Philanthropy Front and Center - Washington, DC

New Foundation Center Map of Cross-border Giving

Our new Map of Cross-border Giving allows grantseekers to access a wealth of information on grants awarded by U.S. foundations to non-U.S. recipients. This interactive database includes detailed descriptions of grants awarded to over 12,000 international organizations totaling more than $8.5 billion. With this new resource, users can:

• Browse grants from U.S. grantmakers to non-U.S. recipient organizations using the interactive world map.
• Filter grants by fiscal year, grantmaker type, primary subject, recipient type, or type of support.
• View descriptions of over 30,000 grants to international organizations with information on the recipient, amount awarded, duration, type of support, description, and subject.
• Access detailed profiles of more than 1,400 funders, including contact information, giving interests and limitations, key financial data, and full copies of IRS returns for past years.
• Copy, print, or save maps for future reference. Data can also be exported as a spreadsheet file for further manipulation.

The Foundation Center's Map of Cross-border Giving is available by monthly or annual subscription. For more details, go to crossborder.foundationcenter.org or visit the Marketplace section of our web site.

New Digital Publication - Celebrity Foundation Directory

The Foundation Center has just published the first edition of the Celebrity Foundation Directory.

This new title includes detailed descriptions of thousands of foundations started by VIPs in the fields of business, entertainment, politics, and sports. Through their private foundations, many notable individuals have made significant contributions to help underserved populations and provide support for medical research, green technology, and countless other causes they care about. Oprah Winfrey, Tiger Woods, and Michael J. Fox are just a few examples of individuals who have made headlines for their support to philanthropic causes.

This new directory links celebrities with their grantmaking organizations and will help you identify which individuals or organizations may have an interest in funding your programs and activities. The interactive digital format allows for faster access to foundation profiles and includes links to additional grantmaker data online. The directory is also fully indexed for quick reference to information on individuals and foundations.

The Celebrity Foundation Directory is available for purchase at our web site. Buy now >>

Visit the Marketplace section of our web site for more information on this and other Foundation Center publications.

Decline in 2009 Foundation Giving Steeper Than Anticipated, According to New Foundation Center Survey

In September 2009, the Foundation Center conducted a follow-up to its January 2009 giving forecast survey to determine foundation expectations for giving beyond 2009. The survey responses from over 600 grantmakers have been analyzed and indicate that giving from foundations is expected to decline by more than 10 percent in 2009, and continued reductions are expected in 2010. "Foundations will be giving less than they expected at the beginning of the year," said Bradford K. Smith, president of the Foundation Center. "But many are rethinking their grantmaking so that fewer dollars will not necessarily mean less impact."

Foundations' Year-end Outlook for Giving and the Sector is the latest in the Center's research advisory series that explores the impact of the economic downturn on the nonprofit sector. The advisories and the online chart "In Their Own Words: 2009 Foundation Giving Forecast" are available at the Center's Focus on the Economic Crisis web page.

The report can be downloaded at no charge from the Gain Knowledge area of the Center's web site.

New Partnership for Two DC Health Funders Simplifies Application Process

The Meyer Foundation recently announced that it is beginning a new partnership with the Consumer Health Foundation (CHF), the leading health funder in the Greater Washington region. Beginning next year, CHF will manage the application process for Meyer's health and mental health grants.

These two foundations have worked closely together for nearly a decade and have overlapping interests in their funding priorities and grantees. This partnership will allow them to share knowledge and will help to streamline and simplify the application and reporting processes. CHF will accept proposals for Meyer's health related funding by invitation only starting in 2010. You can find more details about this collaboration on the Meyer Foundation web site.

This partnership serves as an excellent example of grantmakers working to improve the application process for grantseekers -- which is the main goal of Project Streamline. Project Streamline is a collaborative effort of organizations from both sides of the grantmaker/grantseeker divide who are studying grant application and reporting practices, their impact on grantseekers and grantmakers, and the implications for the field.

The Meyer Foundation and the Foundation Center, along with many  other organizations, are participating in this discussion to explore ways to simplify the application process and reduce costs on both sides. You can visit the Project Streamline web site to review recommendations issued by this group, download its report Drowning in Paperwork, Distracted from Purpose [pdf], or register for an online newsletter to keep up with new information.

