Find Funding in a Week

A day-by-day plan to go from a clear project and funding profile to a checked shortlist of funders by type, with eligibility screened before you write a word.

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What You Will End Up With

A shortlist of funders sorted by type (trusts and foundations, government programs, and others), with each one's eligibility requirements written down and checked against your organization. You will also know which calls are open, which funders to approach before they open one, and what each will expect from you after an award. A week will not get you funded. It will get you a list worth your time.

Before You Start

  • Write one paragraph on what the money is for. A sample foundation grant letter says the funds must be used specifically for the designated purpose, so say what the money will pay for and when the work starts. Ask each funder whether it will pay for work that has already started. If it will not, a project already underway is a poor fit.
  • Know what kind of money you want. A grant is money given for a specific purpose, which you keep as long as you use it for that purpose. Government programs can come with more formal rules and more oversight than a foundation's gift, so read each call's rules closely.
  • Gather your basic papers: legal registration, any tax identification number and a short description of your organization. If you are outside the United States, expect extra steps (see Day four).
  • Check whether you can reach a subscription directory. Candid, a nonprofit information service, lists partner sites in the U.S. and abroad where you can use its fundraising resources at no cost, so ask your nearest one whether that includes a directory you would otherwise pay for.

Steps

  1. Day one: define what you are looking for. State the purpose, the place, the people served and the amount you need. Pick a start date that is still ahead. If the work has begun, say which part you want paid for, and expect fewer funders to consider it.

  2. Day two: learn the kinds of funders. Money can come from individuals, businesses, foundations and government agencies. In the United States in 2024, according to Giving USA, individuals gave 66% of charitable contributions, followed by foundations at 19%. In U.S. tax terms, a private foundation typically has a single major source of funding, usually gifts from one family or corporation, while a public charity receives contributions from many sources, including the general public. Decide which types match your project. Do not try them all.

  3. Day three: search public sources. Look first for open calls. Federal funding opportunities are posted on Grants.gov, and most of them are for organizations rather than individuals. A U.S. private foundation's annual return (Form 990-PF) lists the grants it paid during the year, and some funders publish lists of recent recipients on their own sites. Read them to see what kinds of work a funder pays for. For each recipient, note the type of organization, the kind of project and how the title is worded, and compare all three with your own plan. A funder whose recipients look like you is a better lead than one whose recipients do not. Add the matches to your list. If you can reach a subscription directory, use it to search trusts and foundations. Put every lead in one sheet as you go, with the link to where you found it, so you can check it again on day four.

  4. Day four: read each call and test eligibility. A federal notice of funding opportunity has a section that sets out who may apply. Other calls have an equivalent. Read it first. If you are not legally eligible, you will spend time and money on an application you cannot win. Foreign applicants complete the same registration as domestic ones, with extra steps. Depending on how the grant will be used, they may need to file a U.S. tax return, which requires a TIN or EIN. If a non-resident alien is awarded funding for work done outside the United States, it likely is not U.S. source income, and a TIN or EIN is not necessary. Ask a tax adviser which case you are in. Strike every funder you cannot apply to. Crossing names off is progress, not failure: each one saves you a wasted application.

  5. Day five: understand what the funder wants. Your interests and a funder's may not line up. Read what the funder says about its priorities and decide how your project meets them. Check which sections the funder asks for in an application, and ask whether you can fill each one for this funder.

  6. Day six: look past the application. Read what a grant agreement can ask of you. A sample foundation grant letter requires a written request in advance to change the purpose of the grant, and says the funder will request a report on spending after six months and a final report after one year. When a U.S. private foundation makes a grant under its expenditure responsibility rules, the written commitment must include your agreement to repay any amount not used for the purposes of the grant. Note these in your sheet.

  7. Day seven: rank and record. Put your best few at the top. For each, record the funder type, its eligibility, open or not, the deadline, and the first action, such as writing to the funder with a question or checking a point in the call. Writing the proposal comes after this week.

Using AI Safely

An assistant can help you summarize a long call or sort your sheet. It can also make things up.

  • Check every funder, date and eligibility rule it gives you against the original notice. Models invent plausible requirements.
  • Never paste confidential records about your organization or the people you serve.
  • Ask it to quote the line in the call that supports each claim, then read that line yourself.
  • Do not let it decide whether you are eligible. That check is yours.

Common Mistakes

Applying before checking eligibility. Read the eligibility section in the call first. Otherwise you may complete a whole application you cannot receive.

Asking for money for work already done. Funders pay for a stated purpose, so ask whether work already underway is eligible.

Ignoring the funder's side. If you do not analyze what the funder needs, your proposal answers a question nobody asked.

Treating a government grant like a gift. Expect formal rules and reporting, and plan the staff time to report.

Forgetting the foreign applicant steps. Registration and tax identification can take longer than the search, so start them early.