How To Find Grants for Nonprofits (Grants to Apply for in 2024)

‍Video transcript ↓

If you're trying to grow your nonprofit, securing funding can be a huge challenge.

To help with this, creating several streams of income can stabilize your finances and set your nonprofit up for success. One of those streams are grants.

So in this video, I'm going to show you how to find grants for nonprofits, so your nonprofit's income can be rock-solid!

I'm Addie with Anedot, and let's get into it!

The benefits of grants for nonprofits

So let's take a moment to talk about the benefits of grants for nonprofits!

First off, unlike loans, grants don't need to be paid back. So once it's awarded, there are a few strings attached to it.

Also, grants can be a substantial amount of money, so things like budgeting, planning events, and organizing virtual fundraiser events can be done with confidence knowing you have the resources to do it.

Grants can also increase your nonprofit's credibility and result in excellent earned media.

Now, in order to win a grant, you first have to find all of the opportunities available to your nonprofit organization.

3 ways to begin your search for nonprofit grants

Your search for nonprofit grants will be guided by your organization's purpose, location, and associations.

1. Purpose

First up, you'll need to define your nonprofit's purpose.

Now, when we say purpose, we mean what your organization aims to accomplish. You can turn to your nonprofit mission statement to help with this.

Many grants are given by large foundations to organizations with specific focuses like healthcare issues or the environment.

This mission, or purpose, can also include thinking about how your organization may be categorized and what problem you're aiming to address.

When you are searching for grants, looking for ones specific to your mission can reveal opportunities with less competition.

2. Location

Now let's talk about location.

Many community foundations give grants to organizations within that state, city, county, or metropolitan area.

For example, state government websites often provide information on potential grants.

Also, many businesses headquartered in an individual state or location may also write grants to organizations within their region.

3. Associations

Finally, let's focus on associations.

Many large foundations are focused on assisting nonprofits with similar guiding principles. This can be religious, cultural, or interest-based.

For example, the Jewish Women's Foundation of Greater Palm Beaches awards grants to organizations with missions based on multiple Jewish values.

When you combine these three guides, you'll have a list of potential terms that you can use to search for grants.

Where to find grants for nonprofits

Now, let's start your search for grants.

The simplest thing you can do is use these search terms in Google Advanced Search.  

You could search for "Hunger relief nonprofit grants in Louisiana." This combines the first two guiding principles of purpose and location.

Now, that's just the start. There are many other resources where you can search for grants.

Grants.gov

First, you should start your search process with Grants.gov.

That's where all federal funding opportunities are posted for nonprofit organizations.

They have a mobile app and also provide other helpful information like grant writing tips.

Their Grants Learning Center can teach you more about grant eligibility, policies, terms, systems, programs, and reporting as well.

GrantWatch

A second great resource to utilize is GrantWatch.

They consider themselves the top website to find grants for Canada and the U.S., featuring more than 6,000 active opportunities from foundations, corporations, federal, state, and local funding sources.

Now, GrantWatch is a proprietary listing service. You can create a free account, but will need to pay to see all grant details.

Instrumentl

A third resource to consider is Instrumentl.

It brings grant discovery, research, and tracking to one place.

You can search for grants based on focus area and location inside their platform. They also allow you to browse foundations by location, category, and total giving.

Instrumentl is a premium service that charges $149-249 a month, but they do have a 14 day free trial.

Grantli

A fourth resource to utilize in your grant searches is Grantli.

Grantli provides you with information to "master the grant development process."

While their main focus is on educational courses, they also provide an excellent list of state by state resources that includes current funding opportunities, government offices, and other resources.

They also include a list of the top private and community foundations in that state.

Best of all, this resource is free!

Candid

A fifth resource to utilize in your grant searches is Candid.

Many people know Candid through past names.

Candid brings together Guidestar, Foundation Center, Foundation Director Online (FDO), Funding Information Network, GrantCraft, and other resources under one roof.

Their tool Foundation Directory Online is a subscription-based business that includes an exhaustive list of grantmaker profiles, recipient profiles, and searchable 990s.

They charge $118 - $200 per month for their service.

Google Ad Grants

Here's a pro-tip: While not a traditional nonprofit grant, Google Ad Grants provides grants for up to $10,000 per month in search ads shown on their platform.

The process is fairly straightforward to activate Google Ad Grants, so check it out!

Government Grant Databases

• Grants.gov
• National Endowment for the Humanities
• SAMSHA
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
• U.S. Department of Labor
• U.S. Department of Transportation
• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
• U.S. Small Business Administration
• U.S. Department of Education
• Office of the Administration for Children and Families
• U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
• Administration for Community Living
• U.S. Department of the Interior - Bureau of Land Management
• U.S. Department of Justice
• USDA Food and Nutrition Service

Prepare to submit grant applications

Now that you have some grants to apply for in mind, it's time to start your prep work.

As you consider submitting applications to the grants you have found, you'll need to consider whether you will hire an outside professional or take it on yourself.

Either way, you should have your documentation together. Items you should have handy include:

• Past Form 990's
• List of programs and partners
• Organizational chart
• List of achievements and awards

You should also consider additional resources that may help you with the grant application process.

For example, Boss on a Budget has a Facebook group named Nonprofit Grant Writing Support Group that is exclusively focused on giving feedback and assistance with completing proposals for grant funding.

The group has weekly tips shared, notices about new funding announcements, and a form to hire a grant writer if you need outside help.

The group has over 9,000 members and is a good resource to pick others brains on how you can improve your grant writing.

There are additional Facebook groups like Grant Writing, The Grant Writers Forum, and Grant Writing Mastermind Group that can also provide tips and feedback.

On LinkedIn, the Finding Grants, Fundraising, and Writing Grant Proposals group is the place to connect with others who might be in a similar position to you.

This group is designed for people to ask about finding grants, steps in the grants application process, fundraising channels other than grants, and the differences between the many organizations that issue grants.

If you decide you want more formal training on grant writing, you should take a look to see if there are any courses at your local state college or university.

Many universities offer Grant Writing Certificates. If there isn't a formal course or certificate, there may be a workshop series where you can attend the workshops where you need the most assistance!

Closing thoughts

Here at Anedot, we don't provide grants or grant software, but we do make it easier for nonprofits to collect donations from individuals and organizations.

Sign up for a free Anedot account today if you need help collecting online donations for your nonprofit.

And that's it! Hopefully you can use these guiding principles to find grant opportunities that will help your nonprofit organization!

Thanks for watching! Before you head out, be sure to like, subscribe to Anedot on YouTube, and hit the notification button for more videos like these. Also, be sure to check us out on social media. 

I’m Addie with Anedot, and we’ll see you next time!