Resources to Help You Find New Funders

Last week I was a speaker at the Boston Fundraising Summit, sponsored by the Center for Nonprofit Success. My session was focused on how to conduct successful research in the search for funders. Here is a listing of resources I prepared for the summit that may be helpful in your own work. Good luck!
Provided Free of Charge:
Guidestar (www.guidestar.org) - obtain IRS 990 forms for every nonprofit, including foundations; also lists board members
Grants Management Associates (www.grantsmanagement.com) - manages many local foundations and provides application guidelines
Bank of America Philanthropic Services (www.bankofamerica.com/philanthropic/grantmaking.action) - provides a searchable database of about 70 foundations for whom Bank of America is the trustee, co-trustee or agent.
Philanthropy News Digest (www.foundationcenter.org/pnd/rfp/) - sends weekly updates on new RFP's and has a searchable online database of RFP's
Association of Small Foundations (www.smallfoundations.org) - has a list of members organized by state, many with direct links to the foundation website.
Council on Foundations (www.cof.org) - has many useful links to databases and resources available online for grantseekers.
Cooperating Collections (http://foundationcenter.org/collections/) - free funding information centers in libraries, community foundations, and other nonprofit resource centers that provide materials and services in areas useful to grantseekers, such as access to Foundation Center's Directory.
Librarian’s Internet Index (www.lii.org) - a publicly-funded website and weekly newsletter featuring dozens of high-quality websites carefully selected, described, and organized by their team of librarians. The Charity and Nonprofit Resources section has many useful resources.
Catalogue for Philanthropy (www.catalogueforphilanthropy.org) – an annual directory of MA charities with budgets less than $3 million, sent free of charge to 80,000 affluent families in MA. Nonprofits are selected through a competitive review process; proposals for the 2008 Catalogue are due on April 4, 2008.
Grants.gov (www.grants.gov) – an online resource for finding and applying for federal government grants.
IRS Publication 78 (http://www.irs.gov/charities/article/0,,id=96136,00.html) - lists charitable organizations established in the last 12 months; look for newly formed foundations.
Subscription/Purchase Required:
The Foundation Center (www.fdncenter.org) - provides comprehensive profiles of foundations nationwide; also distributes a weekly RFP Bulletin.
Associated Grant Makers of New England (www.agmconnect.org) - information on foundations accessible online and at their library.
GrantStation (www.grantstation.com) - also has a weekly RFP bulletin which includes government grants.
RFP Database (www.rfpdatabase.com) - will send you free updates, only charged when you download a RFP.
Charity Channel (http://charitychannel.com/) - Don Griesmann's Grant Opportunities is an email bulletin containing 50-60 grant opportunities a week; click on the Special Link at the top to access. Membership fee is $37/year.