Non Federal Grants

• Candid The Foundation Center and GuideStar are now Candid. Foundation Center was the largest source of information about philanthropy globally, and GuideStar was the largest source of information on U.S. nonprofit organizations. Candid was formed in 2019 when GuideStar and Foundation Center merged. Candid maintains a comprehensive database on U.S. and global grant-makers and their funding opportunities. It also operates research, education, and training programs designed to advance knowledge of philanthropy at every level.

Candid's Funding Information Network facilitates access to grant resources and publications to under-resourced entities and populations.

• Introduction to Finding Grants Free, self-paced training from Candid. Discover what funders are looking for in nonprofits seeking grants and how to find potential funders in this introductory course. You will learn the 10 most important things you need to know about finding grants, including: Who funds nonprofits and what are their motivations, What do funders really want to know about the organizations they are interested in funding, How do you identify potential funders and make the first approach. Also available in Spanish. Create a free account to access.

• Community Foundation Locator Find a grant-making foundation in your region. 

• Foundation Directory Online Quick Start  A free reference lookup for U.S. Foundations. the quick and easy-to-use tool for looking up key information on all U.S. foundations. Register for a free account.

• GuideStar Check out nonprofit and charity organizations. Now a part of Candid.

• Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute - Funding Opportunities An independent nonprofit, nongovernmental organization created through the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. PCORI funds research that offers patients and caregivers the information they need to make important healthcare decisions.

• Proposal Central A one-stop website for finding, applying for and tracking grants offered by more than 100 non-profit and government funding organizations in health, biomedical and scientific research.

The following foundations give hundreds of thousands of dollars every year to support missions that help make society a better place. Notable both for their names and monetary contributions, these are a sampling of the types of foundations that provide grants to non-profits.

• Mellon Foundation As the largest supporter of the arts and humanities in the US. Through their grants, the Mellon Foundation seeks to build just communities where ideas and imagination can thrive. Mellon continues to distribute additional funds to help shore up struggling arts and cultural organizations and higher learning institutions.

• Ben and Jerry's Foundation - National Grassroots Organizing Program The National Grassroots Organizing Program offers one-year general operating support grants of up to $30,000 to non-profit grassroots organizations throughout the United States. Will consider proposals from grassroots organizations that are working to help themselves and their communities create broad systems change through community organizing and movement-building efforts. They prioritize organizations that are led by and center the leadership and agency of Black communities, Indigenous communities, and communities of color in their efforts to dismantle systems of oppression and the legacies of white supremacy culture in this country while working toward a more just and equitable society.

• Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation The largest private foundation giving grants in the United States is the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. This private foundation operated by Bill and Melinda Gates gives grant funding in the areas of education, health, global development and global health.

• The Ford Foundation Seeks to reduce poverty and injustice, strengthen democratic values, promote international cooperation, and advance human achievement.

• The Kellogg Foundation Founded in 1930 as an independent, private foundation by breakfast cereal innovator and entrepreneur Will Keith Kellogg, it is among the largest philanthropic foundations in the United States. Guided by the belief that all children should have an equal opportunity to thrive, WKKF works with communities to create conditions for vulnerable children so they can realize their full potential in school, work and life.

• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation - Funding Opportunities Funds a wide array of research and initiatives to help address some of America’s most pressing health challenges.