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Candid MCP server for AI agents.

actionlake is an MCP gateway: one remote MCP server that connects Claude and other MCP clients to Candid and the rest of your systems. It gives your agent 25 Candid actions (25 reads and 0 writes) and holds the Candid credential itself, so the agent never does. It paces Candid's limits and records every call.

Connect Candid freeSee pricing

100,000 free calls a month. No card, no email, no password: press Start a free sandbox on the next screen and keep the key it shows you.

claude mcp add --transport http actionlake https://connect.actionlake.com/mcp
the first call
do {  action: "candid.essentials_lookups.list",  intent: "check which Candid account is connected"}# List Essentials lookup filter tables · read · 1 upstream call
  • 25actionsin one signed file
  • 25readlook, never change
  • 0writecreate and update
  • 0wait for a yesdestructive, confirmed first

Set up

Connect Candid in three steps.

  1. 01

    Add actionlake to Claude.

    Run the command once in Claude Code; its consent page can create a free sandbox: 100,000 calls a month, no card. In the Claude app, add a custom connector with the URL below and paste your key on the consent page. Creating a new sandbox from the Claude app is not yet tested by us.

    https://connect.actionlake.com/mcp
  2. 02

    Connect Candid.

    API key. No consent screen: your agent can connect it for you, but the key then passes through your chat. To keep it out of the model's context, paste it in the console instead. actionlake stores what you paste write-only, sealed under your tenant's key.

    • subscription_keyCandid subscription key: sign in at https://dashboard.candid.org, open your profile and copy the primary key of the…
    account { op: "connections.requirements", service: "candid" }
# free: exactly what to paste, and what is found for you
  3. 03

    Make the first call. Check before a write.

    Ask in plain words; Claude picks the action. Before anything changes, check validates the call and prices it, for free.

    do    { action: "candid.essentials_lookups.list" }# list essentials lookup filter tables · read · 1 upstream call

Candid at a glance

Sign-in
API key. No consent screen: your agent can connect it for you, but the key then passes through your chat. To keep it out of the model's context, paste it in the console instead.
You provide
subscription_key
Limits we pace to
480 calls a minute, per connection
API covered
Candid (GuideStar + Foundation Directory: nonprofit search, Premier profiles, Charity Check, demographics, grants, funding opportunities, news, PCS taxonomy) API Candid APIs (per-product OpenAPI 3.0 documents, fetched 2026-10-23)api.candid.org
Built from
Candid's documentation, read 23 October 2026developer.candid.orgdeveloper.candid.orgdeveloper.candid.org
Service file
Version 1.0.0, signed (Ed25519)
Cached reads
19 of 25 reads, for up to an hour; a write clears what it affects
Shared entities
1, so ask can line Candid up with your other systems
Data
Processed and stored in Sydney, Australia. No US region yet

Capabilities

What an AI agent can do in Candid.

25 actions in 10 areas. Every one carries its effect, so a key can allow the reads and hold the rest.

  • 25readlook, never change
  • 0writecreate and update
  • 0destructivewait for a confirmation

  1. Essentials

    4

    4 read · 0 write · 0 destructive

    Search nonprofits (Essentials v4) · Search nonprofits (Essentials v3) · Search nonprofits (Essentials v1) · Search nonprofits (Essentials v2)

  2. Grants

    4

    4 read · 0 write · 0 destructive

    Search funders' grant activity · Search recipients' grant activity · Search grant transactions · Summarise grants matching criteria

  3. Premier

    4

    4 read · 0 write · 0 destructive

    Get a nonprofit's Premier profile (v3) · Get a nonprofit's Premier profile (v4) · Get a nonprofit's Premier profile (v1, deprecated) · Get a nonprofit's Premier profile (v2, deprecated)

  4. Charity check

    3

    3 read · 0 write · 0 destructive

    Run Charity Check on up to 25 nonprofits · Run a Charity Check on a nonprofit · Run a state-level Charity Check (California)

  5. Essentials lookups

    3

    3 read · 0 write · 0 destructive

    List Essentials lookup filter tables · List the values of an Essentials lookup filter · Look up one Essentials filter value

  6. RFP

    3

    3 read · 0 write · 0 destructive

    List funding opportunities matching a nonprofit's profile · Search funding opportunities (RFPs) · Get a funding opportunity (RFP)

  7. Demographics

    1

    1 read · 0 write · 0 destructive

    Get a nonprofit's demographics

  8. Eligibility

    1

    1 read · 0 write · 0 destructive

    Check nonprofits' eligibility for a provider

2 more areas · 2 actions
  • News 1
  • Taxonomy 1

Top actions

The Candid API, shaped for agents.

