Maybe the federal government won’t ever work up or agree to a budget to cover an entire fiscal year, but your nonprofit has to. The 2012-2013 fiscal year is already on many organizations’ calendars, and certainly the final sprint to the holiday donation-giving season is upon us. But along with the money, time, and goodwill of your donors online and otherwise, you should be looking for grants. We’ve culled a few resources and pooled a few clearing houses that will help your nonprofit or charity tailor its search for support from specific organizations passionate to support your kind of work.
First of all, for those individuals looking for support as they develop their talents, networks, and nonprofit chops, TheFoundationCenter.org has recently updated its website and database for those searching for grants. Here is their introductory video touting the new services available.
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If your organization is expressly a community-based or faith-based nonprofit, the Department of Labor continues to offer $250K grants as originally established by George W. Bush back in 2001. Inspirational words from the original legislation:
Faith-based and community-based organizations are trusted institutions within our poorest neighborhoods. Faith-based and community-based organizations are home to a large number of volunteers who bring not only the transformational power of personal relationships to the provision of social service but also a sustained allegiance to the well-being and self-sufficiency of the participants they serve. Through their daily work and specific programs, these organizations strive to achieve some common purposes shared with government – reduction of welfare dependency, attainment of occupational skills, entry and retention of all our citizens in good-paying jobs.
How these particular grants would be affected by sequestration (if such a thing comes to pass) we can not say, but applications can be submitted online.
For a larger view of what resources are available via the federal government, click over to USA.gov’s site for nonprofits. Listed here are federal grants and loans to nonprofits, how to attain (and retain) nonprofit status, and how to deal with tax reports to the IRS. Listings are given both for the federal government writ large and for specific departments within it, like grants from the EPA or Health and Human Services.
Such resources could be a real boon to your organization for the upcoming year. If you have any experience with these sites or can share other resources with our readers, please let us know through the comments below!
