The Funding Research Center DEVELOPMENT LINKS OF INTEREST

	Prospect Research Tools		Grant Writing: General Information
	Links to Additional Research Tools		Grant Writing: Outcomes/Evaluation/Logic Models
	Online Foundation & Grant Resources		Sample Grant Proposals
	Fund Raising News/Publications		Fund Raising Software Companies
	Nonprofit Tools		Professional Organizations

Visit the Library's Donor Pages

Disclaimer: The links below are provided for educational purposes only. These websites are not under the control of the Williamsburg Regional Library or Williamsburg Regional Library Foundation. These links are provided for reference only, and are *not* intended as an endorsement by either the Williamsburg Regional Library or library's Foundation of the organizations operating the sites.

PROSPECT RESEARCH TOOLS
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LINKS TO ADDITIONAL RESEARCH TOOLS
(go to Prospect Research Tools/go to Online Foundation & Grant Research)

The Grantsmanship Center - TGCI conducts workshops in grantsmanship, proposal writing and fundraising. Site includes fund raising tips and links to research resources.

Internet Prospector - On-line research resources.

Portico – Courtesy of University of Virginia development office, this collection of web sites contains publicly available information compiled for the use of the advancement community.

Search Systems – Pac-info.com brings together a large collection of free public records on the internet. The purpose of this site is to help you to find public record information.  Now over 6365 free searchable public record databases are available.

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ONLINE FOUNDATION & GRANT RESEARCH
(go to Additional Research Tools/go to Fund Raising News/Publications)

Action Without Borders - A nonprofit organization that promotes the sharing of ideas, information and resources to help build a world where all people can live free, dignified and productive lives. Maintains "Idealist," a comprehensive directory of nonprofit and volunteering resources on the Web. 

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) - A government-wide compendium of Federal programs, projects, services, and activities which provide assistance or benefits to the American public. Contains financial and non-financial assistance programs administered by departments and establishments of the Federal government.

Connect Richmond - University of Richmond-based community research clearinghouse and nonprofit resource center; provides local, state, and national funding announcements.

Cultural Funding: Federal Opportunities - Describes and provides links to numerous grant programs in federal agencies that have supported arts and cultural projects. It is a resource intended to point organizations to an array of funding opportunities supported by federal dollars at the national, regional, state, and local levels.

Department of Education Grant Opportunities - US Department of Education maintained site listing information about applying for their grants and what grants are available.

Department of Health and Human Services - US Department of Health and Human Services  maintained site listing information about applying for their grants and what grants are available. 

Education-Related Grant Opportunities (1) - Lakeshore Learning Materials offers a wide variety of educational products.  They have assembled links to education grant resources as a courtesy to web users.

Education-Related Grant Opportunities (2) - Maintained by the Education Service Center Grants and Development Office this site offers information about any upcoming grant-related training, many links to grant-related and educational sites, and selected current grant opportunities of interest.

Foundation Finder - Use the Foundation Finder to search by name for basic information about foundations within the universe of more than 56,000 private and community foundations in the U.S. Presented by the Foundation Center.

Foundations On-Line - A browseable directory of charitable grantmakers and other nonprofit resources.

Foundation Directory Online (Platinum) - The FRC has a paid subscription to this searchable database.  It lists over 80,000 grantmakers and half a million grants.  The Foundation Center Online offers searching options for grants and foundations.

Fundsnet Online Services - Has been on-line since 1996 for the purpose of providing Nonprofit Organizations, Colleges and Universities with information on financial resources available on the Internet. Offers a broad range of links to foundations on-line, grant opportunities by topic and grant writing resources.

GrantSelect - The FRC has a paid subscription to this searchable database.  It lists over 10,000 grants and funding opportunities, including funding from state and federal governments, corporations, foundations, and associations.

Grant-Related, Education Research and Statistics, General Education, and Government Sites - One of two lists maintained by the Education Service Center Grants and Development Office this site offers information about any upcoming grant-related training, over 85 links to quality grant-related and educational sites, and selected current grant opportunities of interest.

