Helping nonprofits master the art of grant writing

Foundation Center offers a deep resource for philanthropy

It seems that many of the 1.5 million nonprofits in the land still have not heard of the Foundation Center. And that’s too bad, because the venerable nonprofit organization, which has been around for more than 50 years, offers a wealth of information about U.S. philanthropy and helps people learn how to apply for grants through a rich foundation database.

Best of all, it’s free — just like a public library.

Recently I gave a well-attended talk at the Foundation Center San Francisco about how nonprofits can make strategic use of social media. Afterward, I sat down for a 6-minute interview with training coordinator Sarah Jo Neubauer, who detailed the Foundation Center’s offerings.

Watch, download or embed the video on Vimeo

At Foundation Centers in New York, Washington, DC, Atlanta, Cleveland and San Francisco, you can find out how to write a grant proposal to any of the 92,000 profiled foundations. If you’re a student, you can learn how and where to apply for financial aid. You can also find out how to develop a fundraising plan, how to approach a foundation, how to seek corporate sponsorship and more.

More resources are available here:

• Focus on the Economic Crisis
• Free webinar training
• Use Foundation Center resources for free at these locations.

You can access the center’s resources at one of their libraries (some 450 “cooperating collections”) around the country, online through a live or recorded webinar, or by directing your questions to a research expert via live chat or email. Without reservation, we can vouch for the Foundation Center as a cornerstone resource for your nonprofit’s efforts to learn more about grants, sponsorships and much more.

Related

• 99 foundations that use Twitter (Socialbrite) JD Lasica, founder and former editor of Socialbrite, is co-founder of Cruiseable. Contact JD or follow him on Twitter or Google Plus.