The ids your agent types, what each does, and the one name it shares with other systems.

ActionWhat it doesEffectSame name in
candid.essentials.search_v4Search nonprofits (Essentials v4)Search nonprofits (Essentials v4).readthis connector
candid.rfp.searchSearch funding opportunities (RFPs)Search funding opportunities (RFPs).readthis connector
candid.news.searchSearch nonprofit and philanthropy newsSearch nonprofit and philanthropy news.readthis connector
candid.taxonomy.queryQuery the PCS taxonomy (GraphQL)Query the PCS taxonomy (GraphQL).readthis connector
candid.eligibility.checkCheck nonprofits' eligibility for a providerCheck nonprofits' eligibility for a provider.readthis connector
candid.charity_check.bulkRun Charity Check on up to 25 nonprofitsRun Charity Check on up to 25 nonprofits.readthis connector
candid.essentials.search_v3Search nonprofits (Essentials v3)Search nonprofits (Essentials v3).readthis connector
candid.rfp.list_for_profileList funding opportunities matching a nonprofit's profileList funding opportunities matching a nonprofit's profile.readthis connector
candid.grants.search_fundersSearch funders' grant activitySearch funders' grant activity.readthis connector
candid.essentials_lookups.listList Essentials lookup filter tablesList Essentials lookup filter tables.readthis connector
candid.grants.search_recipientsSearch recipients' grant activitySearch recipients' grant activity.readthis connector
candid.essentials_lookups.list_valuesList the values of an Essentials lookup filterList the values of an Essentials lookup filter.readthis connector

Try it

Prompts to paste into Claude.

Each one names the Candid actions it will call, so you know what it reads and what it changes before you send it.

  1. Readread

    List the companies in Candid and flag likely duplicates by name or domain.

    callscandid.essentials.search_v4

  2. Across systemsread

    Which Candid companies have invoices in ConnectWise PSA, and how many each?

    callscandid.essentials.search_v4connectwise_manage.invoices.list

Across your systems

Candid, joined to the rest of your business.

One ask fetches from Candid and another system, joins the rows on the same customer on our side, and hands your agent the answer, not every row.

  • Which Candid companies have invoices in ConnectWise PSA, and how many each?

    candid.essentials.search_v4 + connectwise_manage.invoices.list, on crm.company · ConnectWise PSA

  • Which Candid companies have invoices in NetSuite, and how many each?

    candid.essentials.search_v4 + netsuite.views.invoices, on crm.company · NetSuite

Also mapped by other connectorscrm.company 227
ask
ask {  intent: "which Candid companies have invoices in ConnectWise PSA, and how many each",  steps: [    { action: "candid.essentials.search_v4", as: "co", input: {}, limit: 100, max_pages: 5 },    { action: "connectwise_manage.invoices.list", as: "inv", input: {}, limit: 100, max_pages: 5 },    { join: {        left: "co",        right: "inv",        on: "crm.company",        group_by: "co.name",        select: ["co.name", "count(inv.id) as invoices"]    } }  ]}
Example. Run it through check first: it validates the steps and prices them, and it is free.

Governance for Candid

Every write can wait for a yes.

None of Candid's actions is destructive. A key can still be held to reads, capped, and set so a person confirms every write.

A destructive action runs only with confirm: true. Under the human policy the agent cannot confirm for itself: the run stops until a named person approves, in the console or from a signed link in an email. The cap on a key is refused before the call is sent, never after.

a key for this connector
account {  op: "keys.create", name: "candid-agent",  allowed_actions: ["candid.*"], cap_calls: 2000,  confirm_policy: "human_for_writes"}
Illustrative. Scoped to Candid only, capped at 2,000 upstream calls, every write confirmed.

Cost

What Candid costs on actionlake.

Every Candid action is one upstream call, the only thing actionlake bills. Searching, check, cost, account and any call Candid refused with 401, 403, 429 or a 5xx are free. Paid plans start at US$49 a month for 250,000 calls, with overage from US$0.30 down to US$0.18 per 1,000.

  • 1upstream call per actionall 25 Candid actions
  • 25actions pageeach page of a long list is one call
  • 19reads can be cacheda cache hit costs nothing
  • 100,000calls a month, freepaid plans from US$49 a month for 250,000

See pricing

Action index

Every Candid action.

25 actions by area: the id your agent calls, what it does, and its effect.