Grants.gov - Attempts to provide a simple, unified electronic storefront for interactions between grant applicants and the Federal agencies that manage grant funds.

Health and Human Services (U.S. Department of) - This portal page attempts to incorporate HHS opportunities from multiple web sites. Some hotlinks will cover more than one type of opportunity. 

National Endowment for the Arts - Serves the public good by nurturing human creativity, supporting community spirit, and fostering appreciation of the excellence and diversity of our nation's artistic accomplishments through grantmaking; leadership initiatives; partnerships with state arts agencies, regional arts organizations, other federal agencies and the private sector; research; and public information.

National Endowment for the Humanities - An independent grant-making agency of the United States government dedicated to supporting research, education, and public programs in the humanities. Humanities encompass the study of history, literature, history of art and science, philosophy, religion, folklore and other disciplines.

Proposal Writer Grant Research - Created by independent consultant Deborah Kluge, this page offer links to many foundations, funding sources and grant resources.  This  site offers a host of interesting resources in addition to this one, so a review of the full web page is suggested.

SRA International - Society of Research Administrators International is a nonprofit association dedicated to the education and the professional development of research administrators. Numerous links for grant resources.

Virginia Commission for the Arts - The Commission distributes awards to artists, arts and other not-for-profit organizations, educational institutions, educators and local governments, and provides technical assistance in arts management.

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FUND RAISING NEWS/PUBLICATIONS
(go to Online Foundation & Grant Research/go to Nonprofit Tools)

American Philanthropy Review's "CharityChannel™" - Offers numerous free email list discussion groups on topics including but not limited to, annual fund, boards, cybergifts (raising money online), planned giving and prospect research. Also includes archives of past discussions.

Chronicle of Philanthropy - Offers fund raising articles, grantmaking information, resources. Access to parts of this site is now available only to Chronicle subscribers. 

Consortium for Foundation Libraries - The Core Resources for Grantmakers is an  annotated bibliography (in PDF format) of materials relevant to many aspects of non-profit fund raising.  The bibliography includes resources on collaboration, diversity, evaluation grantmaking, and several other categories.  Many citations include URLs. 

Foundation News and Commentary - A Council of Foundations publication. Offers fund raising articles, grantmaking information, resources.

Grantsmanship Center Magazine - A Grantsmanship Center publication. Offers fund raising articles, grantmaking information, resources.

Issuelab - IssueLab is an online publishing forum for nonprofit research. Our mission is to more effectively archive, distribute and promote the extensive and diverse body of work being produced by the third sector.

Philanthropy Journal - Offers fund raising articles, grantmaking information, resources.

The Nonprofit Times - Offers fund raising articles, nonprofit news, resources.

Philanthropy News Digest - A Foundation Center publication. Offers fund raising articles, grantmaking information, resources.

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NONPROFIT TOOLS
(go to Fund Raising News/Publications/go to Grant Writing)

The Alliance for Nonprofit Management - FAQs on board development, financial management, fund raising and strategic planning.

Audit Committee Toolkit: Not-for-Profit Organization - American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) developed toolkit to help for audit committees to do the job they need to do as effectively and efficiently as possibly.  Endeavors to help audit committees, internal auditors, and the leaders of the financial management organization execute corporate governance.

Boardsource - (formerly National Center for Nonprofit Boards) A premier resource for practical information, tools and best practices, training, and leadership development for board members of nonprofit organizations worldwide.

Lewis B. Cullman website - Solicitation advice and recommendations from philanthropist Lewis Cullman.  Includes downloadable document "How To Succeed in Fundraising By Really Trying" as well as his opinions on what make good and bad appeal letters.

Foundation Center Frequently Asked Questions - Offers links to numerous topics for non-profits including the funding research process, examples of nonprofit documents and nonprofit organizations.

The Foundation Center Gain Knowledge  - On-line research resources, use the drop down menu from Gain knowledge, as well as resources listed on the page.

Free Management Library - A vast resource for nonprofit managers. Hosted by the Management Assistance Program for Nonprofits this page provides highly accessible and practical resources to managers throughout the nation. Explore the detailed index of library materials to find information on evaluation, fundraising, board resources, letter samples and more.

