Find funding at the library

Posted on May 2, 2016 at 6:00 am

It has been reported that ~75% of  grant-awarding foundations in the U.S. don’t have a website. This means you won’t find them through an online search engine, like Google.

Now fundraisers and grant writers for organizations, non-profits, and cause-based groups can get help finding funding for their projects at the Spokane County Library District with Foundation Directory Online, our latest digital resource.

Foundation Directory Online is a powerful online tool that helps you access over 140,000 accurate, comprehensive foundation profiles. The database includes corporate giving programs, public charities, companies, international data, and key decision makers and leaders of foundations. If you’ve ever scoured a foundation’s IRS 990 form for particulars, then you will find the quick, keyword search of 990s very helpful. You can also search grant information including recipients, descriptions of awarded grants, and types of funding support.

Multiple filters and the assessment tool can help you quickly identify your best potential funding sources. For example, if you have specific areas of interest, say “art education,” “visual arts,” and “children and youth,” then you would get results of over 33,000 grant makers for those interests.

Not sure if a funder is likely to give within your geographic region? Foundation Directory Online helps you visualize trends for grant makers and if they are likely to give within your geographic area in the upcoming year. In a search for funding organizations specifically in Spokane County, you’ll find independent foundations such as Empire Health Foundation and Hagan Foundation, company-sponsored foundations such as the Avista Foundation, and public charities such as Second Harvest and Spokane Neighborhood Action Partners (SNAP).

From educators to arts organizations to community groups, many nonprofits will find this resource incredibly useful for identifying grant makers and funders who align with their cause, hopefully making the grant seeking process more successful.

Foundation Directory Online is available as an in-library resource at Cheney, North Spokane, and Spokane Valley Libraries. You can access it from our Digital Library.

Tags: charities, digital library, fund raising, funding, fundraising, grant writing, grants, nonprofits, not-for-profit, scholarships, services