Examining private and public foundations
Private foundations get their monies from a single source, such as an individual, a family, or a corporation. Think about all the wealthy individuals who have started their own foundations, like the John Templeton Foundation or the Heinz Foundation. You can find hundreds of private foundations in the Foundation Center’s online directory.
Public foundations, on the other hand, are supported primarily through donations from the general public. That’s a no-brainer, right? They also receive a great deal of their funding from foundation and corporate grants. Again, the Foundation Center’s Web site can give you loads of information on these types of foundations. There are lots of public foundations focused on the arts, environment, and faith-based initiatives. Remember, there’s no difference in public or private foundations when it comes to grantseeking or grantmaking.
Finding corporate funders
Did you know that many of the biggest businesses in the nation set 5 percent or more of their profits aside for grants? Why is that, you ask? The buzzword of the millennium is corporate responsibility. Corporate responsibility is the approach that a successful business takes when it decides to make a financial commitment to the community where its headquarters are located or where it has operating locations.
Corporations that award grants usually have a Web site link labeled community, community relations, social responsibility, local initiatives, grants, or corporate giving. Use the Foundation Center’s Web site to view some corporations with giving programs, such as American Express (which also has a major foundation) and the United Parcel Service of America, Inc. (better known as simply UPS).
Accessing contract bidding opportunities
Many private and public sector businesses and public agencies seek out vendors to deliver services or goods to them. The type of document these business and agencies solicit competitive contract bids with is referred to by several different names, including Request For Bid (RFB), Request For Quote (RFQ), and Request for Proposal (RFP). If you’ve been searching your local newspapers and online for contract bidding opportunities to no avail, you need to move into high gear and aggressively subscribe to and screen possible contract bidding opportunities around the United States and beyond.
I have a subscription with www.findrfp.com, and I think it’s great. You can choose the types of bids you want to see (keyword subject area) and the geographic locations in which you want to sell your products or services. You can even receive daily e-mail alerts with current bidding opportunities. What’s the cost? The monthly subscription is probably around $30. That’s right, three ten-dollar bills per month gives you access to hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of contract bids.
Read More : The Other Pot of Gold: Considering Foundation and Corporate Funding
