Grants, Philanthropy and Nonprofits On the Web

By Paula Duffy, Business and Government Documents Librarian, Montana State University — Billings Library

Librarians looking for ways to extend or develop their collection of grant and fundraising materials can point their patrons to the nearest computer. In the past few years, web sites with grants and philanthropy information have popped-up on the Web.

The Funding Sources — Where is the Money?

Many public and academic libraries in the Pacific Northwest are participants in the Foundation Center Cooperating Collection of Libraries that makes Foundation Center titles and often the Foundation Center CD-ROM database available for public use. However, even if your library is not a Foundation Center cooperating library, it can purchase Foundation Center titles that are great resources for any library whose patrons are looking for funding sources by type of program or service. In addition to the printed products, libraries may want to purchase (if they have extra money) the FC Search: The Foundation Center's Database on CD-ROM. The Foundation Center Web site is a portal or great starting point for individuals looking for cooperating collection libraries, trends in giving, nonprofit management, and grant proposal writing. Although the Foundation Center website has useful information, it does not provide free access to full-text printed titles online. The Web address is http://fdncenter.org

Partnership Programs — How Can E-Commerce Benefit Your Library?

Libraries can benefit from individual and corporate philanthropy by being on the "right page at the right time." Now "e-tailers" like Amazon are using the web to get customers and give money to nonprofit entities. If your library foundation cannot or does not want to link to or endorse a company, checkout the service at MyCause.com. MyCause.com is a website which allows Web shoppers to select a tax-deductible organization (a library association or foundation for example) to benefit. Shoppers who go to MyCause.com before purchasing from selected Internet retailers can direct a portion of the purchase price to a registered nonprofit. These e-businesses sell products ranging from books, magazines, and CDs, to software and hardware, and airline tickets. The commissions/donations to the nonprofits range from 3% to 12%, and the products purchased by shoppers will have no extra cost to the buyer except for the usual shipping/handling costs. To see if your library foundation is listed at MyCause visit the site at www.MyCause.com.

Charitable Contributions: How is My Donation Spent?

If individuals are concerned about a particular nonprofit and it's viability, there are a number of Web sites that will provide information about it. All nonprofits are required by federal law to present potential donors with a copy of the IRS form 990. This report lists income, expenses, and administrative overhead. Library Patrons can view the 990 forms at the IRS web site at www.guidestar.org. The National Charities Information Bureau contains information on charities and advice on how to give at www.give.org. The Better Business Bureau Philanthropic Advisory Service also has information on donating to charities at www.bbb.org/about/pas.html.

Web Guide to Grant Information: What Every Library Needs

Although there are still a number of print titles librarians may want to purchase for their collections, both patrons and libraries can benefit from online grants and philanthropy links. Libraries can enhance their collections and their fundraising activities. Patrons can quickly locate information if the librarian creates a web guide to funding resources. The following 'webliography' lists selected links to nonprofits, grants, and philanthropy websites online.

Websites

Publishers of Grant and Funding Guides and Magazines

Oryx Press http://www.oryxpress.com/grants.htm  — Oryx Press compiles, publishes, and distributes databases, directories, monographs, and other information guides. Their website includes information on their grants collection along with a concise guide to proposal planning and writing.

The Foundation Center http://fdncenter.org  — The Foundation Center publishes guides to foundations as well as literature about nonprofit and foundation management.

C&D Publishers http://www.foundationdatabook.com  — This is the webpage for this publisher, which produces a directory of Oregon and Washington state grant makers. A Montana Foundation Directory is available from MSU-Billings at www.msubillings.edu/grants.

Quinlan Publishing http://www.grantshotline.com  — A publisher of grant guides relating to education and local government agencies.

Chronicle of Philanthropy http://philanthropy.com  — Although some information at this site is restricted to subscribers, there may be some useful information for non-subscribers at this website.

Thompson Publishers http://www.thompson.com/tpg/fed_gts  — Thompson specializes in publications relating to organizations and higher education institutions that need publications on grants and grants management for federally funded projects.

