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Impala MCP Connector URL Setup and Support Guide

Learn how to manually add the Impala MCP directly by URL to your existing AI workspace.

Impala connects directly into the ChatGPT interface you're already using. Once the MCP is set up by your AI admin and you add the connector to your own account, you can ask ChatGPT about any U.S. nonprofit or foundation: a profile, a 990, who funds them, or what a foundation has funded. Answers pull live, structured data from Impala's database of 2M+ nonprofit profiles, 250K+ grantmakers, and 25M+ grants, built from IRS filings, verified nonprofit registries, government databases, and direct partnerships, instead of a general AI guess. Every result traces back to the full record on Impala, so you can always check the filing year and underlying source.

All tools are read-only. Connecting creates a free Impala account (no subscription required). Some tools require a premium subscription for use.

 

 

ChatGPT Setup Instructions

Use these steps to add the Impala MCP directly by URL. The steps below are for ChatGPT Business workspaces; see the plan notes at the end of each section for Enterprise, Edu, and individual plans.

ChatGPT Admin Setup (about 2 minutes)

This only needs to be done once for your workspace, by a workspace owner or admin:

  • In ChatGPT, go to Settings → Apps → Advanced settings and turn on Developer mode.
    • Note: On Business plans, each admin or owner enables developer mode for themselves. Enabling it for your own account does not enable it for anyone else.
  • Go to Workspace settings → Apps and click “Create.”
  • Enter “Impala MCP” into the Name field, and the server URL: https://mcp.impala.digital/mcp
    • Note: No OAuth Client ID or secret is needed.For the authentication mechanism, select OAuth.
  • Click “Create.” The app is saved as a draft under Workspace settings → Apps → Drafts.
  • Go to Workspace settings → Apps → Drafts and click “Publish.”
    • Impala MCP now appears as a custom app in your workspace and in your team members’ App settings.
  • Your team members are now ready to add the Impala MCP.

Plan notes:

  • Business: Published apps cannot be edited. If the server URL or available tools change, recreate the app and publish it again.
  • Enterprise and Edu: Admins can grant Developer Mode access to specific people under Workspace settings → Permissions & Roles → Connected Data, can control which actions the app is allowed to take before publishing, and can update a published app from the Action control menu. Newly added actions are turned off by default and shown as changes for review.
  • Individual plans: Custom MCP support differs from Business, Enterprise, and Edu. Pro users can connect MCPs with read/fetch permissions through developer mode, but full MCP support is currently limited to Business, Enterprise, and Edu.

ChatGPT User Setup (about 2 minutes)

The following instructions are based on ChatGPT on the web:

Note: If you do not yet have an Impala account, we recommend first signing up at impala.digital/app/login#signup

  • In ChatGPT, go to Settings → Apps.
  • Find “Impala MCP” under your workspace’s available apps.
  • Click “Connect.”
  • A new browser tab will open with an authorization screen for ChatGPT to connect to Impala.
  • Click “Authorize.”
    • If you are already logged in, your connection will be confirmed and you will be prompted to return to ChatGPT.
    • If you are not logged in, you will be taken to the login screen. Once you log in, you will be prompted to return to ChatGPT.
  • You are now ready to use the Impala MCP. Ask in plain English, or type @Impala to point ChatGPT straight at our data for a given question.

Available in ChatGPT on the web for Business, Enterprise, and Edu workspaces. Custom MCP connectors are not currently supported in the ChatGPT mobile app.

 

Other Setup Instructions

If you use an AI tool that is not ChatGPT or Claude, you may still be able to use the Impala MCP connector.

First, check to see if your AI tool support custom MCP connectors. If so, follow your tool's instructions for adding custom connectors and add Impala using the MCP server URL below:

https://mcp.impala.digital/mcp

Not sure? You can always contact us at support@impala.digital for help.

 

 

Getting Started: A Quick Walkthrough

Once connected, run through these five prompts in order. It's a fast way to see the full range before you use it for real research. Swap in organizations you actually care about.

Ask

What it does

Try it

Find organizations

Search nonprofits or foundations by cause, location, type, or size.

“Find nonprofits doing affordable housing in Connecticut.”

Organization profile

Mission, programs, leadership, how to apply, IRS status.

“Give me an overview of [foundation].”

990 financials

Income statement, balance sheet, ratios, multi-year trends.

“Summarize the latest 990 for [org]. What are their top revenue and expense drivers?”

Who funds them

The institutional funders behind a nonprofit.

“Who are the major funders of [nonprofit]?”

What they fund

The organizations a foundation has supported, and their giving pattern.

“What cause areas does [foundation] focus on, and who have they funded?”

After that, just use it naturally as part of your work. Ask ChatGPT about the organizations you're actually researching. Where connectors already exist, ask questions that rely on your GMS or CRM and how these combine with your Impala data.

The Impala MCP is read-only. It can look up records in Impala's database, but it cannot change anything in your Impala account, and it never writes data back to Impala. Your conversations stay with ChatGPT; the only thing sent to Impala is the specific lookup or search each tool call needs, which is treated like any other query to the Impala platform.

To remove the Impala MCP at any time: in ChatGPT, open the Impala plugin's details in the Plugins Directory and disconnect from there. Your Impala account is unaffected; you can reconnect whenever you like.

 

 

Troubleshooting

I can't find the Impala plugin (ChatGPT)
On Enterprise and Edu plans, an admin controls which plugins are available. Ask your workspace admin to enable the Impala app and set its installation policy (see ChatGPT Admin Setup above).

The authorization tab never opens when I click Connect
Your browser may be blocking pop-ups. Allow pop-ups for claude.ai (or chatgpt.com) and click Connect again.

Authorization fails or hangs on the login screen
Log in to Impala directly at impala.digital/app/login in the same browser first, then return to ChatGPT and click Connect again. Make sure you authorize with the Impala account you intend to use, especially if you have more than one.

ChatGPT answers without using Impala
Ask it to "use Impala" in your prompt, or in ChatGPT @ mention Impala or select it from the tools menu. If it still doesn't trigger, start a new conversation; connectors added mid-conversation aren't always picked up.

Tools were working but now return errors
Your authorization may have expired. Disconnect and reconnect: in ChatGPT, open the Impala plugin's details in the Plugins Directory and disconnect there, then reconnect.

I can't find an organization I know exists
Impala covers U.S. nonprofits and foundations. Try searching by EIN instead of name, or check for an alternate legal name (many organizations operate under a DBA). Very new organizations or those not required to file with the IRS may have limited records. Additionally, fiscally sponsored organizations do not file separately from their sponsors, and so do not have profiles on Impala.

The numbers look off or outdated
Financial data comes from an organization's most recent IRS filings, which can lag by a year or more. Every result links back to the full record on Impala, so open the record to see the filing year and underlying source.

Still stuck?
Email support@impala.digital and we'll help you out.