The Grantsmanship Institute would like to save you a tremendous amount of time and money by pointing you to the most comprehensive list of funders and foundation grants. There are over 70,000 foundations in the USA giving away money annually.  Remember they are also doing business 70,000 different ways so know how to approach them and follow their rules!  Before you get started and for those of you new to foundation grant writing you will first need to understand the four different types of foundations.

FOUR TYPES OF FOUNDATIONS

Independent Foundations– Usually an individual or family that has started the foundation to assist in an area near and dear to their hearts, i.e. Tiger Woods Foundation focuses on creating positive environments for underprivileged youths with the emphasis on parental involvement and responsibility in the lives of children.

Decisions on grants are made by the donor(s) and/or the board of directors on the donor’s behalf.

Annual 990-PF returns filed with IRS can be found at www.guidestar.com.

Company Sponsored Foundation - Most large corporations in the United States have a foundation which gives away money, i.e. Ford Foundation which gives to enhance the capacities of educational systems and institutions to foster access and equity in pursuit of excellence, especially in historically underserved groups. Most major corporations set aside 5 percent or more for philanthropy. A phrase you will become familiar with is: corporate responsibility.

Decisions on grants are often made by board of directors at the corporate level. However, some foundations level giving to the local level, i.e. K-Mart, the store manager often makes decisions that are based on the needs of the community.

Annual 990-PF returns filed with IRS can be found at www.guidestar.com .  Some corporations will printed and distribute annual reports showing their involvement in the community.

Operating Foundations – Organizations that conduct research or provide a direct service.  These types of foundations generally do not make grants.  These foundations are set up to support their own interests.

Annual 990-PF returns filed with IRS can be found at www.guidestar.com .  Some corporations will printed and distribute annual reports showing their involvement in the community. 

TAX RETURNS –
All not-for-profit organizations are required to file a 990 tax form. There are more than 850,000 not-for-profit corporations and all their tax returns can be search at www.guidestar.com

WHERE TO FIND THE MONEY

There are many excellent publications helping you find foundations.  I strongly suggest before you subscribe to any of them that you visit your public library.  Yes that is right, most major metropolitan libraries have a foundation desk.  It is an area with all the reference material.  You can’t check the publications out but you can make copies.  Some libraries have the information on-line allowing you to do searches.  The librarians are very knowledgeable on this reference material and will gladly help you and answer your questions.  However, please do not ask them or expect them to do your prospect research.

In addition to the above, colleges, universities and community foundations will also have reference material and they will gladly let you access.

The Foundation Center has what are called Cooperating Collections sites which offer free access to all foundation information.  For quick reference some are listed below, however for the most accurate and up to date list please visit www.fdncenter.org.

Things to remember:

• HELP IS AVAILABLE.
• We specialize in Grant Writing Workshops.
• What people are saying about our Grant Writing Workshops.
• We offer grant writing consultation services as follows:
  • Consultation @ $25.00 per hour.

  • Fees are based on extent of work.  *************************