Get Around The Gatekeeping

Grants: Get Around the Gatekeeping

Grants are an ideal source of funding for nonprofit organizations, but most beginners don’t know where to find them. Foundations don’t make it easy; most of them don’t have a website or they they require an invitation code to gain access. Services like Grantwatch can be extremely useful, but they cost hundreds of dollars a year, making them inaccessible to the people who need them most. Here are some places where you can access grant opportunities for free:

  1. grants.gov lists grant opportunities and provides resources for learning about the grant making process. The grants are federal, so most of them have involved application and reporting processes. If you find this intimidating, get a few smaller grants under your belt and then check back. 
  2. The website for your state, county, city, or town’s government. Usually local grants are listed somewhere on the site. Your local office of economic development is another good place to find funding, and it may or may not be on the same website. Grants found here are usually limited to people in your geographic region, meaning they can be less competitive than federal funding opportunities. 
  3. Specific departments in your state or the federal government. This will take some research, as funding will depend on your objectives. If your organization is doing something related to health, search for the health department. If your organization is doing something for the environment, try the EPA, etc.
  4. Check with your local Chamber of Commerce. Usually, someone there will have the inside track on local funding opportunities for nonprofits as well as for businesses. 
  5. While you’re at it, check with other local business associations, networking clubs, and nonprofit associations. Some will have their own grants to give, others will have information about foundations, and still others will hold subscriptions to grant databases that are free for members to use. 
  6. Look for corporate giving. Many large corporations have a philanthropic branch that can be accessed through online applications. Walmart, Target, Weis Markets, Wegmans….the list goes on. Depending on your needs, search corporate giving + your location or corporate giving for your area of focus.
  7. The library. Your local library probably holds subscriptions to grantwatch, foundation search, and/or other grant databases. Your librarian will tell you how to access them for free.