Common Form
Metadata
- IRI
-
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo - Title
Common Form
- Creator
Mark S. Fox, msf@eil.utoronto.ca
- Version Info
version 1.0.1 5 Jan 2026
- Description
-
The Common Form is a standardized way to represent the organizational information of a social purpose organization (SPO). The organizational information collected includes both financial measures and descriptive measures. The financial information collected includes financial statements and key financial indicators, such as current assets, total assets, total liabilities, total revenues and total expenses. The descriptive information collected includes data such as charity/business number, legal form, mission statement, team and board bios. It provides space to record information about the organization as well as programs and projects within that organization. These measures were developed with extensive stakeholder engagement and are based on existing and common organizational profiles—and in the case of the financial measures, drawn from scholarly and practitioner literature. It is the information ”used in most exchanges most of the time” Created to contextualize the impact data collected using the Common Impact Data Standard, the Common Form facilitates the review, analysis and aggregation of data. This enables assessors to “compare fair,” so that geography, size and age could be considered when comparing impact data.
The Common Form allows software, databases and websites to: ● enable the representation of precise definitions of the organization ● foster data interoperability of information between organizations ● make the details of an organization interpretable by a computer ● empower your clients to apply for grants, loans or investments directly from their impact data’s home base As we expand the roster of aligned impact management and grant/fund management softwares, the Common Form ontology will allow social purpose organizations who want to share their data, and the linked details, to do so at very little cost.
The Common Form:
Classes
Financial Indicators c
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#FinancialIndicators
|
|---|---|
| Description |
|
| Sub Class Of | https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#cfThing c |
| Restriction |
|
Financial Information c
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#FinancialInformation
|
|---|---|
| Description |
|
| Sub Class Of | https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#cfThing c |
| Restriction |
|
Financial Statement c
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#FinancialStatement
|
|---|---|
| Description | The type of prepared financial statements for the organization. |
| Sub Class Of | https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#cfThing c |
Funding Request c
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#FundingRequest
|
|---|---|
| Description |
|
| Sub Class Of | https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#cfThing c |
| Restriction |
|
Organization c
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#Organization
|
|---|---|
| Description |
|
| Sub Class Of | |
| Restriction |
|
Prepared Financial Statement c
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#PreparedFinancialStatement
|
|---|---|
| Description |
|
| Sub Class Of | https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#cfThing c |
| Restriction |
|
Project c
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#Project
|
|---|---|
| Description |
|
| Sub Class Of | https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#cfThing c |
| Restriction |
|
Xbrl Report c
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#XBRLReport
|
|---|---|
| Description |
|
| Sub Class Of | https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#cfThing c |
| Restriction |
|
cf thing c
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#cfThing
|
|---|---|
| Description | Parent class of all Common Form classes. |
| Super Class Of |
|
Beneficial Stakeholder c
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cids#BeneficialStakeholder
|
|---|
Impact Model c
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cids#ImpactModel
|
|---|
Organization c
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cids#Organization
|
|---|---|
| Super Class Of | https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#Organization c |
Object Properties
cf object property op
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#cfObjectProperty
|
|---|---|
| Description | Parent property of all Common Form object properties. |
| Super Property Of |
|
has financial indicators op
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#hasFinancialIndicators
|
|---|---|
| Description | Links to the instance of the organization's financial indicators. |
| Sub Property Of | https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#cfObjectProperty op |
has financial information op
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#hasFinancialInformation
|
|---|---|
| Description | Links an organization to instances of FinancialInformation. |
| Sub Property Of | https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#cfObjectProperty op |
has funding request op
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#hasFundingRequest
|
|---|---|
| Description | Links an organization or project to a FundingRequest, which specifies the funds requested. |
| Sub Property Of | https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#cfObjectProperty op |
has partners op
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#hasPartners
|
|---|---|
| Description | Links to organizations the organization partners with. |
| Sub Property Of | https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#cfObjectProperty op |
has prepared financial statement op
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#hasPreparedFinancialStatement
|
|---|---|
| Description | Links to the organization's prepared financial statements. |
