The advent of the Internet has made it much easier for grantseekers to obtain
information—most of it free—about possible funding sources.
First, a word of caution. A number of fraudulent schemes exist through which an
unscrupulous company sells a directory of foundations, falsely claiming that
the listed foundations give money to individuals to start businesses, meet
living expenses, buy cars, and the like. The truth is that private foundations
are prohibited from giving money to individuals except under very limited cirumstances, such as
scholarships. If you have been victimized by one of these grant scams, please
consider filing a complaint with both the Federal Trade
Commission and the consumer protection division of your State Attorney
General's Office.
The following sites may prove helpful to you in finding grant opportunities
appropriate for your organization:
Donors Forum of Chicago
www.donorsforum.org
The Donors Forum is a well-respected funders’ collaborative. Although it is
focused on Chicago, the Forum’s website includes a number of items of interest
to grantseekers in other parts of the country, including an online tutorial
about the grantseeking process, called the Grant Seekers Toolbox.
The Foundation Center
www.fdncenter.org
The Foundation Center, based in New York, is a national clearinghouse of
information about grantmaking foundations. The Center offers a wide range of
services and resources valuable to grantseekers. The following are just a few:
FoundationSearch America
www.foundationsearch.com
A fee-based searchable source of online foundation information with tools for managing prospective foundations and for discovering connections between directors and other foundations
The Grantsmanship Center
www.tgci.com
A Los Angeles-based center providing workshops and training in grantseeking and
fundraising. The Center also publishes The Grantsmanship Center Magazine, the
archives of which are searchable online, and a guide to state foundation
directories.
Texas Nonprofits
www.txpp.org
Membership-based, online search of foundations making grants in Texas.