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Foundation Grants
Foundation grants are generally awarded to nonprofit organizations having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, schools, colleges, universities, hospitals, health care centers, Native American tribal organizations, and other nonprofit community based organizations. Foundation grants come from either private foundations or public foundations, operating foundations and non-operating foundations. Private foundations get their money from a single source, such as an individual, family or corporation. Public foundations get their money from the general public, as well as from foundation and corporate grants. Operating foundations provide foundation grants to operate their organization and support their own mission. Non-operating foundations give their grants to a variety of other eligible nonprofit organizations to support their mission. There are numerous information resources available to learn about foundation grants, including:

• The Foundation Center
  
• The Foundation Directory Online
  
• Big Online
  
• National Network of Grantmakers
  
• Guidestar

A great deal of information about foundation grants is offered for free through Guidestar and The Foundation Center. The Foundation Directory Online and Big Online are subscription services but may be available for free at your local library. The National Network of Grantmakers publishes a book annually and all foundations listed in the directory accept one common grant application to apply for foundation grants. Many State Foundation Directories are also available for a fee.
Guidestar publishes the IRS 990 forms for all nonprofit organizations in the United States and has records available to review for free. Guidestar only requires that you log in with an e-mail address and password so that they know who is using their site. Demonstrations on how to use the Guidestar website and Foundation Directory Online for identifying new funding prospects for foundation grants is provided in the site below.