Using the Philanthropy Classification System in our data

One of the most valuable ways to identify and segment organizations or grants in our data is to use the Philanthropy Classification System (PCS), which is Candid’s taxonomy describing the work of grantmakers, recipient organizations, and the philanthropic transactions between those entities.

Candid’s classification system is based on the National Taxonomy of Exempt Entities (NTEE) and has been expanded over the last three decades to include the emerging work we have seen while capturing and indexing the work of the sector on a global scale.

We enrich the data we aggregate using machine learning algorithms to better understand the social sector. The facets of the PCS illuminate the work and answer the following questions about philanthropy:

Who? = Population Served
What? = Subject and Organization Type
How? = Support Strategy and Transaction Type

PCS Taxonomy Website

You can access the PCS Taxonomy website by visiting taxonomy.candid.org, which includes additional PCS resources, downloads, and more.

Datasets that include PCS

Using PCS in our datasets

The PCS in our datasets include the PCS code as well as a description of what the code represents. Codes are alphanumeric, with the letters representing the facet and category of the code, and the numbers representing the code's level within the taxonomy.

The complete PCS taxonomy can be downloaded here.

PCS examples

Below are examples of PCS subject and population terms which will be included in datasets.

PCS Facet	PCS Term	PCS Code	PCS Description
Subject	Climate change	`SC020000` or `SC02`	Activities concerned with increased levels of greenhouse gases (including carbon dioxide) in the atmosphere and the resulting changes to the earth's climate, including a trend toward higher average global temperatures.
Population	Adults	`PA020000` or `PA02`	People 19 years of age and older.