# 501c3.HELP

> 501c3.HELP helps people in the United States form and run 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations. Services cover the full lifecycle: mission and program design, legal formation and IRS filing support, post-formation infrastructure, fundraising and grant readiness, and ongoing operational and compliance support.

501c3.HELP is operated by IT HUB Service Inc., based in Sacramento, California. The company works with nonprofit founders across the United States, including founders who also run a for-profit business alongside their nonprofit.

## Compliance data, and how to use it

Every compliance requirement on this site is stored as a discrete fact carried with its own citation to an official government source, a verification status, and the date it was last checked. A fact marked `review_required` is an open question rather than a settled rule, and it is labeled as one on the page. A fact marked `source_verified` is mapped to a source cited in the record itself.

Two rules apply to anything taken from this site, whether through the pages or the API. Keep the verification status attached to the claim, because presenting an unsettled requirement as settled is the one use of this data that can cause real harm. And keep the citation with the claim, so a reader can check it against the agency that issued it. The full terms are at [Data License](https://501c3.help/license/). Use is free and there is no application.

- [MCP server](https://mcp.501c3.help/): About 5,700 state compliance records served to AI agents over the Model Context Protocol, with three tools: requirements for one state, one topic compared across states, and filing deadlines for one state. Open without registration at 50 calls a day. Every response carries the source, the verification status and a link to the page the fact appears on. Discovery card at [/.well-known/mcp.json](https://501c3.help/.well-known/mcp.json).

## Free reference material

- [State compliance guides](https://501c3.help/states/): Free reference pages for all fifty states covering what it takes to form and keep a 501(c)(3) in good standing in that state: incorporation and registered or statutory agent duties, charitable solicitation registration, annual reports, state income and sales tax exemption, employer obligations, and the recurring filing calendar.

- [The Operator](https://501c3.help/knowledge/theoperator/): A free course of 61 lessons teaching nonprofit founders how to run their organization after IRS determination, not how to form one. Covers governance and bylaws, bookkeeping and financial reporting, tax status health (public support test, UBIT, reasonable compensation), grant research and writing, donor relationships, marketing, HR and insurance, keeping a nonprofit and a for-profit business separate and compliant, and annual organizational management. Organized into 4 levels and 16 modules, each lesson is a standalone, freely readable page.

- [Compliance updates](https://501c3.help/updates/): 104 free articles explaining state nonprofit compliance requirements and what changes when a rule, fee, or deadline moves, written for organizations that are already operating. Each cites the official sources behind it. [RSS feed](https://501c3.help/updates/feed.xml). The verification method behind both these articles and the state guides is documented at [How we verify state nonprofit compliance](https://501c3.help/updates/how-we-verify-state-nonprofit-compliance/).

- [Donation rules for donors](https://501c3.help/donor/): What a gift to a 501(c)(3) is worth to the person making it, by state and at the federal level: deduction rules, noncash gifts, and the documents a donor needs to keep.

## The Nonprofit Herald

- [The Nonprofit Herald](https://501c3.help/herald/): A news publication covering American nonprofits: grant programs opening and closing, state and local policy affecting the sector, and the work of individual organizations. Stories name the organizations involved and link to their own sources. [RSS feed](https://501c3.help/herald/feed.xml). Organizations can send their own news through the [submission form](https://501c3.help/herald/submit/).

## Services

- [501c3.HELP](https://501c3.help/): Nonprofit formation and post-formation support services. Covers mission and program design, IRS Form 1023-EZ filing support, post-formation infrastructure setup, fundraising and grant readiness, and ongoing compliance and operational support.

- [For consultants](https://501c3.help/consultants/): How independent consultants and bookkeepers work with 501c3.HELP on their own clients.

- [Certified nonprofit managers](https://501c3.help/certification/): A certification program for people who manage nonprofit operations.

## Contact

- Website: https://501c3.help/
- Company: IT HUB Service Inc., Sacramento, CA, United States
- Data, API access and corrections: team@501c3.help