I’ve been writing these blogs as if you are rock solid on who the potential grantor is going to be. For some grant seekers, the hardest part is finding a willing partner. As you go along and develop relationships with foundations, that question will become easier, you may find your source is so enamored of you and your school that they have stepped up and offered to help on a regular and scheduled basis.

If you’re just starting out though, the process of finding a source can be daunting. You’ve explored the online databases. Some have steep subscription costs. These fees may not be feasible right now, you haven’t even started to write your grant yet. Your principal may not want to give you a budget for an online database subscription. They will change their mind when they see the amount of data you can acquire from the School Funding Center site. After you’ve identified one or two possibilities, every foundation and corporation has its own philanthropy section on its website. This wasn’t always the case. I used to spend a great deal of time on the phone calling companies and asking them to send out the funding guidelines for their philanthropic division.

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