How to Check Whether a Nonprofit Name Matches an OFAC Sanctions Record

Direct answer

The current Pactman response gives you ofac_status, which is the organization-level OFAC screening result.

The supplied 43-field schema does not expose a separate matched OFAC name, matched alias, similarity score or candidate list. That means your application can consume the returned OFAC status, but it cannot independently inspect the underlying name-match details from the supplied response.

Recommended verification flow

Normalize the EIN.
Call the Nonprofit Check Plus API.
Confirm ein and organization_name.
Read ofac_status.
Preserve the returned OFAC text.
Apply your organization's OFAC policy.
Do not invent matched-name fields.
Do not infer a similarity score that is not returned.
Keep IRS-status fields separate.
Route any concerning OFAC status according to your review process.

Example request(s)

curl --request GET \
  --url https://entities.pactman.org/api/entities/nonprofitcheck/v1/us/ein/YOUR_EIN \
  --header 'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY'

Implementation note: The endpoint name above reflects the Pactman single-EIN Nonprofit Check endpoint used in Pactman's Production/Customer Environment.

curl --request POST \
  --url https://entities.pactman.org/api/entities/nonprofitcheckbulk/v1/us/eins \
  --header 'accept: application/json' \
  --header 'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY' \
  --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --data '[
    "YOUR_EIN_1",
    "YOUR_EIN_2",
    "YOUR_EIN_3",
    "YOUR_EIN_4",
    "YOUR_EIN_5"
  ]'

Implementation note: The endpoint name above reflects the Pactman bulk-EIN Nonprofit Check endpoint used in Pactman's Production/Customer Environment. You can have at most 50 EINs in a bulk-EIN Nonprofit Check endpoint request.

What your application should evaluate

Signal	Why it matters	Typical application decision
`ofac_status`	Supplies the current organization-level sanctions result.	Use as the OFAC decision input.
`organization_name`	Identifies the nonprofit being checked.	Bind the OFAC result to the intended organization.
`organization_name_aka`	Supplies an alternate organization name when available.	Use for organization identity, not as an exposed OFAC matched alias.
Current schema limits	No matched-name, candidate-list or similarity-score fields are exposed.	Avoid claiming match-detail evidence the response does not contain.
IRS signals	BMF, Pub. 78 and revocation fields answer different questions.	Keep them separate from sanctions screening.

Example decision logic

A current-schema implementation might:

confirm the nonprofit identity;
read ofac_status;
continue or review based on the returned organization-level status;
preserve organization names for identity;
avoid generating a synthetic OFAC match score; and
escalate outside the current response if your process requires underlying match evidence.

The supplied examples return a clear not-included OFAC message and do not expose name-match details.

Important: A title about "name matching" does not justify inventing underlying OFAC match fields that are absent from the current API.

Why use a consolidated nonprofit verification API?

The organization-level OFAC result can be evaluated beside IRS verification signals in one response.

One normalized response

Receive the returned organization identity and OFAC status together.

Separate source signals

Keep sanctions and IRS status independent.

Reusable compliance rules

Apply consistent handling for clear versus review-required OFAC results.

Developer-friendly automation

Use the exposed result directly while reserving deeper match investigation for workflows that require it.

Frequently asked questions

Does the current response expose the matched OFAC name?

No. The supplied current schema does not contain a matched-name field.

Does it expose a similarity score?

No. No similarity-score field is present in the supplied response.

Which field should my application use today?

Use ofac_status.

Can I use `organization_name_aka` as the matched OFAC alias?

No. It is an alternate nonprofit name, not a documented OFAC match-detail field.

Next step

Use ofac_status for the current organization-level OFAC decision and do not invent name-match details the response does not expose.

Ready to use the current OFAC result safely?

Use Pactman Nonprofit Check Plus API for the returned organization-level OFAC status and avoid inventing match-detail fields that are not in the current response.

Get an API Key →