Grants Resource Center
Through the end of 2021, access to the Foundation Directory Online's Essential Tier will be available online, from any location, with your Library card. Get started finding the perfect funders for your 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization!
Contact our Grants Resource Librarian, Kent Mulcahy, with any questions you have about the differences between the "Essential" and "Professional" tiers, or tips on how to use the Foundation Directory in general. New to the database and looking for some help diving in? We offer free virtual classes each and every month on just that topic! View our calendar below to register.
Related Online Resources
Gale Virtual Reference Library
Wall Street Journal
Library-Only Research Databases
Access to the following databases is only available in the Information and Reference Department at the Downtown Main Library.
- Foundation Directory Online Professional provides access to essential facts on grantmakers and their funding activities worldwide. To pinpoint prospective funders, explore four comprehensive databases: Grantmakers, Companies, Grants, and 990s. With geographic search tools, you can zoom in on regional and local grantmakers or grants by state, county, city, metro area, congressional district and ZIP code. Choose from over 1,100 indexed search terms or keyword-search. Interactive maps and charts show a funder’s giving trends, and you can click through to see recipient lists and grant details.
- Foundation Grants to Individuals Online is an online database of over 8,500 foundation and public charity programs that fund students, artists, researchers, and other individual grantseekers.
Recommended Books
Recommended Grant and Nonprofit Books
The Grants Resource Center is a partner library in the Foundation Center's Funding Information Network. The Grants Resource Center provides visitors with free public access to grantmaker directories, books on fundraising, proposal writing, and nonprofit management, as well as the Foundation Center’s electronic databases. The Grants Resource Center is located in the Information & Reference Department at the Downtown Main Library.
Programs for Nonprofits
These free monthly programs constitute a three-part series and are offered at the Downtown Main Library at various days and times. The bulleted list below is the suggested, but not required, sequence in which to take the classes. For more details, please call 513-369-6900. To view upcoming programs, visit our online program calendar.
- Introduction to Finding Grants is a two-hour course that provides an overview of the funding research process for those seeking grants for nonprofits from foundations, corporations, and grantmaking public charities.
- Grants Research Lab is a two-hour computer lab that offers the opportunity to receive staff help as you search for nonprofit grants using our electronic databases.
- Introduction to Proposal Writing is a two-hour course that offers tips and techniques in successful proposal writing for nonprofits, including what goes into a successful proposal, how the material is organized, how proposal budgets are prepared, and how to present proposals to grant makers in ways designed to promote a positive response.
Questions?
Contact Kent Mulcahy, our Grants Librarian, by phone (513-369-6934) or email.
Get immediate assistance via live chat from the experts at GrantSpace on their “Ask Us”, opens a new window page. Chat is staffed by grant and nonprofit professionals Mondays through Fridays, from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Or, submit your question using their email form, and receive a response within 48 business hours.
