The Council on Foundations
cof.org

This site has links to many foundations and other associations. Convention information is worth a quick scan for buzzwords of the moment.

The Foundation Center
foundationcenter.org

This site should be your first stop when researching foundations (private or corporate). Extensive online databases and reference materials are available.

FoundationSearch
foundationsearch.com

The Foundation Center’s major competitor offers similar features, plus a few others to help you build your prospect list and research connections among foundation trustees. It provides databases for funders in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia.

The Giving Forum
givingforum.org

This site provides you with links to the numerous regional associations and their standardized application forms.

Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees gcir.org This site provides links to foundations and tips on grant writing.

Grantmakers in Health
gih.org

Links to funders and to studies that might provide backup for your proposal’s assertions.

Grantmakers in the Arts
giarts.org

Grantmakers in the Arts provides all types of funders from foundations to corporate giving programs and grantmaking public charities in a listing with links.

GrantStation
grantstation.com

Many fewer foundations are included here than in the Foundation Center’s databases, but more complete information is given for most of the foundations that might help you.

GuideStar
guidestar.org

This free database of every nonprofit organization in the United States includes foundations (private and corporate) and provides links and several years of tax returns for each.

Michigan State University Research Links
staff.lib.msu.edu/harris23/grants/prospect.htm

Part of the Michigan State University’s excellent links pages for grants, this section lists many sources of funding for programs for children and youth.

The Dana Foundation (New York, NY)
dana.org

Principal interests are in improved teaching of the performing arts in public schools and in health, particularly neuroscience and immunology.

The James Irvine Foundation (San Francisco, CA)
irvine.org

They give in California, primarily for higher education; workforce development; civic culture; sustainable communities; and children, youth, and families.

The Joyce Foundation (Chicago, IL)
joycefdn.org

They make grants for urban issues in Chicago; improvement of schools in Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, and Milwaukee; poverty in the Midwest; the natural environment of the Great Lakes; election finance reform; and gun control. They also make grants to individuals whose work falls within these areas.

Robert W. Woodruff Foundation, Inc. (Atlanta, GA)
woodruff.org

Interests of this foundation include K–college education; health care and education; human services, particularly for children; economic development; art and cultural activities; and the environment. They prefer one-time capital projects of established private charitable organizations.

The Rockefeller Foundation (New York, NY)
rockfound.org

Their wide-ranging interests include the arts; civil society; feeding and employing the poor; medical research, training, and distribution of services; revitalization of the African continent; and more. They also run a conference center in Italy for scholars, scientists, artists, writers, policymakers, and others to conduct creative and scholarly work.

W. K. Kellogg Foundation (Battle Creek, MI)
wkkf.org

Their primary interests lie in health; food systems and rural development; youth and education; and philanthropy and voluntarism. They also make special grants in their local community.

The William Randolph Hearst Foundations (New York, NY, and
San Francisco, CA)
hearstfdn.org

They fund nationally, but with an emphasis on the two cities where they have the strongest corporate presence. The website gives details on each grant and links to grantees.

The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation (Atlanta, GA)
blankfoundation.org

The founder of Home Depot gives to arts and culture, athletics and fitness, education enhancement, environment (including outdoor activities), fostering understanding, and organizational effectiveness in Georgia; Maricopa County, Arizona; Coastal South Carolina; Park and Gallatin Counties, Montana; and New York City.

The Brown Foundation, Inc. (Houston, TX)
brownfoundation.org

They support public primary and secondary education in Texas; services for children, especially in the Houston area; and the visual and performing arts.

The Milken Family Foundation (Santa Monica, CA)
mff.org

Although a number of family members are among the trustees, several nonfamily members are also on the board. Grants are made mostly in education and medical research (especially cancer research) and mostly in California. They make a large part of their grants through awards and fellowships.

New York Community Trust (New York, NY)
nycommunitytrust.org

With $1.7 billion in assets in 2009, this trust is one of the largest in the country. It serves New York City but is affiliated with community foundations serving Westchester County and Long Island.

Silicon Valley Community Foundation (Santa Clara, CA)
siliconvalley.org

This is one of the fastest-growing community foundations in the United States, with assets of $1.7 billion in 2009. The founders of eBay are among its donors. It serves Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties in California.

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (Washington, D.C.)
ceip.org

International affairs and U.S. foreign policy are pursued through research, discussion, education, and publications by this beneficiary of Andrew Carnegie.

KnowledgeWorks Foundation (Cincinnati, OH)
kwfdn.org

Educational initiatives in Ohio are the sole concerns of this foundation, which does, however, make grants.

Russell Sage Foundation (New York, NY)
russellsage.org

This foundation is devoted to research in the social sciences, supporting scholars who study at their facility or at other institutions. They also publish books and hold seminars.

Robin Hood Foundation (New York, NY)
robinhood.org

This foundation focuses mainly on children.