One-Day Workshops

September 24, 2010 - Houston, Texas
December 3, 2010 - Houston, Texas

For more information, click on the link below:

U.S. Government Grants workshop schedule

Like most nonprofits, your organization is more than likely on a continuous quest for funding. From new programs to operating expenses, capital campaigns to equipment – you need money to pay for them. Public funds – that is, money from federal, state, and local governments – are a possibility, but there’s often a lot of red tape involved. The alternative? Private funds.

Private funding can come from a variety of sources:

* Private foundations – their income usually comes from an individual, family, or group of individuals
* Corporate foundations – their income comes from a for-profit business or corporation
* Community foundations – they focus their grantmaking activities on a particular community or region
* Direct giving programs – associated with corporations and usually donate goods and services for charity
* Voluntary agencies – these private organizations typically support charitable programs that are consistent with their mission
* Community groups – local organizations that focus on programs within their communities

Most private philanthropic organizations limit their giving to certain fields of interest or particular groups served.

So Where Do You Find Private Funders?

The easiest, most convenient way to search for funders – or for almost anything else, for that matter – is on the Internet. While there are a number of online directories, arguably the most popular in the nonprofit arena are those provided by the Foundation Center (http://foundationcenter.org). For basic information that’s also free, you can use their Foundation Finder (http://foundationcenter.org/findfunders/foundfinder/).

With the Foundation Finder, you can search for private funders by name, geography (city, state, zip code), or Employer Identification Number (EIN). The search will return a list of funders that fit your criteria – just click on the funder’s name to find out more. The Foundation Finder will provide basic information about the funder, including its address, contact information, IRS exemption status, some financial data, its EIN, and links to copies of the 990-PF forms it has filed.

So will the Foundation Finder be able to tell you which funders give grants for operating expenses of animal rescue groups, or which ones fund HIV/AIDS programs in North Dakota? Nope – for that, you need the Foundation Directory Online.

Foundation Directory Online – Lots of Info on Lots of Funders

The Foundation Directory Online (FDO) database, also provided by the Foundation Center, gives detailed information on thousands of grantmakers. You can find out about a funder’s fields of interest, purpose and activities, funding limitations, geographic focus, the types of support it offers, application information, and selected grants it has awarded in the past. Grantmakers in the FDO can be searched by name, location (state, county, city, metro area, congressional district, zip code), fields of interest, types of support, geographic focus, and other criteria. Many of the search fields have an associated index, where you can choose from a list of values. You can also exclude those organizations not accepting applications – a handy feature for weeding out funders you can’t submit grants to.

Unlike the Foundation Finder, the FDO costs money. There are currently five plans available, starting as low as $19.95 per month. In addition, many public libraries have FDO subscriptions, enabling anyone with a valid library card access to this information for free.

If you’re the old-fashioned type, the Foundation Directory publishes a number of funding directories in a hard-copy version (that is, on paper). Another alternative are their digital guides, available in a downloadable, searchable PDF format. The subject area-specific guides are great if you know exactly what field of interest you need to focus on, and they cover the gamut, from cancer research and information technology to the homeless and animal welfare. Check out their web site for more information.

Don’t Forget the Little Guys

Although the Foundation Center is one of the largest sources of funder information around, there are other, smaller sources that can be just as useful. The Council On Foundations (www.cof.org) has a Community Foundation Locater that allows users to access information on community foundations by state. Many state governments also provide information on grantmakers in their state, although in some states this information is distributed through a private organization. Fundsnet Services (www.fundsnetservices.com) offers a free fundraising and grants directory, though it’s nowhere near as comprehensive as the Foundation Center’s. And there’s always good old Google – just do a search on “foundation directory,” and you’ll get plenty of resources to sort through.

Happy hunting!