GroundSpring - Requires free registration.  Offers an Online Fundraising Handbook, a downloadable guide on raising funds online, making your web site more effective, mining for new donors, etc. 

Grantsmart- Features a searchable database of tax-related information for each of the over 60,000 private foundations that file Form 990-PF with the (IRS).  Also see Guidestar for charitable organization 990s.

GuideStar - Geared toward the donor. Three levels of service: Basic access is free with registration; Select and Premium access are fee based.  Features a searchable database on over 850,000 tax exempt organizations.  Includes IRS Form 990s for organizations that file them.  Also see Grantsmart for Private Foundation 990s.

Housing and Urban Development, Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives - The Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives links community and faith-based organizations to the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Center's mission is to focus, integrate, and intensify HUD's relationship with these groups. The Center is not a funding source.

Life Cycle of a Public Charity - This resources is designed to help public charities understand the process for obtaining and maintaining tax-exempt status.  Divided into five sections: Starting Out, Applying to IRS, Annual Filings, Ongoing Compliance, and Significant Events.

IRS Tax Exempt Kit - A packet of federal forms and publications for tax-exempt organizations or groups wishing to apply for tax-exempt status.

IRS Search for a Charity - Search for IRS designated charities.  Online Version of Publication 78.

Non-profit Good Practice Guide - A one-stop shop for widely-accepted and innovative nonprofit practices offering Preferred Practices and Pitfalls, Glossaries, Resources, Trends and Web site Profiles within ten topic areas.

Nonprofit Expert - Categories cover many nonprofit topics including fundraising, nonprofit management, prospect research, grantwriting, nonprofit software, etc.  Speciality is consultation for creating nonprofits organizations.

Nonprofit Resource Center - Since 1997 one of the Internet's premier information sources for nonprofit organizations.  Offers a comprehensive list of links to websites of interest to nonprofits, including fund raising, legal issues, management and more.

Quality 990 - Most nonprofits have to file 990s. This website offers tips on filling out the 990 as well as disclosure regulations and other 990 related information.

Efile Form 990 - This web site and the Desktop 990 software can be used to complete IRS Form 990, 990-EZ, Schedule A, and Unified Registration Statement. Upon completion, the forms are sent electronically to this web site.  The Forms can also be printed out from the Desktop 990 so that they can be mailed to the IRS. There is a fee for this service.

Stay Exempt Basics for 501(c)(3)s - IRS online training provides five free training modules to help you keep an organization’s exempt status intact. Modules can be taken individually and in any order.

Supporting Advancement - a collection of resources for "those supporting advancement and development organizations."  Maintained by submissions from professionals around the country.  Categories include sample forms, policy examples, acknowledgment samples, grant writing advise, and many more topics.

Websites for Grantseekers & Nonprofit Organizations - Maintained by the Tucson-Pima Public Library (AZ), this site contains information about grants for individuals and small businesses.

Verizon Foundation Resource Center - Offers a suite of online tools that give nonprofit managers access to best-in-class national training partners and business resources.  Topics include planning, technology, communication, fundraising, recruiting, and evaluation.

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GRANT WRITING: GENERAL INFORMATION
(go to Nonprofit Tools/go to Grant Writing Outcomes)

The Art of Grantsmanship by Jacob Kraicer - Proposal writing tips geared toward research grants, but applicable in general to all grant writing by someone who has been doing it for over 30 years.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Grantwriting Tutorial - The EPA and Purdue Univserity developed this on-line program to help those communities and non-profit organizations identify financial assistance opportunities for their environmental-oriented development programs. 

GrantCraft - This Ford Foundation project is a source of practical wisdom from grant makers on the tools and techniques of effective grant making.  Learn what grant makers want to achieve and how they assess grant applications.  Especially explore the "guides," "case studies" and "more tools" sections.

