The following resources can be used to conduct research on private foundations and to match a possible funder to a project’s needs. These resources provide information on a foundation's fields of interest, application guidelines, and contact information. Information can also be found regarding a foundation's assets, grants made, history, restrictions, and listings of trustees and officers. Many foundations also post their 990-PF forms online.

There are several different types of foundations described in the document below called Types of Foundations:

Types of Foundations [26KB]

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MIT Office of Sponsored Programs
This MIT website is especially helpful for anyone seeking government funding and is useful for understanding the technicalities of the grant-seeking process, such as indirect costs and budget issues, troublesome clauses in grant contracts, etc. For more information on MIT's indirect cost policy and applicable rates for 2005 and 2006, please refer to http://web.mit.edu/osp/www/OSP_Booklet_2005/rates.htm.

Graduate Fellowship Office
The MIT Graduate Fellowship Office can assist students seeking fellowship support.

The Foundation Center
This website provides a good introduction to the world of foundation grant-making and offers insights into new trends in philanthropy and helpful tips for your search for funding. For a modest fee (temporary subscription of $9.95/month; can be renewed monthly), a special Foundation Center Web site (http://gtionline.fdncenter.org/) provides access to a searchable database on grants for individuals.

Proposal Writing
This site provides information on how to write a proposal.
Another Web site that provides information on how to write a proposal can be accessed at http://www.npguides.org/index.html. A useful book (reference copy available in OFR) is "Thank you for Submitting Your Proposal: a foundation director reveals what happens next" by Martin Teitel.

Foundation Finder
This page allows you to search for basic information about a foundation, including contact information, assets, and total giving, and provides links to foundation websites and a foundation's most recent 990-PF form.

GuideStar
This website provides several years' worth of 990-PF forms for foundations and basic information on non-profit organizations in general.

GrantsNet
This website specializes in resources for science.

Grants.Gov
Grants.gov is the single location to find over 900 grant programs offered by the 26 Federal grant-making agencies and provides an accurate and reliable location to search for grant information.

Chronicle of Philanthropy
The newspaper of the non-profit world that includes tools, training, and instructions in writing grant proposals.



Foundation Center Search Database
This database is the resource preferred by Foundation Relations staff members in searching for possible sources of foundation funding. It is available for use in W98-400. Foundations can be searched by various criteria, such as size of assets, fields of interest, grants made, location, etc. To make an appointment to use the CD-ROM, please contact Georgia Santander at (617)253-1433 or georgia@mit.edu.



The following print resources are located in the MIT Libraries.

• Guide to U.S. Foundations, Their Trustees, Officers, and Donors (Foundation Center) (call no HV97.A3.G84)
  
• The Foundation Directory
  (Foundation Center) (call no AS911.A2.F771).