Charity Navigator MCP Server for Windsurf 6 tools — connect in under 2 minutes
Windsurf brings agentic AI coding to a purpose-built IDE. Connect Charity Navigator through Vinkius and Cascade will auto-discover every tool. ask questions, generate code, and act on live data without leaving your editor.
ASK AI ABOUT THIS MCP SERVER
Vinkius supports streamable HTTP and SSE.
Vinkius Desktop App
The modern way to manage MCP Servers — no config files, no terminal commands. Install Charity Navigator and 2,500+ MCP Servers from a single visual interface.
{
"mcpServers": {
"charity-navigator": {
"url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp"
}
}
}
* Every MCP server runs on Vinkius-managed infrastructure inside AWS - a purpose-built runtime with per-request V8 isolates, Ed25519 signed audit chains, and sub-40ms cold starts optimized for native MCP execution. See our infrastructure
About Charity Navigator MCP Server
Connect to Charity Navigator and access ratings for over 175,000 US nonprofits through natural conversation.
Windsurf's Cascade agent chains multiple Charity Navigator tool calls autonomously. query data, analyze results, and generate code in a single agentic session. Paste Vinkius Edge URL, reload, and all 6 tools are immediately available. Real-time tool feedback appears inline, so you see API responses directly in your editor.
What you can do
- Charity Search — Search nonprofits by name, keyword, location, cause area or rating
- Ratings — Get Charity Navigator's overall rating (0-4 stars) plus financial health and accountability scores
- Organization Details — View mission statements, financials, website, contact info and tax filings
- Rating History — See how a charity's rating has changed over time
- Advisories — Check for warnings and alerts about charities with governance or financial concerns
- Categories — Browse charity categories and causes (education, health, environment, animal welfare, etc.)
The Charity Navigator MCP Server exposes 6 tools through the Vinkius. Connect it to Windsurf in under two minutes — no API keys to rotate, no infrastructure to provision, no vendor lock-in. Your configuration, your data, your control.
How to Connect Charity Navigator to Windsurf via MCP
Follow these steps to integrate the Charity Navigator MCP Server with Windsurf.
Open MCP Settings
Go to Settings → MCP Configuration or press Cmd+Shift+P and search "MCP"
Add the server
Paste the JSON configuration above into mcp_config.json
Save and reload
Windsurf will detect the new server automatically
Start using Charity Navigator
Open Cascade and ask: "Using Charity Navigator, help me...". 6 tools available
Why Use Windsurf with the Charity Navigator MCP Server
Windsurf provides unique advantages when paired with Charity Navigator through the Model Context Protocol.
Windsurf's Cascade agent autonomously chains multiple tool calls in sequence, solving complex multi-step tasks without manual intervention
Purpose-built for agentic workflows. Cascade understands context across your entire codebase and integrates MCP tools natively
JSON-based configuration means zero code changes: paste a URL, reload, and all 6 tools are immediately available
Real-time tool feedback is displayed inline, so you see API responses directly in your editor without switching contexts
Charity Navigator + Windsurf Use Cases
Practical scenarios where Windsurf combined with the Charity Navigator MCP Server delivers measurable value.
Automated code generation: ask Cascade to fetch data from Charity Navigator and generate models, types, or handlers based on real API responses
Live debugging: query Charity Navigator tools mid-session to inspect production data while debugging without leaving the editor
Documentation generation: pull schema information from Charity Navigator and have Cascade generate comprehensive API docs automatically
Rapid prototyping: combine Charity Navigator data with Cascade's code generation to scaffold entire features in minutes
Charity Navigator MCP Tools for Windsurf (6)
These 6 tools become available when you connect Charity Navigator to Windsurf via MCP:
get_all_advisories
Useful for identifying charities with governance, financial or operational concerns. Get all organizations with active advisories
get_categories
Each category includes its ID, name, parent category and description. Use category IDs to filter charity searches by cause area (e.g. education, health, environment, animal welfare). Get all charity categories and causes
get_charity
Returns the charity name, EIN, mission statement, website, address, phone, financial data, tax filings and contact info. Use search_charities to find EINs. Get detailed info for a specific charity by EIN
get_charity_advisories
Advisories may include issues with financial management, governance or fundraising practices. Optionally filter by status (ALL, ACTIVE, REMOVED). Get advisories/warnings for a specific charity
get_charity_ratings
Returns all historical Charity Navigator ratings with overall score, financial health, accountability, transparency and impact scores. Shows how the charity's rating has changed over time. Get rating history for a specific charity
search_charities
Supports powerful filters: free-text search, state, city, zip code, rating (0-4 scale), category/cause, organization size by expenses, and whether the org is rated. Sort by rating, name or relevance. Pagination with pageSize (max 1000) and pageNum (max 10). Returns charity names, EIN, mission, ratings and financial info. Search for charities and nonprofits by name, location or keyword
Example Prompts for Charity Navigator in Windsurf
Ready-to-use prompts you can give your Windsurf agent to start working with Charity Navigator immediately.
"Find the top-rated education charities in California."
"Show me the rating history for the American Red Cross."
"Are there any advisories for charities named 'Red Cross'?"
Troubleshooting Charity Navigator MCP Server with Windsurf
Common issues when connecting Charity Navigator to Windsurf through the Vinkius, and how to resolve them.
Server not connecting
Charity Navigator + Windsurf FAQ
Common questions about integrating Charity Navigator MCP Server with Windsurf.
How does Windsurf discover MCP tools?
mcp_config.json file on startup and connects to each configured server via Streamable HTTP. Tools are listed in the MCP panel and available to Cascade automatically.Can Cascade chain multiple MCP tool calls?
Does Windsurf support multiple MCP servers?
mcp_config.json. Each server's tools appear in the MCP panel and Cascade can use tools from different servers in a single flow.Connect Charity Navigator with your favorite client
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Connect Charity Navigator to Windsurf
Get your token, paste the configuration, and start using 6 tools in under 2 minutes. No API key management needed.