Getting Started

1. Know Yourself
Finding a funder means making a match: a match between a funder's interests, mission, and goals and the interests, mission, and capabilities of your organization.  Even before beginning to research potential funders, it's important to have a clear idea of what your organization is about and how it will appear to grant makers.

Here are some of the questions you should be prepared to answer:

Does your organization have 501(c)3 status? Most grant makers typically provide funds for organizations that qualify for nonprofit status under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code.  

What is the mission of your organization? Do you have a written mission statement that explains clearly and concisely the services you provide and to whom you provide them? How well does your mission align with that of a potential funder?

What are the goals of the particular project for which you need funding? Can you demonstrate how the project meets a need in the community? Are there others providing services that meet the same need?

Who is in charge? What is the background of your management, staff, and trustees? Do you have the experience to accomplish the mission of your organization and of the particular project for which you are seeking funding?  

Where does your funding come from? Be prepared to disclose all of your income sources. Funders generally want to see some indication of continued support.  Suggest other sources of alternate or partial funding you have or are considering.

2. Understanding Grant Makers

One of the distinguishing characteristics of the thousands of grantmaking organizations is that, in many ways, each of them is different.  There are many similarities of course, to greater and lesser degrees, between one grant maker and another.  But the better you understand how different kinds of grant makers operate and where a particular funder fits in the grant maker universe, the better prepared you'll be.  Here are some steps to gaining a better understanding of the types of grant makers and how they work.

Review the section on "Types of Grant Makers" in the AGM Grant Maker Directory.  Learn the difference between a private foundation, a community foundation, a corporate foundation, a corporate giving program, and other types of grant makers.

Read about the inner workings of foundations and other grant makers.   See the list of recommended readings on grant makers in the bibliography section of this guide.

Get to know the language of philanthropy.

Read what the grant makers are reading.  The Resource Center's Janet C. Taylor Library has several key publications covering topics of interest to grant makers.  These include Foundation News & Commentary, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Philanthropy Magazine,  Corporate Philanthropy Report, and others.

Check out grant maker "affinity groups" on program areas that  interest you.  Groups like Grantmakers in Health, Grantmakers in the Arts, Asian Americans / Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy, Funders for Gay & Lesbian Issues, and others produce reports, newsletters, websites, and other sources of information that grant makers use to keep up on news, trends, issues, and developments in their field.