Grant seekers often approach The People’s Nonprofit Accelerator for research and writing resources in regards to grants of all types. If there is a broken link, or a resource that would make a great addition to this list, let us know and we can update the webpage.

National Databases

• Candid Foundation Directory: This resource requires a subscription to search for funders. You may also visit a local library to gain access for free, but it is limited to being on the premises of the library.
• Candid/Guidestar: This resource requires a subscription to search for funders. You may also visit a local library to gain access for free, but it is limited to being on the premises of the library.
• GrantWatch: This resource requires a subscription to search for funders.
• Grantmakers.io
• Federal Grants
• Oregon Government Grants

Oregon Databases and Statewide Government Grants

• Nonprofit Association of Oregon
• Metro Regional Government – Portland Metro Region
• Oregon Department of Justice
• Oregon Secretary of State
• State of Oregon Grants for K-12 Education
• Oregon Cultural Trust
• Business Oregon

Advise

Sam.gov and Unique Entity ID (UEID)

In order to receive grants or to be contractor as a nonprofit with the federal government, the federal government would request your Dun & Bradstreet D-U-N-S number for your nonprofit. This has changed and is no longer applicable.

Your nonprofit needs to apply for a Unique Entity ID through sam.gov. This process does take time for it to complete (ranging from days to weeks), and it needs to be completed before sending in an application to receive a grant that is federally funded.

County Specific Grants

Since the websites for each county isn’t homogenous from county to county, the best way to stay up to date on grants from your local county would require:

• Finding which bureau would be interested in the impact of your programs, and subscribing to their listserv, where many grant opportunities for the public are announced.
• Sometimes, larger counties collate all available grant opportunities on one page.
• The Federal and State government grants listed in the “National Databases” section above would be a great place to start research, since county based grants are often legislated from the federal and state government.

Philanthropic Institution Grants

Foundations are a lot like front-line nonprofits, where they are lean in staffing and have low capacity to address questions the closer a grant submission deadline becomes. With that being said, here are some tips towards funder engagement:

• Read the fine details: Many questions about the process and information required for the grant writing process are listed directly on their website or as part of their grant’s portal.
• Call and/or email the appropriate staff to introduce yourself and to ask critical questions about the grant making process.
• Collaborate on your proposal with at least 2-3 people.
• Try to be done with the coordinating and writing of the grant contract 1-week prior to the submission deadline. Dedicate the remaining time on submitting the grant in the grants portal, so you are able to troubleshoot and/or inform the funder about technical issues that may arise in submission process.

Sponsor Highlight – Providence Foundations of Oregon

Providence Foundations of Oregon acknowledges that it can be difficult for early to mid-career nonprofit fundraisers and leaders to search and write for federal, state, and local government grants. Through our programmatic partnership, The People’s Nonprofit Accelerator created this public Grant Writing Research Resources page to be accessible for everyone. In addition, Providence continues to broadly support our Certificate in Nonprofit Fundraising and Grant Writing that teaches nonprofit workers how to prepare and write grants.

Thank You, Providence Foundations of Oregon for your generous support.