GE Foundation

FAQ

Guidelines

I am a GE employee, but I am located outside the United States. Can I still participate?

Yes, all GE employees can participate regardless of location.

Are organizations outside the United States eligible?

Most approved organizations are located in the United States; however, employees may give to their in-country UNICEF or Red Cross/Red Crescent Society and register for matching. The GE Foundation is currently reviewing ways to expand the base, however due to current U.S. laws and tax regulations, in order to make a payment outside the U.S. each organization must first undergo an “equivalency review.” This is a time-consuming and often costly process for non-profits and therefore not effective for a Matching Gifts scheme.

Registering Gifts

Why can’t I locate my organization in the search engine?

It is possible that you are entering too much information into the search engine or that your search is too specific. The most accurate way to search for a particular organization is to enter the organization’s Federal Tax ID number in the search criteria field.

If you do not have this information, you may enter a keyword for the organization’s legal name and the state where the organization is located. If you are using an acronym, try searching on the full name (e.g., “American Red Cross” instead of “ARC”).

If the organization is not in the database, it is most likely not listed on the electronic database of IRS tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organizations, the Higher Education Directory (colleges and universities), or the National Center for Education Statistics (preK-12 schools and school districts). See the Recipient Qualification section below for further information.

GE Single Sign On (SSO) Questions

What is SSO and how do I register for an account?

GE Single Sign On (SSO) is a company-wide security and navigation feature designed to allow users to securely sign on and move between GE web sites.

Note to retirees: The easiest way for retirees to register for an SSO account is to do so from the GE Benefits web site (for employees and retirees only). Once you have established your SSO ID and password, please go to the Matching Gifts page to log in using your newly established GE SSO ID and password.

I have an SSO ID. Why can’t I participate?

Not everyone who has an SSO ID is eligible for the program. Please see participant eligibility criteria under Eligibility.

If you are a new employee, it may be that your information has not yet been added to the eligible population (the update from Oracle HR usually runs twice a month).

If you are a recent retiree, please note that there is a processing lag that may occur after you are no longer an employee but before you are recognized as eligible as a retiree for the Matching Gifts Program (sometimes as much as three months).

Recipient Qualification

How do I know if my favorite organization has 501(c)(3) status?

The Internal Revenue Service has an electronic database of eligible 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations, called the Electronic Master Business File, which is updated each calendar quarter. The GE Foundation Matching Gifts Program uses this IRS electronic database. You may also contact the organization directly to confirm.

Can I donate to my church, high school, etc.?

Please refer to the eligibility guidelines for eligibility criteria.

We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in receipt of a GE employee’s donation. Why can’t the GE employee find our organization in the system?

The organization should provide its Federal Tax ID number to the GE employee or retiree so that he or she may enter it into the search engine and search for the organization.

If the organization still does not appear in our database, the organization may not currently be listed on the IRS electronic database. The organization may call the IRS Call Center at (877) 829-5500 and request that it be added to and included on the next update of the electronic database.

I have been a donor to the same non-profit for years and now I am getting a message that the organization is not a verifiable tax-exempt 501(c)(3). How is that possible?

Occasionally, an organization may temporarily lose its 501(c)(3) eligibility due to a penalty, an oversight or an error on the IRS electronic database. The non-profit should contact the IRS Call Center to inquire and resolve the situation.

Federal Tax ID Verification

For Non-Profit Organizations Using a Parent Tax ID

If the organization is using the Federal Tax ID of a parent organization, it will need to provide a letter from the parent organization (on letterhead) that gives permission for that organization to use the parent organization’s Tax ID for the GE Foundation Matching Gifts Program. This letter will need to include the name, address and Federal Tax ID of the parent organization and the name and address of the organization authorized to use the number.

For Public School Districts

A public or private school or school district can provide its district NCES ID number rather than a Federal Tax ID for verification purposes.

For All Other Non-Profit Organizations

If the Federal Tax ID is unable to be verified electronically, the organization should contact the IRS Call Center at (877) 829-5500 to get a clarification of its tax status. If it does have 501(c)(3) status, but is not listed on the Master Business File (usually for financial reasons), it will need to obtain a letter from the IRS stating the status of the organization.

Customer support

For Matching Gifts customer support, call (800) 305-0669 or e-mail gesupport@cybergrants.com.