Frightening Proposals

Foundation staff review stacks upon stacks of grant proposals each year. From time to time, they may even see proposals that are downright scary. In the spirit of Halloween, here are three 'monster' proposals that you should hope to avoid.

Frankenstein's Monster
Sure - it sounds easy enough. Everyone writes their respective sections of the proposal and then puts them together in one document and sends it to the funder. Too often, however, the result can be a loosely-stitched-together proposal that is confusing and full of inconsistencies and repetition. Reviewers can tell when a proposal has been patched together without substantial revision, and a narrative that is disorganized and incoherent is much less convincing than one with a uniform voice that flows smoothly from section to section.

While it's not uncommon for several different individuals in an organization to be involved in the proposal writing process, it is imperative that one person take the lead when it comes to editing and formatting the final document. This individual should review the proposal for accuracy, consistency, organization, and especially continuity. A well-edited proposal will flow naturally from section to section and convey the story of your organization and its programs with ease.

The Blob
It starts with an executive summary and a statement of need. Then the narrative hits the project description and continues to grow - rapidly surpassing 3, 5, 10 pages - until the proposal has become a bloated mass of paper and ink.

Brevity can be one of the most difficult traits to develop as a proposal writer. There is a compelling urge to include as much detail as possible when describing programs to prospective funders. However, this can cause a proposal to become lengthy and cumbersome for the reader. Besides, most applications now come with strict guidelines that limit sections of the proposal to certain page lengths. How can a proposal writer cope with these restrictions?

First, it's all about finding the right amount of detail to include. For example, if you are seeking funding for a tutoring program, the grantmaker probably doesn't need to be told how many desks are in each classroom. They might want to know, however, the number of volunteer tutors you plan to recruit and how. Other ways to keep your proposal concise include using simple, direct language and avoiding long, rambling sentences. Having an outline can also help you stay focused and remember the key points you want to get across to the reader in each section. Brevity doesn't just apply to the narrative, either, so remember to limit your attachments and supporting materials to those items that the funder specifically requests in their guidelines.

Night of the Living Dead
Who among us hasn't pulled an all-nighter? Whether it was cramming for that final exam in college or staying up to get that presentation ready for the big meeting, we've all been guilty of procrastination at some point in our lives. Still, this is no way to succeed in grantseeking.

What quality do reviewers look for most in a proposal? Clarity. This is something that you're not likely to achieve while hunched over your laptop at 2 o'clock in the morning. Moreover, the less time you leave to check through a proposal, the more likely it is that the reviewer will find troubling mistakes in grammar and spelling that may contribute  to a negative response. How do you fight the urge to put off finishing a proposal until just before the deadline?

Keeping an updated grants calendar with important submission deadlines and follow-up dates will help you stay on track with your proposals. Going even further, creating self-imposed due dates for proposals well in advance of actual deadlines is one way of ensuring that you have plenty of time to revise and edit the document before sending it off. Also, on those occasions when you become aware of a new opportunity only at the last minute, consider waiting until the next funding cycle to apply. Keep in mind - you only get one chance to make a first impression with a grantmaker. Don't let it be a frightening one!

Want some more tips on proposal writing? Try these titles from our collection:

Grant Proposal Makeover: Transform Your Request from No to Yes.
By Cheryl A. Clarke and Susan P. Fox.
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 2007.

The Foundation Center's Guide to Proposal Writing
(5th ed.)By Jane C. Geever.
New York: Foundation Center, 2007.

Thanks to Stephen Sherman, Reference Librarian, Foundation Center-Atlanta for this great post!

Foundation staff review stacks upon stacks of grant proposals each year. From time to time, they may even see proposals that are downright scary. In the spirit of Halloween, here are three 'monster' proposals that you should hope to avoid.

Frankenstein's Monster
Sure - it sounds easy enough. Everyone writes their respective sections of the proposal and then puts them together in one document and sends it to the funder. Too often, however, the result can be a loosely-stitched-together proposal that is confusing and full of inconsistencies and repetition. Reviewers can tell when a proposal has been patched together without substantial revision, and a narrative that is disorganized and incoherent is much less convincing than one with a uniform voice that flows smoothly from section to section.

