server. There is no config JSON to paste, no API key to manage, and no package to install.
• The first time Claude invokes each Candid tool, it will ask for permission. Choose Always Allow to avoid repeated prompts.
• Sessions expire periodically for security; you will be asked to re-authenticate with Candid when that happens.
• Source: Getting started with the Candid MCP connector

• Prospect research for fundraisers: Identify foundations giving in a specific issue area and geography, then drill into grant histories with a Foundation Directory subscription.
• Grant discovery for nonprofits: Ask Claude to surface funders that have supported organizations similar to yours, with relevant program areas.
• Sector landscape analysis: Map out which nonprofits work on a topic (e.g. food access in Seattle) and filter by transparency seal or leadership demographics.
• Policy and research briefings: Pull from Candid's IssueLab research library, Candid Insights, and curated news for citations on philanthropy trends.
• Taxonomy and coding help: Convert free-text program descriptions into Philanthropy Classification System codes for grant applications and reporting.

• "Find homeless shelters in NYC that have programs for women and hold a Candid transparency seal."
• "What are the latest trends in climate philanthropy? Cite Candid research."
• "List foundations in California that have funded early childhood literacy in the last five years."
• "Map this program description to Philanthropy Classification System codes: 'mobile clinics providing prenatal care in rural counties'."
• "Compare two nonprofits working on food access in Seattle and link to their Candid profiles."

• Official, maintained by Candid, with data sourced from IRS filings, foundation reporting, and Candid's editorial team.
• Free tier available: basic organization search and knowledge base access work with any Candid account at no cost.
• Combines structured nonprofit/funder data with a curated knowledge base of research and training content.
• Hybrid keyword + semantic search plus automatic linking of organization mentions to canonical Candid profiles.

• U.S.-focused: coverage is strongest for U.S. nonprofits and foundations registered with the IRS.
• Advanced data (grant histories, deep financials, affiliated people, application openness) requires a paid Candid subscription.
• Provider-hosted only: no self-hosting, no public source code, and the exact MCP endpoint is not published, so it works primarily inside Claude's Connectors Directory rather than arbitrary MCP clients.

• ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer (no official MCP server, but its API is commonly wrapped by community MCP servers for Form 990 data).
• Benevity nonprofit MCP server for organizations using Benevity's corporate giving platform.
• Community-built charity MCP servers such as briancasteel/charity-mcp-server for open-source nonprofit lookups.