Links to Other Grantwriting Support
and Nonprofit Information

Grantwriting is an indispensable fundraising tool. Government, corporate, and foundation Web sites now offer tips, lessons, and basic information to assist those who are applying for grant dollars to be more successful in the competition for funding. Nonetheless, those same sites post a disclaimer--many organizations are seeking the same funds and generally there is enough money to only fill a small portion of the requests received. Do your best work, submit the proposal, and then continue the search for new funding prospects. Following are just a few of the many sites that provide technical tools and resources.

The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA)
http://www.cfda.gov/  
offers grant development lessons as well as access to a database of all Federal programs available to state and local governments (including the District of Columbia); federally-recognized Indian tribal governments; territories (and possessions) of the United States; domestic public, quasi-public, and private profit and nonprofit organizations and institutions; specialized groups; and individuals

First Gov.gov
http://firstgov.gov/Business/Nonprofit.shtml  
official United States government Web portal; offers links to information on financial opportunities, taxes, management and operations, licensing and registration of nonprofits, categorical links by subject, and governmental department sites; resources in Spanish and 27 other languages to benefit projects and recipients

The Foundation Center
http://fdncenter.org/getstarted/learnabout/proposalwriting.html  
The site provides many resources for writing proposals. There is a short course online free in English, Spanish, French, Russian, Mandarin, and Portuguese.

http://fdncenter.org/funders/index.html  
"Finding Funders" page locates foundation addresses, grantmaker Web sites, a sector (category) search, and access to 990 IRS tax returns.

http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/rfp/index.jhtml  
The RFP Bulletin announces grants according to program areas, including: Arts and Culture; Athletics/Sports; Children and Youth; Community Improvement/Development; Disabilities; Education; Health; Human Services; Journalism/Media; and Religion.

Grantmakers without Borders
http://www.gwob.net/index.htm
Resource and referral information, not a funding agency. Check "advice for grantseekers."

Independent Sector
http://www.independentsector.org/programs/research/volunteer_time.html 
The Independent Sector provides annual information on the dollar value of volunteer hours useful for grants, demonstrating community support of a program, and figuring in-kind contributions in program budgets. Be sure to review the rules for when and how these dollar figures are appropriate to use.

The Office of Partnerships and Grants Development (OPGD)
http://opgd.dc.gov/opgd/site/
gateway to the Washington, D.C., government for nonprofit organizations, community groups, and faith-based institutions; some materials are specific to that area; site contains many valuable resources applicable for nonprofits and grantwriters anywhere

The United States Health and Human Services Faith-based and Community Organizations Online Resources
http://www.whitehouse.gov/government/fbci/guidance/index.html   
includes "Guidance to Faith-Based and Community Organizations on Partnering with the Federal Government" and offers multiple resources relevant to health and human services

The Virtual Foundation
http://www.virtualfoundation.org/whatis
a unique online philanthropy program that supports grassroots initiatives around the world. Carefully screened community improvement projects in the fields of environment, health, and sustainable economic activity are posted on this Web site.