C.S. I. - Prospecting and Fundraising

If as Liz said, grantwriting is like dating, then prospecting is like an episode of C.S.I. It is just as important to know the anatomy of a funder as it is writing a well-crafted grant application. Clues abound that can help you answer key questions such as:

1) What is the grantmaker's funding philosophy?
2) What have they funded in the past?
3) What will their funding priorities be in the future?
4) Who are their senior executives and board members?

Fortunately, there are an array of organizations who collect this information that can help you. While they offer enhanced services for a fee, they offer basic services free of charge. Check them out to see if they will help you hone your funder investigative skills.

They are:

1) The Foundation Center's Foundation Finder.
This is a free service where you can type in a foundation's name to find out more about them. I would suggest searching by geography first just to see what might be in your area.

2) The Foundation Center's 990 Finder.
This is a free service that will provide access to a non-profit's 990 tax forms that provides information such as assets of the organization, pay for senior executives and board members, and expenses among other items. If you want a helpful guide on how to read the IRS 990 form - check out the Nonprofit Coordinating Committee of New York's How to Read the 990 Form and Understand What It Means.

3) Guidestar.
Guidestar provides a wealth of information about how non-profits work in order to promote accountability and transparency. Their free service provides access to 990 forms as well as the mission and programs of non-profit foundations and organizations. With their enhanced membership (which costs a fee), you can find out who is on their Board of Directors among other information.

I've provided a link to The Hyams Foundation's page so you can see how it is configured.

Let us know how your detective work pans out.

~ Deb