Where to Find Private Grant Funding

HayDay Services is bringing you a series of “how-to” articles related to successful grant prospect research.

Part 2: Private Funding

When it comes to grant funding, you have two options: Private or Public. Today’s blog post focuses on private grants, which include family foundations, corporations, community foundations, United Ways, and larger/national foundations. It’s basically everything that is NOT government grant funding. (We’ll tackle public funding in a future blog post.)

Private funding is mostly geared towards helping nonprofits and other 501c3 designated organizations, although it is sometimes possible for local governments and school systems to access private grants. It really varies by funder.

According to Giving USA, foundations awarded $109.81 billion to the nonprofit sector in 2024. Corporations gave $44.40. The next Giving USA report, detailing 2025 donations, is expected in June 2026.

Having $154.21 million available to fund the work of nonprofits (and other organizations) is a lot – but that does not mean your organization is able to access even half of that. Like nonprofits, foundations and corporations have their own missions to fulfill. They often direct their money to certain corners of the country (and sometimes world); are particular about funding general operating, programs/projects, or capital campaigns; have a certain population they aim to assist; and limit the amount of funding they will award any agency during a certain time period.

And on top of all that – it can be difficult to even find any foundation/corporation, much less the ones that match your mission, type of work, location, and population served. Many do not have a website, and even those that do are not always the most helpful in detailing their application process.

So, what is a grant seeker to do?

Your best bet is to access a searchable database that helps your narrow your private grant prospect research to the funders who are most likely to fund your work. Like with anything in the world, not all databases are created equal – the price, ease of system use, and quality of results vary.

Having a database will help you match the right funders to your work. It will also give you easy access to the funder’s 990 – their “tax return” that should tell you the following helpful details:

• If the funder accepts unsolicited donations
• Who is on their board of directors
• When applications are due
• Where to submit applications and in what format
• Any geographical (or other) restrictions set by the funder
• Who they awarded grants to in the previous year (and how much)

HayDay Services is here to offer a list of database options, but we recommend you take the time to research, participate in demos, and speak with your peers about what systems they use and why. There is a right one out there for you; you just need to find it.

Here’s a list, but there may be others out there. If there is a way to access it for free or at a discounted price, that we know of, we’re sharing that information here too.

FOUNDATION/CORPORATION FUNDING PRODUCTS

1. Foundation Directory Online/Candid

Probably one of the oldest products on the market, Foundation Directory Online (FDO) was purchased by Candid many years ago. FDO can be accessed for free through their Funding Information Network. You can find the location (most likely a public library or university) that is closest to you HERE. These locations allow you to access FDO at no cost. It’s best to call ahead to ensure their hours of availability.

If you are a nonprofit with annual revenue and expenses total less than $1 million and you earn a Gold Seal of Transparency or higher, you can receive a free year of access to Candid through their Go for the Gold program. Learn more HERE. They also offer a few subscription levels to purchase their platform outright.

2. Instrumentl

Instrumentl showed up on our radar many years ago. We love that you can try it for free for 14 days to get a feel for their platform. In full disclosure, we are a partner agency, and you can access their platform through our affiliate link HERE. They too have a few subscription level options.

3. GrantGuru

GrantGuru is new to our shores, having grown their Australian platform to meet the needs of the American market. They offer both public and private grant prospect research. Check them out HERE. They are currently sponsoring the first half of Fundraising HayDay’s 9^th Season, and as such are offering our community 20% off your subscription with the code HAYDAY963.

4. Guidestar/Candid

Guidestar was also purchased by Candid a few years ago. You can access limited data at no cost – searching by a larger location, for example, or accessing a limited number of 990s per month. Check them out HERE.

To access Guidestar for free, you do have to provide your contact information. Or you can purchase a subscription.

5. GrantStation

GrantStation also provides access to private and public grant makers – so it’s another one stop shop.

And bonus: if you are a member of the Grant Professionals Association, you can access GrantStation for free! Techsoup often offers discounted rates for GrantStation.

They are probably one of the most affordable search engines available. Check them out HERE.

6. Grantmakers IO

This is a free search engine! (So, what’s the catch?) No catch – it just depends on how versatile and in-depth you want your search engine to be.

GrantmakersIO is a great place to start, especially if you are with a nonprofit who is just starting out and doesn’t have a diverse budget. You can get started HERE.

7. IRS Website

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is last on our list, because it really isn’t a searchable database. You can only search by city and state, which only shows where all foundations and nonprofits are located. You cannot narrow down which ones fund certain sectors, locations, etc.

As a search engine, it is pretty useless. But if you already know the name of a foundation and you just want to access their 990 for free, you can do so HERE.

TIME TO DIG IN

Take your time to find the right prospect research tool for your organization. You will not find success in grant writing if you don’t first find the right organizations to fund your work. This is why it’s worth finding the right tool for the job.