The following tips and website links are from an article presented
at the June 2002 National Conference on Community Service by Luigi
Procopio from the Points of Light Foundation, called Finding Grant Opportunities on the Internet.
Corporation and Community Foundations
What motivates a company or foundation to give? By giving back to
society, individuals or groups create a positive public image as well
as build relationships with the community they serve or live in. While
many companies use direct corporate giving programs, other companies
set up separate foundations that are created to deal with all
philanthropic functions of the company. Their interests are usually in
keeping with their company or individual's interests, as they exist
mostly on endowments and contributions from the company or individual.
The best place to start searching for grants and corporate donations
is with local businesses, as well as corporations with a local
operation in your area. We will list some web sources for you to begin
your search for corporate funding below. You may also want to search
locally with your Chamber of Commerce or your Better Business Bureau.
Recently, many foundations and companies have refined their giving
programs with a more narrow focus. If you can find a way to leverage
your involvement to one of their main causes you could have a better
chance at getting a company's attention. Companies also support
employee volunteering and favor non-cash gifts, which many nonprofit
organizations often overlook as a fundraising source.
Foundations are required to fill out IRS Form 990s, which are often
posted on the foundation's website, so you can use these when
researching a company. There is far less government regulation on
direct corporate giving so it may be more difficult to find information
on these programs. Because of this, you will probably find much more
information on foundations online. It is also a good idea to remember
that the foundations will use their website as a marketing tool, and
may not include a lot of details about their giving. You will have to
dig deeper to find out if your program really would be eligible for a
grant. You will want to keep this information in mind when looking for
corporate and foundation funding on the web.
When searching the web yourself, try various search engines, as you
will probably get different results with each. For more information on
choosing search engines, see the article, Searching the Web. Once you have a search engine to use, start with broad search terms, such as:
- foundations
- corporate giving
- in-kind gifts
- nonprofit grants
- funding for senior programs
- RFP or request for proposals
Analyzing a Funder's Website
You must take a slightly different approach when searching a
company's website to find information on their corporate giving
program. Look for information on their annual report, or under titles,
such as "About our Company", "Public Relations" or "Corporate
Information". Expect to click a few times to find it in the website.
Another way to find the information you are looking for would be to use
a site map, which is a listing of all of the pages on the website. Many
websites include site maps, and it's a quick way to find the specific
page you are looking for.
Analyze the annual report information, as well as the company's
business statements, who the leaders are, what type of products they
supply and their locations. If you have trouble finding information
about a company's corporate giving, it may be because they have created
a foundation that would include all of the information you are looking
for. An example is General Electric, whose philanthropic functions are
taken care of through GE Fund,
their foundation. Make sure to do some research to see if all of the
company's giving is indeed done through a foundation, or if you need to
pursue both the foundation and the company for different types of
donations (for example, in-kind as opposed to cash donations).
Presenting Your Program to Funders
Corporations and foundations may expect you to submit a proposal or
letter of interest by mail, in addition to filling out any applications
or forms. Keep in mind who your audience is when writing the proposal,
and make sure to keep it short and to the point. You will also want to
include a budget, your goals, action plan, and an evaluation plan for
setting your indicators of success. Make sure that you develop a good
connection with whomever you are asking for a donation by targeting
your proposal to their needs and interests. |