| Sub Property Of | https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#cfObjectProperty op |
has project op
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#hasProject
|
|---|---|
| Description | Links an organization to its projects. |
| Sub Property Of | https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#cfObjectProperty op |
has project partners op
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#hasProjectPartners
|
|---|---|
| Description | Links a project to its partner organizations. |
| Sub Property Of | https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#cfObjectProperty op |
has xbrl report op
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#hasXBRLReport
|
|---|---|
| Description | Links to the instance of the organization's XBRL report. |
| Sub Property Of | https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#cfObjectProperty op |
requested from op
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#requestedFrom
|
|---|---|
| Description | One or more organizations that the funds are requested from. |
| Sub Property Of | https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#cfObjectProperty op |
serves population op
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#servesPopulation
|
|---|---|
| Description | Links to one or more BeneficialStakeholder instances, which define the stakeholders served. |
| Sub Property Of | https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#cfObjectProperty op |
has funding request op
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cids#hasFundingRequest
|
|---|
has impact model op
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cids#hasImpactModel
|
|---|
has type op
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cids#hasType
|
|---|
Datatype Properties
cf data property dp
for year dp
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#forYear
|
|---|---|
| Description | The year of the financial information. |
| Sub Property Of | https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#cfDataProperty dp |
for year1 dp
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#forYear1
|
|---|---|
| Description | URI linking to the prepared statement or report for Year 1. |
| Sub Property Of | https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#cfDataProperty dp |
for year2 dp
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#forYear2
|
|---|---|
| Description | URI linking to the prepared statement or report for Year 2. |
| Sub Property Of | https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#cfDataProperty dp |
for year3 dp
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#forYear3
|
|---|---|
| Description | URI linking to the prepared statement or report for Year 3. |
| Sub Property Of | https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#cfDataProperty dp |
funds intension dp
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#fundsIntension
|
|---|---|
| Description | The intended use of the funds: for the organization, or for a project or program. |
| Sub Property Of | https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#cfDataProperty dp |
funds received dp
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#fundsReceived
|
|---|---|
| Description | The amount awarded by the funding agency. |
| Sub Property Of | https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#cfDataProperty dp |
funds requested dp
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#fundsRequested
|
|---|---|
| Description | The amount of funds requested for the organization or project. |
| Sub Property Of | https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#cfDataProperty dp |
has b corp profile dp
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#hasBCorpProfile
|
|---|---|
| Description | Link to a file containing the organization's B-Corp profile. |
| Sub Property Of | https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#cfDataProperty dp |
has b corp score dp
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#hasBCorpScore
|
|---|---|
| Description | The organization's B-Corp score. |
| Sub Property Of | https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#cfDataProperty dp |
has bios dp
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#hasBios
|
|---|---|
| Description | Link to a file containing the biographies of the organization's executives and Board, or of a project or program. |
| Sub Property Of | https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#cfDataProperty dp |
has budget file dp
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#hasBudgetFile
|
|---|---|
| Description | Link to a file describing the project budget. |
| Sub Property Of | https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#cfDataProperty dp |
has business plan file dp
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#hasBusinessPlanFile
|
|---|---|
| Description | Link to a file containing the organization's business plan. |
| Sub Property Of | https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#cfDataProperty dp |
has bylaws dp
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#hasBylaws
|
|---|---|
| Description | The organization's bylaws, as text. |
| Sub Property Of | https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#cfDataProperty dp |
has charity data profile dp
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#hasCharityDataProfile
|
|---|---|
| Description | Link to a file containing the organization's charity data profile. |
| Sub Property Of | https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#cfDataProperty dp |
has current assets dp
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#hasCurrentAssets
|
|---|---|
| Description | Current assets of the organization for the specified year, in dollars. |
| Sub Property Of | https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#cfDataProperty dp |
has deferred revenue dp
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#hasDeferredRevenue
|
|---|---|