Grantmakers For Effective Organization (GEO) - GEO pursues its mission to advance and expand organizational effectiveness practices in and by the philanthropic community through two related and complementary goals to promote and advocate for the use of philanthropic resources to advance nonprofit organizational effectiveness and to accelerate the development, dissemination, and application of knowledge about nonprofit and philanthropic organizational effectiveness.

Non-Profit Guides - Offers information on grant writing, plus tips and samples for letters of inquiry, cover letters, grant summaries, grant budgets and applications.

Proposal Writer Grant Checklist and Proposal Pointers - Created by independent consultant Deborah Kluge, these two pages are designed to provide basic, effective tips and pointers to consider when writing a grant.  This site offers a host of interesting resources in addition to this one, so a review of the full web page is suggested.

Point K Learning Center - Free registration required.  Created by InnoNet offers free tools and resources for assessment, accountability, communication, and program improvement.

A Proposal Writers Short Course - A Foundation Center article. A quick introduction and overview to the process of background researching, and writing a grant proposal.

William Strunk's Elements of Style - The classic book on grammar, composition, etc.

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GRANT WRITING: OUTCOMES/EVALUATION/LOGIC MODELS
(go to Grant Writing: General Information/go to Sample Grant Proposals)

American Evaluation Association - Devoted to the application and exploration of evaluation in all its forms.

Bureau of Justice Assistance - BJA's collection of evaluation, measurement and instrument links and information.  Many resources to explore and learn from.

Center for Disease Control and Prevention Evaluation working Group - links for further information about evaluation or assistance in conducting an evaluation project.

Center for Disease Control and Prevention Youth Violence Assessment Tools -  CDC publication titled Measuring Violence-Related Attitudes, Beliefs, and Behaviors Among Youths: A Compendium of Assessment Tools. 

Enhancing Program Performance with Logic Models - University of Wisconsin introduces a holistic approach to planning and evaluating education and outreach programs. Module 1 helps program practitioners use and apply logic models. Module 2 applies logic modeling to a national effort to evaluate community nutrition education.

The Evaluation Center - The links page for Western Michigan University's center which is dedicated to research, development, dissemination, service, instruction, and national and international leadership in evaluation.

Everything You Wanted to Know About Logic Models But Were Afraid to Ask - a paper funded by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation and written by Connie C. Schmitz and Beverly A. Parsons.  Offers a basic overview of the topic.

Institute of Museum and Library Services - Discussion on outcome measures, see resource links toward bottom of the page for FAQs and articles. This is focused on libraries and museums, but applicable to all non-profit organizations.

National Science Foundation Evaluation Handbook - The User-Friendly Handbook for Project Evaluation focuses on quantitative techniques for conducting outcome evaluations, those designed to assess the results of NSF funded innovations and interventions.

Online Evaluation Resource Library - This library was developed for professionals seeking to design, conduct, document, or review project evaluations. OERL is funded by the National Science Foundation. OERL's resources include instruments, plans, and reports from evaluations that have proven to be sound and representative of current evaluation practices.

Program Development and Evaluation - University of Wisconsin site provides training and technical assistance that enables campus and community-based agencies to plan, implement and evaluate high quality educational programs.  Review logic model and evaluation resources.

Putting Outcome Evaluation in Context: A Toolkit - This resource will take you step-by-step through the process of conducting outcome-based evaluation.  Although designed for libraries the information is applicable to almost any organization.

United Way Outcome Measurement Resources - Articles about outcome measures that include explanations, definitions, uses and examples.

W.K. Kellogg Handbooks - Click on most requested publications for free downloadable handbooks for developing logic models, planning and utilizing evaluation techniques and more.

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SAMPLE GRANT PROPOSALS
(go to Grant Writing Outcomes/go to Fund Raising Software Companies)

The purpose of providing these grants is to give prospective grant writers an overview on the types of proposals submitted and how successful proposals are constructed and written. These applications and proposals are intended to foment ideas, help formulate concepts and act as general guides. They do not replace the grant writing process.

The Grantsmanship Center Winning Grant Proposals Online - Provides free access to abstracts of over 800 successful federal grant proposals.  Reviewing abstracts can help develop new ideas and provides a glimpse of what has worked in the past.  TGCI sells the full proposals on CD ROM.

