Tools
SeaChange has developed several internal software tools that others with similar needs may find useful. Click the hyperlinked titles to launch.
NYC Contract Explorer
NYC Contract Explorer was created to make information about New York City’s procurement of services from nonprofits more easily accessible to nonprofits, funders, policy makers, journalists, and others interested in the sector. It makes available in real time information that SeaChange used to create on a time-consuming, ad-hoc basis. The project was made possible by the financial support from the Robin Hood Foundation and software development by Toboggan Labs. The underlying data in NYC Contract Explorer comes from PASSPort Public. The data have been ingested daily (PASSPort) and weekly (Checkbook NYC) since May 2025. More information about the contracting process is available through the NYC Comptroller’s Contract Primer. Additional information can be found in SeaChange reports and articles, including Will NYC’s Procurement Process Ever Be Functional and NYC Contract Delays: The Facts. SeaChange makes no guarantees about the accuracy of the underlying data nor our analysis. No high-stakes decisions should be based on NYC Contract Explorer.
Financial Summary from Form 990
Financial Summary from Form 990 searches for a nonprofit and then presents information from its Form 990 regarding its financial results and governance. The app allows the user to select and download any Form 990 information for use in Excel etc. The IRS data is linked with geographic (country, zip code, MSA/ CBSA) and sector (based on NTEE code). The Form 990 information is ingested periodically from the IRS Tax Exempt Masterfile into a PostgreSQL data warehouse, augmented by any more recent filings available though XML.
Cohort Analysis from Form 990
Cohort Analysis from Form 990 allows the user to define, upload, and save a set of nonprofits as a cohort. It displays financial information about each organization in the cohort and about the cohort as a whole from the Form 990.
Merger Analysis from Form 990
A variation of the Cohort Analysis, the app allows the user to select up to four nonprofits and model how they would look if combined. We use this in managing our merger and sustained collaboration funds.
EIN Finder / Guesser
EIN Finder / Guesser finds EIN numbers for a list of nonprofits based on names and any available address information. The EINS can then be used to connect the set to Form 990 information. We developed the tool to “cross-walk” nonprofits with New York City to their Form 990s. It could be used for a foundation with its grantees or a membership organization for its members.
Institutional Summary from Form 990 and IPEDs
Allows the user to select an institution of higher education and summarize relevant information from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System and – for nonprofit institutions – the IRS Form 990. SeaChange uses the tool in its role as manager of the Transformational Partnerships Fund.
All of these applications were developed in Hex connected to data warehouse maintained in Supabase built from public information. Questions or comments should be sent to info@seachangecap.org with “Tools:” in the subject line.
