Building Healthy Teen Relationships -- Call for Proposals Released

Application Deadline: April 16, 2008

The Building Healthy Teen Relationships program will support the creation and evaluation of comprehensive community-based models of prevention that aim to decrease relationship violence and increase positive, protective relationship skills. Up to eight geographically and ethnically diverse sites will receive up to $250,000 per year for up to 48 months.

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

Where is My Funder?

Thanks to all of the 21st Century CLC participants who attended the two DOE sponsored grant development workshops earlier this month; it was a pleasure to meet each of you and learn about your challenges, your successes and your ideas for sustaining your programs at the conclusion of federal funding.

As we discussed in the second workshop, prospecting for the right set of funders is equally important to writing good grants. It is also a bit complicated as most of the information you need is not found in one place.

What do you need to identify a good prospect? You need to know that the funder is interested in your mission (seeks to make the change you are creating in the world) but also you need to know where, when and how they make contributions (more accurately, investments) in nonprofits as partners in making that change.

We discussed using the Foundation Center's Foundation Directory Online as a tool. The Associated Grantmakers of Massachusetts also maintains a database which is helpful. Here is a listing, courtesy of www.agmconnect.org which shows where you can access these databases [see below].

When you access them, try searching by putting the name of your town/city into the Keyword box. This enables you to find grantmakers who prefer to give in your specific location and can yield some lesser known family and corporate foundations.


Boston:
Martha Moore
Associated Grant Makers
55 Court Streets, Suite 520
Boston, MA 02108
617-426-2606 x16
www.agmconnect.org

Boston:
Marta Pardee-King
Boston Public Library
Social Sciences Dept.
700 Boylston St
Boston, MA. 02116
617-859-2261
www.bpl.org

Cape Cod:
Jean Marie Frasier
Cape Cod Community College
2240 Iyannough Rd.
West Barnstable, MA 02268
508-362-2131 x4343

New Bedford:
Gabrielle Simmons
Community Foundation of Southeastern Mass.
227 Union St., Suite 609
New Bedford, MA 02742
508-996-8253
www.cfsema.org

Access to AGM Directory Database Only

Lowell:
Peter Bull Lowell Telecommunications Corporation
246 Market Street
PO Box 803
Lowell, MA 01853-0803
978-458-5400 x11
www.ltc.org

Springfield:
Western Mass Funding Resource Center
Alumnae Library, Elms College
291 Chicopee St.Chicopee, MA 01012
413-265-2280
www.diospringfield.org/wmfrc

Access to FC Search Only

Pittsfield:
Berkshire Athenaeum
1 Wendell Ave
Pittsfield, MA 02201
413-499-9480

Worcester:
Jane Peck
Grants Resource Center
Worcester Public Library
160 Freemont Street
Worcester, MA 01608
508-799-1654
www.worcpublib.org