While it's not uncommon for several different individuals in an organization to be involved in the proposal writing process, it is imperative that one person take the lead when it comes to editing and formatting the final document. This individual should review the proposal for accuracy, consistency, organization, and especially continuity. A well-edited proposal will flow naturally from section to section and convey the story of your organization and its programs with ease.

The Blob
It starts with an executive summary and a statement of need. Then the narrative hits the project description and continues to grow - rapidly surpassing 3, 5, 10 pages - until the proposal has become a bloated mass of paper and ink.

Brevity can be one of the most difficult traits to develop as a proposal writer. There is a compelling urge to include as much detail as possible when describing programs to prospective funders. However, this can cause a proposal to become lengthy and cumbersome for the reader. Besides, most applications now come with strict guidelines that limit sections of the proposal to certain page lengths. How can a proposal writer cope with these restrictions?

First, it's all about finding the right amount of detail to include. For example, if you are seeking funding for a tutoring program, the grantmaker probably doesn't need to be told how many desks are in each classroom. They might want to know, however, the number of volunteer tutors you plan to recruit and how. Other ways to keep your proposal concise include using simple, direct language and avoiding long, rambling sentences. Having an outline can also help you stay focused and remember the key points you want to get across to the reader in each section. Brevity doesn't just apply to the narrative, either, so remember to limit your attachments and supporting materials to those items that the funder specifically requests in their guidelines.

Night of the Living Dead
Who among us hasn't pulled an all-nighter? Whether it was cramming for that final exam in college or staying up to get that presentation ready for the big meeting, we've all been guilty of procrastination at some point in our lives. Still, this is no way to succeed in grantseeking.

What quality do reviewers look for most in a proposal? Clarity. This is something that you're not likely to achieve while hunched over your laptop at 2 o'clock in the morning. Moreover, the less time you leave to check through a proposal, the more likely it is that the reviewer will find troubling mistakes in grammar and spelling that may contribute  to a negative response. How do you fight the urge to put off finishing a proposal until just before the deadline?

Keeping an updated grants calendar with important submission deadlines and follow-up dates will help you stay on track with your proposals. Going even further, creating self-imposed due dates for proposals well in advance of actual deadlines is one way of ensuring that you have plenty of time to revise and edit the document before sending it off. Also, on those occasions when you become aware of a new opportunity only at the last minute, consider waiting until the next funding cycle to apply. Keep in mind - you only get one chance to make a first impression with a grantmaker. Don't let it be a frightening one!

Want some more tips on proposal writing? Try these titles from our collection:

Grant Proposal Makeover: Transform Your Request from No to Yes.
By Cheryl A. Clarke and Susan P. Fox.
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 2007.

The Foundation Center's Guide to Proposal Writing
(5th ed.)By Jane C. Geever.
New York: Foundation Center, 2007.

Thanks to Stephen Sherman, Reference Librarian, Foundation Center-Atlanta for this great post!

Nominations for Leadership Awards Are Open

The Washington Area Women's Foundation is now accepting nominations for its annual Leadership Awards.

This year's program, called Between the Cracks & At the Intersections, is seeking emerging and innovative nonprofit organizations in the Washington metro area that are working to positively impact the lives of women and girls from underresourced, oppressed, or marginalized communities or through innovative work at the intersection of gender, race, class, sexual orientation, and ability in their communities.

The Leadership Awards Committee will make awards of $10,000 each to ten nonprofits selected through a process of nomination reviews, interviews, and site visits. In addition, an online vote will be open to the public and will result in an additional award of $5,000 to one of the ten award recipients.

Nominated organizations must have 501(c)(3) nonprofit status and a board of directors in place, have been in operation for at least two years, have an annual budget of no more than $2 million, and primarily serve women and/or girls in the areas of this year's chosen theme.

Anyone in the Washington metro area can make a nomination, and you can even nominate your own organization. The deadline for submitting nominations is November 3, 2009. Learn more on the Women's Foundation web site. 