| Description | The amount of the organization's deferred revenue. |
| Sub Property Of | https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#cfDataProperty dp |
has depreciation expense dp
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#hasDepreciationExpense
|
|---|---|
| Description | The amount of the organization's depreciation expenses. |
| Sub Property Of | https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#cfDataProperty dp |
has endowment dp
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#hasEndowment
|
|---|---|
| Description | The amount of the organization's endowment. |
| Sub Property Of | https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#cfDataProperty dp |
has fund raising dp
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#hasFundRaising
|
|---|---|
| Description | The amount of the organization's fundraising. |
| Sub Property Of | https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#cfDataProperty dp |
has government grants dp
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#hasGovernmentGrants
|
|---|---|
| Description | The amount of the organization's government grants. |
| Sub Property Of | https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#cfDataProperty dp |
has impact model file dp
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#hasImpactModelFile
|
|---|---|
| Description | Link to an impact model defined in a file. |
| Sub Property Of | https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#cfDataProperty dp |
has indigenous heritage dp
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#hasIndigenousHeritage
|
|---|---|
| Description | The organization's Indigenous heritage, as text. |
| Sub Property Of | https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#cfDataProperty dp |
has inventory dp
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#hasInventory
|
|---|---|
| Description | The amount of the organization's inventory. |
| Sub Property Of | https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#cfDataProperty dp |
has investment expense dp
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#hasInvestmentExpense
|
|---|---|
| Description | The amount of the organization's investment expenses. |
| Sub Property Of | https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#cfDataProperty dp |
has project description file dp
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#hasProjectDescriptionFile
|
|---|---|
| Description | Link to a file describing the project. |
| Sub Property Of | https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#cfDataProperty dp |
has project name dp
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#hasProjectName
|
|---|---|
| Description | Name of the project for which funds are requested. |
| Sub Property Of | https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#cfDataProperty dp |
has project objectives dp
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#hasProjectObjectives
|
|---|---|
| Description | Description of the project's objectives. |
| Sub Property Of | https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#cfDataProperty dp |
has sales revenue dp
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#hasSalesRevenue
|
|---|---|
| Description | The amount of the organization's sales revenue. |
| Sub Property Of | https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#cfDataProperty dp |
has total assets dp
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#hasTotalAssets
|
|---|---|
| Description | Total assets of the organization for the specified year, in dollars. |
| Sub Property Of | https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#cfDataProperty dp |
has total expenses dp
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#hasTotalExpenses
|
|---|---|
| Description | Total expenses of the organization for the specified year, in dollars. |
| Sub Property Of | https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#cfDataProperty dp |
has total liabilities dp
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#hasTotalLiabilities
|
|---|---|
| Description | Total liabilities of the organization for the specified year, in dollars. |
| Sub Property Of | https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#cfDataProperty dp |
has total overhead dp
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#hasTotalOverhead
|
|---|---|
| Description | The amount of the organization's total overhead. |
| Sub Property Of | https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#cfDataProperty dp |
has total revenues dp
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#hasTotalRevenues
|
|---|---|
| Description | Total revenues of the organization for the specified year, in dollars. |
| Sub Property Of | https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#cfDataProperty dp |
imagine canada program dp
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#imagineCanadaProgram
|
|---|---|
| Description | Whether the organization participates in the Imagine Canada Standards program (yes, no or inProgress). |
| Sub Property Of | https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#cfDataProperty dp |
serves geographic region dp
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#servesGeographicRegion
|
|---|---|
| Description | The geographic region served. |
| Sub Property Of | https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#cfDataProperty dp |
serves market dp
| IRI |
https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#servesMarket
|
|---|---|
| Description | The market to be served. |
| Sub Property Of | https://ontology.commonapproach.org/cfo#cfDataProperty dp |
Namespaces
- owl
-
http://www.w3.org/2002/07/owl# - rdf
-
http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns# - rdfs
-
http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema# - xsd
-
http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#
Legend
| c | Classes |
| op | Object Properties |
| dp | Datatype Properties |