Essentials4
  • candid.essentials.search_v1Search nonprofits (Essentials v1)read
  • candid.essentials.search_v2Search nonprofits (Essentials v2)read
  • candid.essentials.search_v3Search nonprofits (Essentials v3)read
  • candid.essentials.search_v4Search nonprofits (Essentials v4)read
Grants4
  • candid.grants.search_fundersSearch funders' grant activityread
  • candid.grants.search_recipientsSearch recipients' grant activityread
  • candid.grants.search_transactionsSearch grant transactionsread
  • candid.grants.summarySummarise grants matching criteriaread
Premier4
  • candid.premier.get_v1Get a nonprofit's Premier profile (v1, deprecated)read
  • candid.premier.get_v2Get a nonprofit's Premier profile (v2, deprecated)read
  • candid.premier.get_v3Get a nonprofit's Premier profile (v3)read
  • candid.premier.get_v4Get a nonprofit's Premier profile (v4)read
Charity check3
  • candid.charity_check.bulkRun Charity Check on up to 25 nonprofitsread
  • candid.charity_check.getRun a Charity Check on a nonprofitread
  • candid.charity_check.get_stateRun a state-level Charity Check (California)read
Essentials lookups3
  • candid.essentials_lookups.get_valueLook up one Essentials filter valueread
  • candid.essentials_lookups.listList Essentials lookup filter tablesread
  • candid.essentials_lookups.list_valuesList the values of an Essentials lookup filterread
RFP3
  • candid.rfp.get_opportunityGet a funding opportunity (RFP)read
  • candid.rfp.list_for_profileList funding opportunities matching a nonprofit's profileread
  • candid.rfp.searchSearch funding opportunities (RFPs)read
Demographics1
  • candid.demographics.getGet a nonprofit's demographicsread
Eligibility1
  • candid.eligibility.checkCheck nonprofits' eligibility for a providerread
News1
  • candid.news.searchSearch nonprofit and philanthropy newsread
Taxonomy1
  • candid.taxonomy.queryQuery the PCS taxonomy (GraphQL)read

Questions

The Candid MCP server, answered.

Is there a Candid MCP server for Claude?

Yes. actionlake is an MCP gateway: a remote MCP server that gives Claude, or another MCP client, 25 Candid actions across essentials, grants, premier and charity check, through the same eight tools it uses for every other connector. actionlake is independent; it is not made or endorsed by Candid.

What do I need to connect Candid?

Candid subscription key: sign in at https://dashboard.candid.org, open your profile and copy the primary key of the…. The free call account { op: "connections.requirements", service: "candid" } lists exactly what to paste.

Will an AI agent use up my Candid API limit?

actionlake paces every call to the limits in the Candid service file: 480 calls a minute per connection. Repeated reads are answered from cache (19 Candid actions can be), which never reaches Candid.

What does a Candid action cost?

One upstream call, the only unit actionlake bills. A list that pages bills one call per page (25 Candid actions page). Cache hits, searches, dry runs and calls Candid refused with 401, 403, 429 or a 5xx are free. The Free plan includes 100,000 calls a month with no card. Paid plans start at US$49 a month for 250,000 calls, with overage from US$0.30 down to US$0.18 per 1,000.

Which Candid API does it cover?

The Candid (GuideStar + Foundation Directory: nonprofit search, Premier profiles, Charity Check, demographics, grants, funding opportunities, news, PCS taxonomy) API Candid APIs (per-product OpenAPI 3.0 documents, fetched 2026-10-23) at api.candid.org. It is built from Candid's documentation as read on 23 October 2026. 25 actions in 10 areas, each one in the signed service file (version 1.0.0).

Can I combine Candid with my other systems?

Yes. ask joins Candid to ConnectWise PSA or NetSuite on the same customer and returns the answer rather than every row. Candid maps crm.company, which 227 other connectors also map.

Does actionlake keep my Candid data, and where?

actionlake processes and stores data in Sydney, Australia; there is no US region yet. Reads may be cached for up to an hour, and a write clears the reads it affects. Each run's request and response is kept, sealed, for your plan's trace window: 1 day on Free, 3 days on Starter, 7 days on Pro, 14 days on Team, 30 days on Business and 30 days on Enterprise. Your Candid credential is sealed under your tenant's key, never logged and never returned. Your traffic is not used to train models.

Which AI clients can use it?

Claude Code, tested by us end to end, and the Claude app as a custom connector, tested by us with an existing key. Other MCP clients that support remote servers over Streamable HTTP (MCP revisions 2025-06-18 and 2025-11-25) and OAuth dynamic client registration, or a bearer header, should connect the same way; we have not tested them. Or plain REST, under the same action names.

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actionlake is independent. It is not made or endorsed by Candid; the name is the vendor's own. Counts are from the Candid service file, version 1.0.0.

Give your agent Candid today.

Connect Candid freeSee pricing

Start free - 100,000 calls/month, no card. No signup. Hard caps on every key. Cached answers are free.