Foundations provide funding in the form of grants to organizations or individuals for numerous reasons, including educational, scientific, religious, cultural or other charitable uses. These foundations provide most grants to tax-exempt nonprofit organizations for purposes that meet the grantor's interest. Obtaining a grant is a long process that begins with finding foundations with missions that match that of your organization. One of the best ways to start your search for grants is by using reputable foundation grant databases.
Step 1
Go to FoundationCenter.org, where you can search for grants by foundation name or specific locations using the "Foundation Finder." This website also contains valuable information for grant seekers, such as answers to frequently asked questions on grants, details about writing grant proposals and various online training courses.
Step 2
Find information about foundations offering grants at COF.org, the website of the Council on Foundations. It breaks foundations into groups -- Community Foundations, Corporate Grantmakers, Family Philanthropy, Global Philanthropy and Independent Foundations.
Step 3
Stop by your local library and look for foundation grants in "The Foundation Directory" and "The Foundation Directory Part 2," which you will find in the reference section. Use the current year's edition for the latest foundation information.