Morris County Library > Reference > Foundations
About Foundations
According to the Foundation Center, there are over 36,000 private grantmaking foundations currently operating in the United States. Together they contribute over $10 billion in grants each year. Most larger public libraries stock several foundation grant directories and handbooks to guide you through the grantseeking process. The New Jersey State Library has compiled a list of information sites for charities and philanthropies. The Basics
Are you a first time grantseeker? Try Foundation Center online tutorials (some free). The Center also offers seminars in all five of their offices located throughout the country. (Closest north Jersey office is New York City.) See also the National Network of Grantsmakers and their Common Grant Application (CGA).
Foundation Directories
Foundations by name
990s (non-profits' IRS filings)
Foundation home pages (try foundationname.org as web address, for example: redcross.org )
In New Jersey, ask for the Mitchell Guide and the New Jersey Grants Guide. These directories contain contact information, basic financial data and sample grants. Some NY/NJ foundations accept the Regional Association of Grantmakers Common Application.
Government Money
The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance is the most comprehensive directory of U.S. grant and loan programs. The print version of the Catalog is available at many public libraries. New programs, application deadlines and service updates are tracked by the NonProfit Gateway. Most major federal programs,
such as the National Endowment for
the Humanities and
National Science Foundation have their own homepages.
New Jersey
Dept of Community Affairs--grants announcement and applications
Dept of Health--forms, directory of grant programs and cost principles
Dept of Education--discretionary and entitlement grants
Dept of Labor--worker retraining grants
Statistics
For data to support your grant application, use the MCL statistics web.
News Sources
Both the NonProfit Times, Philanthropy News Digest, and The Chronicle of Philanthropy are online, full text, searchable and free! These trade publications are excellent sources for practical tips, industry trends, statistics, and employment opportunities.
Library Resources
The nearest of the Foundation Center cooperating collections is County College of Morris (Randolph). Call their reference desk (973)328-5296 to verify holdings & hours. We also have a collection of grants directories here at MCL.
Questions?
page created by Amy Saloway