You can find information on corporate funding with The Foundation Directory Online, FoundationSearch, GrantStation, and GuideStar. Everything I said previously about using these tools in researching private foundations applies equally to corporate foundations and corporate giving programs. (Note that you won’t find information on corporate giving programs in GuideStar, which only includes nonprofit organizations.)

On one corporate site that seemed to have no obvious links to its foundation, typing “grants” in its site search box took me right to the foundation. With others, finding the corporate foundation requires knowledge of the latest euphemisms. Social responsibility appears to be the term du jour that allows corporations to combine all they do to be good corporate citizens in one place. Other popular names for corporate philanthropy are community relations and community development, but occasionally they will resort to philanthropy.

Be aware that some companies, especially those that sell merchandise on the web, keep their corporate information in a separate place. For example, TheGap.com is where you can find the nearest store, but you need to go to GapInc.com to find corporate information, including its foundation.

Because corporate foundations are connected to corporations, however, even more information exists on the Internet to help you determine how to get a grant from them. Knowledge is power, especially in the corporate world, so don’t leave any stone unturned when seeking corporate funding. The more you know about the company and its principal officers, the better you can focus your proposal.

The business section of your local newspaper and business publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Crain’s, Forbes, and Fortune are important sources of information on corporations (whose stock is up, whose is down) and corporate officers (who’s in, who’s out). You can find all these publications online and mostly free for at least some articles.

Most periodicals maintain an archive of past stories as well. Although many charge a modest fee for accessing the archived news, it’s worth it if the story provides the key to your proposal.

You can gain access to all filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission through the EDGAR database (sec.gov/edgar/quickedgar.htm), although the information is probably more esoteric than you’ll need. If your prospect is a top corporate CEO and you’ve heard that he or she has just received a major stock package, you can get the details from EDGAR and then decide how much to ask for.