Live from Challenges and Opportunities of the Economic Crisis - October 13

Bradford K. Smith, president of the Foundation Center, will provide his perspective on the impact of the economic crisis on the philanthropic sector – both foundations and service providers – and the challenges and opportunities these turbulent times present for the future.

This 60-minute program will be at the Foundation Center-Atlanta on Tuesday, Oct. 13, starting at 2:30 p.m. You can attend the program virtually via the window below, either during the program or after it's happened. This program also will be taped and posted to our web site later this month.

Bradford K. Smith, president of the Foundation Center, will provide his perspective on the impact of the economic crisis on the philanthropic sector – both foundations and service providers – and the challenges and opportunities these turbulent times present for the future.

This 60-minute program will be at the Foundation Center-Atlanta on Tuesday, Oct. 13, starting at 2:30 p.m. You can attend the program virtually via the window below, either during the program or after it's happened. This program also will be taped and posted to our web site later this month.

Free Shipping in October on Foundation Grants to Individuals Directory

October is Funding for Arts Month at the Foundation Center, and to help celebrate, we're offering free shipping on the current edition of our Foundation Grants to Individuals directory.

The 18^th edition of our popular directory includes profiles of over 8,300 foundations that support artists, authors, researchers, performers, students or other individuals through grants, scholarships, fellowships, residencies, awards, and other forms of funding.

Profiles include the funder name, address, contact information, program description, grant amount, application guidelines, and more. The directory is also fully indexed by geographic focus, school or company name, type of support, and subject.

Visit the Marketplace section of our web site for more information on this publication or to view a sample profile. Foundation Grants to Individuals is available for just $75 with free shipping online this month.
Order your copy today! >>

Foundation Center Launches National Education Stimulus Initiative

The Foundation Center announced the launch of Foundations for Education Excellence, a national initiative to engage philanthropic institutions and education leaders across the country in a unified, strategic drive to improve public education.

Foundationcenter.org/educationexcellence, the web portal developed by the Foundation Center with a grant from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, was launched in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Education. It connects foundation funders in education to information and tools that will help them support ARRA's education reform goals.

"There is a unique window of opportunity in the coming weeks and months for private philanthropy to leverage its investment in education," said Bradford K. Smith, the Center's president. "Funders need fast-track tools to target areas of need and collaborate in new ways to improve educational opportunities across the country. The Foundation Center is ideally positioned to provide foundations with the knowledge platform needed to advance this process."

Read the full press release for details on the contents and uses of the portal.

Foundationcenter.org/educationexcellence, the web portal developed by the Foundation Center with a grant from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, was launched in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Education. It connects foundation funders in education to information and tools that will help them support ARRA's education reform goals.

"There is a unique window of opportunity in the coming weeks and months for private philanthropy to leverage its investment in education," said Bradford K. Smith, the Center's president. "Funders need fast-track tools to target areas of need and collaborate in new ways to improve educational opportunities across the country. The Foundation Center is ideally positioned to provide foundations with the knowledge platform needed to advance this process."

Read the full press release for details on the contents and uses of the portal.

DC Community Foundation Funds Local Safety Net Programs

In response to the greatest need for emergency services in its 36-year history, the Community Foundation of the National Capital Region recently announced that it will be awarding $714,300 in new grants to DC area safety net organizations as part of its Neighbors in Need Fund.

This initiative is aimed at providing much-needed support to organizations that offer direct services to vulnerable residents throughout the greater Washington region, such as food, clothing, shelter, emergency financial assistance, and foreclosure prevention.

The Neighbors in Need (NIN) Fund was started in October 2008 to address some of the most pressing challenges facing our region during the current economic crisis. In March 2009 the first 29 recipients of NIN grants totaling $455,000 were announced. A list of these initial grant recipients is available online.

The application period for this new round of funding is already open, and the deadline for submissions is October 5, 2009. More details are available on the Community Foundation web site, and you also can download the guidelines and application form.

Next month, The Community Foundation will begin a new fundraising campaign to raise an additional $2 million to provide further assistance through the NIN Fund. The Foundation has also streamlined its grantmaking process to help put the funds to work out in the community more quickly.