About the Foundation Center

• What is the Foundation Center and what kinds of services and resources does it offer?
• Is there a Foundation Center library or Cooperating Collection near me?
• What is the Foundation Center's Associates Program?
• How can I submit information to the Foundation Center's Web site?
• Where can I find information on advertising with the Foundation Center?
• Where can I find Foundation Center issued e-newsletters?
• How can I obtain e-mail updates issued by the Foundation Center with statistical information on foundations and their giving?
• Are Foundation Center books from the Foundation Center's libraries available online?
• Why is FC Search being discontinued?

Funding Resources:

General

• Where can I find advice and information about fundraising in times of economic downturn?

Electronic Resources

• How do I find out about grants for my area of interest?
• What are some alternative strategies I can use in my online subject searches?
• What are the new features of FC Search, Version 11.0?
• What is the difference between Foundation Directory Online and FC Search: The Foundation Center's Database on CD-ROM?
• How can I limit my searches on Foundation Directory Online or on FC Search to those foundations that accept applications?
• How do I use Foundation Finder?
• What are the features of the Catalog of Nonprofit Literature (CNL)?
• How do I obtain the materials I've located in the Catalog of Nonprofit Literature (CNL)?
• Are Foundation Center books from the Foundation Center's libraries available online?
• How many grantmakers have Web sites?
• Where can I find an electronic mailing list that focuses on fundraising?
• Where can I find information on online fundraising?
• How can I find foundations that accept proposals online?
• What do I do if I suspect that a philanthropy site on the Web is a fraud?
• Are there standards for online fundraising?
• Where can I find Web sites for arts funding?
• Where can I find philanthropic Web sites with areas of interest to children?

Foundations

• How do I find out about grants for my area of interest?
• What is the difference between a private foundation and a public charity?
• Can you help me locate foundations in my home state?
• How do I find out about grants for a nonprofit organization in Puerto Rico?
• ¿Cómo consigo fondos filantrópicos para mi organización sin fines de lucro?
• What is a "payout requirement" for a private foundation and how much is it?
• What does a foundation mean when it says that it only "makes grants to preselected organizations?"
• How can I find funders that offer a particular type of support?
• How can I identify grantmakers that fund progressive causes?
• How many grantmakers have Web sites?
• How can I find foundations that accept proposals online?
• Where can I find information on starting a grantmaking foundation?
• Where can I find information on philanthropy's response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks?
• What other 501(c) organizations are there (besides 501 (c)(3) organizations) and how can they receive foundation funding?

Corporations

• Where can I find information on corporate giving?
• What is the difference between a company-sponsored foundation and a corporate giving program?
• How can I find corporate sponsorship?
• What motivates companies to give through corporate giving programs?
• What is cause-related marketing?
• What are in-kind gifts, and how can I find out more about them?
• What are employee matching gifts?
• Where can I find information on fundraising through special events?
• Where can I find examples of levels of recognition for corporate sponsorship?

Government Funders

• Where can I find information about government grants?
• Where can I find information on government grants for faith-based organizations?
• Where can I find government sources of funding for medical research?

Individual Donors

• Where can I find information on cultivating donors?
• Where can I find information on celebrity giving?
• How can I find out about the most generous philanthropists in the United States?
• Where can I find information or a class on planned giving?
• Where can I find information on fundraising through special events?

The Funding Research Process

Primary Resources

• What are Forms 990-PF and where can I find them?
• Where can I find help in interpreting the information provided on the IRS Form 990-PF?
• What is the lag time between the close of a foundation's fiscal year and the date a copy of its 990-PF is available on the Foundation Center's Web site?
• What are the disclosure requirements for private foundations filing the Form 990-PF?
• Where can I find historical tax returns and annual reports for foundations?
• How can I obtain copies of a public charity's IRS Form 990?
• Where can I find help in interpreting the information provided on the IRS Form 990?
• Can nonprofit organizations file IRS Form 990 electronically?
• What is an EIN?

Funding Statistics

• Where can I find statistical data on U.S. charities?
• How can I obtain e-mail updates issued by the Foundation Center with statistical information on foundations and their giving?
• Where can I find information on philanthropy's response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks?
• How much did Americans give to charity in the latest year of record?
• What are recent trends in foundation giving to the arts?
• How much money do foundations give for children and youth?
• What are recent trends in foundation giving to higher education?
• What are recent trends in foundation giving for health policy?
• What are recent trends in foundation giving for childrens' health?

Definitions and Clarification

• What is a foundation?
• Where can I find a glossary of foundation, nonprofit, and fundraising terminology?
• Is there a difference between the terms "nonprofit" and "not-for-profit?"
• What is the difference between a private foundation and a public charity?
• What is the difference between a company-sponsored foundation and a corporate giving program?
• What are Forms 990-PF and where can I find them?
• What is an EIN?
• What is a fiscal agent, and how do I find one?
• What is an RFP?
• What does a foundation mean when it says that it only "makes grants to preselected organizations?"
• What is a program-related investment?
• What is a "new health" foundation?
• What is a recoverable grant and how does it work?
• What is courtesy advertising?
• What is cause-related marketing?
• What are in-kind gifts, and how can I find out more about them?
• What are employee matching gifts?

