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Nonprofit Resource Center Bookshelf, with Sarkey's Foundation plaque, and a directional sign for circulating nonprofit collection on the left.

Find Grants for Your Nonprofit

Candid's premier resources, Foundation Directory Online and Foundation Maps, are designed to connect nonprofits to potential funders. Find funders who share your interests, learn what types of projects are being funded in your area, and more. 

Foundation Directory Online (Only at Central)
Foundation Directory Online is the nation's leading online funding research tool, developed by Candid. It is a searchable database that includes:

  • 140,000 + grantmakers, including U.S. private, public, and company-sponsored foundations
  • Corporate giving programs
  • 1,700 of the largest grantmaking U.S. government agencies
  • 20,000 non-U.S. grantmakers

Foundation Maps (Only at Central)
Foundation Maps is a data visualization tool from Candid that brings philanthropic data to life, making it easy to understand who is funding what and where around the world.

More About Grants & Fundraising

Visit these resources for tips on writing winning grants and hosting successful fundraising events: 

Candid Learning: Fundraising
Learn how to plan the perfect fundraising event with articles, on-demand courses, sample documents, and more. 

Candid Learning: Proposal Writing
Brush-up on your grant writing skills with articles, on-demand courses, sample documents, and more.

Oklahoma Nonprofit Charitable Events Calendar 
Check the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofit's Charitable Event's Calendar to avoid scheduling conflicts and find the perfect date and time for your fundraising event.

Content
Topic Guides

Hire a Grant Writer

Search these directories to locate a professional grant writer:

Grants for For-Profit Businesses

Do for-profit businesses qualify for cash grants?

Generally speaking, there are no grants available to individual for-profit businesses. There are federal grants for business, but these are awarded to agencies and organizations that assist small businesses, such as Small Business Development Centers.  There are also federal programs, such as Sam.gov, that offer contract opportunities to small businesses. However, this type of funding is different from a cash grant.

The following articles include more information about grants and the for-profit sector: 

Source:

Springfield-Greene County Library District: Grants for Businesses

Form 990

What is Form 990?

Form 990 is the annual return submitted by most tax-exempt organizations to the IRS as evidence of compliance with tax laws. There are different versions of the 990 form: 990, 990-PF, 990-EZ, and 990-N. An organization's type, gross receipts, and total assets determine which of these it is required to file. Note that churches and some church-affiliated organizations are exempt from filing.

The IRS's Form 990 Overview Course includes a detailed explanation of all 990-series forms and filing requirements. 

Unlike tax returns submitted by individuals, all 990 returns are public records. You can find copies of an organization's submitted 990 returns through the IRS's Tax Exempt Organization Search database, or through sites such as GuideStar or ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer

What happens if an organization fails to file a 990?

Failure to file a 990 return for three consecutive years will result in the automatic revocation of an organization's tax-exempt status. Under some circumstances, organizations that have had their tax-exempt status revoked may apply for reinstatement. Please see the IRS's publication, Automatic Revocation of Tax-Exempt Status, as well as he Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits's white paper, Reinstating Your Nonprofit Status, for more information. Both of these documents are included as PDFs under Recommended Resources, below.   

How are 990s used by nonprofit organizations?       

A funder's 990 or 990-PF includes a complete list of grants awarded for that fiscal year. Grant seekers often use a public charity or foundation's tax returns to gain insight into its funding preferences, and to determine if it is worthwhile to apply for a grant with that organization. The Foundation Directory Online database provides detailed Funder Profiles that include information about a foundation or public charity's stated funding interests, as well as past projects funded. Funder Profiles are an informative, easy-to-read alternative to a 990 return. Contact the Research Center at rcaskus@tulsalibrary.org to learn more about how the Foundation Directory Online's Funder Profiles can help with your next grant application. 

Recommended Resources

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