The process of finding grants typically begins with prospect research. Foundations generally give based on subject and geographic region, so look for funders whose interests match your organization's mission, programs, populations served, and locations served. 

Please note that foundations generally give to nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status. If you don’t have exempt status, first consider finding a nonprofit to work with or to act as your fiscal sponsor. These might help you qualify for more funding opportunities. To learn more, please see our articles on fiscal sponsorship.

Foundation Directory Online is Foundation Center's searchable database that provides an unsurpassed level of comprehensive and accurate information on grantmakers and their grants. You can search based on field of interest/subject, geography, grantmaker type, type of support, trustee names, and many other search fields. See a sample record.

To use it from your own computer, you can choose from two subscription plans that you can renew by the month or year. You can also use it for free at one of our 400+ locations worldwide. 

We also offer these free online resources for finding grants:

• Foundation Directory Online Quick Start: Search by name, city, state, ZIP, or EIN to get contact details, grantmaker information and links to recent 990s.
• Requests for Proposals (RFPs): Announcements of funding opportunities. Also available as an RSS feed or free weekly e-newsletter.

New to finding funders?

Start learning now with Introduction to Finding Grants, available for free as a live/recorded webinar or an in-person class.

Watch the recorded version now in the YouTube window below, or see its Course Page for more details and upcoming live dates and locations.

See our related Knowledge Base articles on this topic:

- Is there a Canadian organization similar to the Foundation Center?
- Is there a European organization similar to the Foundation Center?

More articles for international grantseekers»

Selected web resources below may also be helpful.