Aspen Publishers, Inc. http://grantscape.com  — In addition to their catalog of publications, Aspen has a tutorial entitled Grant seeking 101, which includes information about grant proposal writing.

Federal Government Funding Sources

With the exception of financial aid for education and small business start-up, most U. S. federal money is granted to state or local governments or agencies, not individuals, but if your local government or service agency is looking for federal funding for projects visit the following sites. Remember, many U. S. federal agency sites list funding announcements on their Web sites.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance http://www.cfda.gov  — This is the online edition of the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance, a compendium of federal programs, projects, services, and activities that provide assistance or benefits to the American public. It contains financial and nonfinancial assistance programs administered by departments and establishments of the federal government.

Financial Aid and Federal Programs for Schools can be found at http://www.ed.gov  — The Department of Education's "award winning site" includes information about federal funding for initiatives and programs for teachers and schools as well as student financial aid information.

Federal Register http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/aces/aces140.html  — Provides links to the Federal Register and lists government agency funding opportunities.

Foundations' and Nonprofits' Websites

Canada Grants http://interlog.com/~cgs  — Canada Grants Service has been researching and compiling Canadian sources of grants, subsides, prizes, and awards from government and private sectors.

Fundsnet Services http://www.fundsnetservices.com/  — This site provides links to funding sources, FAQ, community foundations and regional grants makers. If you can overlook the ads, this might be a useful source for locating funding for nonprofits.

The Grantsmanship Center http://www.tgci.com/  — This is the Grantmanship Center site. It has a link to the day's Federal Register and also has a connection to CFDA listings as well as links to federal, state, corporate, and community foundations (guidelines, information, and some applications are available).

Philanthropy News Network Online http://www.pj.org  — This useful site charts trends and provides news and links to information about corporate philanthropy and fundraising.

Council on Foundations http://www.cof.org  — This website is designed to serve the needs of grant makers, however this site is still a useful resource for organizations seeking funding from foundations.

Charities and Nonprofit Websites

Guidestar http://www.guidestar.org  — Donors and grant seekers alike can turn to the homepage of GuideStar/Philanthropic Research Inc. (PRI) for information on the nonprofit world. The website features news on philanthropic trends and specific nonprofits, as well as reports on 501(c)(3) organizations. A selection of private foundations' PF 990s are on Guidestar, as well.

National Center for Charitable Statistics http://nccs.urban.org/  — The National Center for Charitable Statistics (NCCS) is the national repository of data on the nonprofit sector in the United States. Its mission is to develop and disseminate high quality data on nonprofit organizations and their activities for use in research on the relationships between the nonprofit sector, government, the commercial sector, and the broader civil society. Working closely with the IRS and other government agencies, private sector service organizations, and the scholarly community, NCCS builds compatible national, state, and regional databases and develops uniform standards for reporting on the activities of charitable organizations.

Internal Revenue Rules and Regulations http://www.irs.ustreas.gov/prod/bus_info/eo/  — To determine the IRS rules for regulation nonprofit organizations visit their web site.

Grant Proposal Writing and Web Tutorials

The Foundation Center's Course http://fdncenter.org/onlib/shortcourse/prop1.html  — This site provides an excellent overview of the grant proposal writing process, from data gathering to writing all of the sections of a standard proposal for private foundations and most corporate grant makers. Concise examples and tips are provided, as well as a short bibliography of more in-depth print publications.

A Guide to Proposal Planning and Writing http://www.oryxpress.com/miner.htm  — This online primer is a comprehensive exploration of the grant seeking process, which includes insights into grant maker thinking and motivations, as well as tips on the entire process. Unlike many tutorials on proposal writing, this one gives equal time to the different needs of foundations, corporations and government funders.

Grants Guide Plus http://www.grantseeker.com  — Although the grant guides are for eastern United States, there is a good section (tutorial) on grant proposal writing, working with corporations, fundraising, and Internet resources.

In conclusion, it is easy to see that there are many excellent grant information sources available for libraries on the Web. Take a little time to visit the sites mentioned in this article and bookmark your favorites.

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