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FAQs: Affiliation and Location Types

1. What are affiliation types?
2. What are parent organizations?
3. What are subordinate organizations?
4. What are independent organizations?
5. What are national headquarters locations?
6. Are parent organizations and national headquarters the same thing?
7. How can I find parent organizations?
8. How can I find subordinate organizations?
9. How can I find independent organizations?
10. How can I find national headquarters locations?

1. What are affiliation types?

   Affiliation types refer to the relationship of one organization to others or, in the case of independent organizations, the lack of a relationship to other organizations.

2. What are parent organizations?

   Parent organizations are considered the governing and organizing body for any number of subordinate organizations within a group exemption. Parent organization status is determined by the affiliation code assigned by the IRS.

3. What are subordinate organizations?

   Subordinate organizations fall under the control of a parent organizations (in some rare cases, multiple parent organizations) within a group exemption. Subordinate organization status is determined by the affiliation code assigned by the IRS.

4. What are independent organizations?

   Independent organizations are, as the term implies, completely independent and autonomous organizations. As such, they do not fall under a group exemption. Independent organization status is determined by the affiliation code assigned by the IRS.

5. What are national headquarters locations?

   The designation of national headquarters is assigned by subject matter experts within GuideStar and is generally based on being listed by the IRS as the parent in a group of organizations whose operations are national in scope. This designation, however, may also be used for the sake of convenience when an organization name search would return many false positives. For example, a search for "Trustees of Princeton University" returns more than 150 organizations, most of which are in fact alumni or class groups, but only one of them is the organization recognized by the IRS as Princeton University.

6. Are parent organizations and national headquarters the same thing?

   No. Not all parent organizations are considered national headquarters, because some represent regional subgroups. And not all national headquarters organizations are considered parents, because many are not associated with subordinate organizations.

7. How can I find parent organizations?

   To find parent organizations, go to the advanced nonprofit search page, enter your criteria, and check "Parent Organizations" as the affiliation type in the Organization Details section.
   
   You can also find a parent organization by clicking the "View Parent Organizations" link associated with subordinate organizations on the search results page (located under the address information), or the "View Parent Organizations" button located at the top of a subordinate organization's report page.

8. How can I find subordinate organizations?

   To find subordinate organizations, go to the advanced nonprofit search page, enter your criteria, and check "Subordinate Organizations" as the affiliation type in the Organization Details section.
   
   You can also find subordinate organizations by clicking the "View Subordinate Organizations" link associated with parent organizations on search results page (located under the address information), or the "View Subordinate Organizations" button located at the top of a parent organization's report page.

9. How can I find independent organizations?

   To find independent organizations, go to the advanced nonprofit search page, enter your criteria, and check "Independent Organizations" as the affiliation type in the Organization Details section.

10. How can I find national headquarters locations?

    To find national headquarters locations, go to the advanced nonprofit search page, enter your criteria, and check "National Headquarters" as the location type in the Organization Details section.