National Science Foundation - Sinclair Community College has posted several successful NSF grant proposals to help in developing NSF projects.

Non-Profit Guides offers a general sample grant application for private funding and for public/government funding.

School Grants Sample Grant Proposals - SchoolGrants.org shares successful proposals related to PK-12 education grants.

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FUND RAISING SOFTWARE COMPANIES
(go to Sample Grant Proposals/go to Professional Organizations)

The following are selected links (not a comprehensive list) to companies that sell donor databases (except Ebase which is free). Included are some of the leading fund raising software companies in the industry. Other options can be found by searching on the Internet and through trade journals. You may wish to review the tip sheet on databases created by Coyote Communications, examine the Chronicle of Philanthropy's Technology Guide (which includes fundraising databases) or review some advice about choosing a program below.  Another excellent resource is software advice provided by Techsoup.org.  They feature numerous resources including a basic database assessment, a database needs assessment questionnaire, a database planning guide, an off-the-shelf database assessment, and a sample database plan.

Fund raising software varies in features and cost. Hands-on exploration of a demonstration version of a program (if available) is strongly recommended and often accompanied by a free phone tour of the software. This allows you to get a feel for specific programs and identify general features important to your organization. In narrowing the options the following measures of comparison might be helpful:

• what are program features and could/would you use them?

• cost of basic program taking into account number of user licenses that come with it

• cost of additional user licenses (usually sold in groups of 2-5)

• cost of additional modules and which modules might be desirable (if applicable)

• cost of annual maintenance contract

• are product updates included in the maintenance contract? if not, how much extra?

• cost of data conversion and/or database setup (if applicable)

• cost of training, including potential travel and accommodation expenses

• training options (locations, schedules)

Free
Ebase - FREE downloadable template database designed to manage information about individuals and households.

Companies
Donor2 by Systems Support Services
DonorPerfect by Software, Inc
Sage Fundraising (formerly Paradigm and GTPro) and Millenium
Raiser Edge by Blackbaud
Results/PLUS by Metafile

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PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
(go to Fund Raising Software Companies/go to top)

Association of Fundraising Professionals - (formerly known as the National Society of Fund Raising Executives, NSFRE) an individual member association, advances philanthropy through education, training and advocacy based on research and a Code of Ethical Principles and Standards of Professional Practice. AFP members and affiliates enable people and organizations to better serve diverse communities and Society as a whole.

Association of Professional Researchers for Advancement - The mission of the APRA is to foster professional development and promote standards that enhance the expertise and status of development research and information service professionals worldwide.

Certified Fund Raising Executive - CFRE International offers the only internationally- recognized baseline professional credential for philanthropic fundraising executives. 

Council for the Advancement and Support of Education - An international association of education advancement officers, who include alumni administrators, fund raisers, public relations managers, publications editors, and government relations officers. The purposes of CASE are to develop and foster sound relationships between member educational institutions and their constituencies; to provide training programs, products, and services in the areas of alumni relations, communications, and philanthropy; to promote diversity within these professions; and to provide a strong force for the advancement and support of education worldwide.

Leave A Legacy Greater Williamsburg - Leave A Legacy is a national effort to inspire people from all walks of life and income levels to think beyond their lifespan when doing good works.  LEAVE A LEGACY Greater Williamsburg is a broad-based community campaign that involves all types of nonprofit groups, including social service and arts organizations, churches, hospitals and educational institutions.

National Planned Giving Council - The National Committee on Planned Giving was formed as a federation of planned giving councils to facilitate, coordinate, and encourage the education and training of the planned giving community, and to facilitate effective communication among the many different professionals in this community.  The LEAVE A LEGACY program is the public awareness campaign conducted by the National Committee on Planned Giving.

Virginia Association of Fund Raising Executives (VAFRE) - 300 member non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the professional skills of fundraisers across the Commonwealth of Virginia.

 

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(Please contact Benjamin Goldberg if you discover that any of the above links are broken)

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