Query Nonprofit Data from Claude Code with MCP
CharityAPI now supports the Model Context Protocol, letting you query nonprofit data directly from your AI coding assistant.
We’re excited to announce that CharityAPI.org now supports the Model Context Protocol (MCP), giving developers instant access to nonprofit data directly from Claude Code without leaving their terminal.
What is MCP?
The Model Context Protocol is an open standard that lets AI assistants like Claude Code connect to external data sources and tools. Instead of copy-pasting API responses or switching between your editor and a browser, you can ask Claude to query CharityAPI on your behalf.
Getting Started
Setup takes one command. From your terminal, run:
claude mcp add --transport http charityapi https://api.charityapi.org/mcpClaude Code will open your browser to authorize access to your CharityAPI account. Click “Authorize” — this is a one-time step, and tokens refresh automatically after that. Restart Claude Code and you’re ready to go.
You can also find these instructions and more at api.charityapi.org/users/mcp after logging in.
What You Can Do
With 10 tools available, you can query CharityAPI conversationally:
Search and lookup organizations:
- “Search for animal welfare charities in California”
- “Look up EIN 13-1837418”
- “Autocomplete organizations starting with ‘Red Cross’”
Check charity status:
- “Is EIN 13-1837418 a public charity?”
- “Show me organizations added in the last 30 days”
Work with NTEE codes:
- “What does NTEE code A01 mean?”
- “List all NTEE codes”
Monitor your usage:
- “How many API requests have I made?”
- “What’s the status of the latest data import?”
How Authentication Works
CharityAPI’s MCP integration uses OAuth 2.0 with PKCE — the same standard used by GitHub, Google, and other platforms. No API keys are stored in config files. Claude Code handles the full authorization flow, and you can revoke access from your account settings at any time.
Use Cases
If you’re building an application that integrates with CharityAPI, MCP makes the development loop faster. You can ask Claude to look up test data, verify API responses, and check NTEE codes without leaving your editor.
It’s also useful for data exploration. If you’re evaluating CharityAPI for a new project, you can query the database conversationally before writing any integration code.
Get Started
Log in at api.charityapi.org/users/mcp for the full setup guide, or run the install command above to get started immediately.