Proposal Writing

• How can I learn about proposal writing?
• Where can I find examples of grant proposals?
• What should be included in a letter of inquiry/intent?
• Where can I find examples of letters of inquiry/intent?
• Should proposal writers be paid a percentage of grant monies received, or a fixed fee?
• Where can I find Common Grant Application forms?
• What is an RFP?
• Where can I find examples of proposal cover letters?
• How do I find a consultant for my nonprofit?
• What percentage of proposals to foundations are actually funded?
• Where can I find information on proposal writing for individual grantseekers?

Training

• Where can I find information on in-person training opportunities related to fundraising?
• Where can I find information on online training opportunities?
• Where can I locate colleges and universities that offer degree programs in fundraising, philanthropy, and nonprofit management?

Nonprofit Management

Establishing a Nonprofit Organization

• How do I establish a nonprofit organization?
• What are the advantages/disadvantages of becoming a nonprofit organization?
• How do I calculate the "public support test?"
• Where can I find information on bylaws for nonprofit organizations?
• Where can I find examples of nonprofit bylaws?
• Where can I find examples of articles of incorporation for nonprofits?
• Where can I find examples of nonprofit budgets?
• Where can I find examples of business plans for a nonprofit organization?
• Where can I find information on nonprofit boards?
• Where can I find information about establishing an advisory board for a nonprofit?
• Where can I find information on, and examples of, mission statements for nonprofit organizations?
• Where can I find information on starting a grantmaking foundation?
• What resources are available for setting up a scholarship fund?
• Are public schools considered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations?
• What do nonprofit organizations need to know about the new Form 990?

Accountability

• How can I find information about a particular nonprofit organization?
• Where can I find out who has donated money to a particular nonprofit organization?
• Where can I find evaluative information on nonprofit organizations I am considering contributing to?
• How can a nonprofit organization register for charitable solicitations in multiple states at once?
• What do I do if I suspect that a philanthropy site on the Web is a fraud?
• I've noticed a number of alerts about "free money" and guaranteed scholarships on the Web. Are they legitimate?
• Are there standards for online fundraising?
• How long should nonprofit organizations retain business-related records?
• What do nonprofit organizations need to know about the new Form 990?

Researching Nonprofit Organizations/Statistics

• How many nonprofit organizations are there in the United States?
• What is the monetary value of volunteer time?
• How can I find information about a particular nonprofit organization?
• Where can I find online quotations regarding the value of philanthropy?

Nonprofit Employment

• Where can I find out about job openings in the nonprofit sector?
• Where can I find information on employee salaries and compensation in the nonprofit sector?
• Where can I find information on writing a resume for a nonprofit job position?
• How can I use the Web to find volunteer opportunities?
• Where can I find examples of nonprofit job descriptions?
• How many people are employed in the nonprofit sector?

Other Nonprofit Management Issues

• How do I find a consultant for my nonprofit?
• Where can I find information on fundraising and accounting software packages for my nonprofit organization?
• Where can I find "pro-bono" legal assistance for my nonprofit organization?
• Where can I find examples of business plans for a nonprofit organization?
• Where can I find examples of gift acknowledgement letters?
• Where can I find examples of gift acceptance policies?
• Where can I find examples of levels of recognition for corporate sponsorship?
• What other 501(c) organizations are there (besides 501 (c)(3) organizations) and how can they receive foundation funding?
• Where can I find information on nonprofits and their roles/responsibilities in a time of international terrorist threats?

Resources for Individual Grantseekers

General

• Where can I find information on grants to individuals?
• Where can I find information on proposal writing for individual grantseekers?
• Where can I find funding resources for individuals with disabilities?
• Where can I find help with emergency housing costs, medical bills, or personal debt?
• Why is there no information on foundation grants for the purchase of a home?
• Where can I find funding as an individual artist?
• Where can I find funding as an individual film/video artist?

Students

• Where can I find information on college scholarships and fellowships?
• Where can I find scholarships for non-traditional or returning students?
• Where can I find financial assistance for students attending a private elementary or secondary school?
• What funding resources are available for international students?
• I've noticed a number of alerts about "free money" and guaranteed scholarships on the Web. Are they legitimate?
• Is it true that there are scholarships available to people who are left-handed?

Fiscal Sponsorship

• What is a fiscal sponsor, and how do I find one?
• Where can I find examples of policies, procedures, and guidelines for fiscal sponsorship agreements on the Web?

For-Profit Enterprises

• Where can I find information on funding to start a business?
• What is a program-related investment?

Resources for Individual Grantseekers: Training

• Where can I find information on in-person training opportunities related to fundraising?
• Where can I find information on online training opportunities?

Resources for Non-U.S. Grantseekers

• Where can I find information on grants to non-U.S. organizations?
• Is there a Canadian organization similar to the Foundation Center?
• Is there a European organization similar to the Foundation Center?
• What funding resources are available for international students?

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