Appendix B: Funder Resource Directory

This directory points you to the major funders and the tools for finding them — the starting points for the funder research of Chapter 3 and the funder-specific strategies of Part III. It is a map of where to look, not a list of grants to apply to: programs, deadlines, and priorities change constantly, so always verify current details at the funder's own official site before you act. Treat everything here as a launch point for your own current research.

A standing caution. Funding programs, mechanisms, deadlines, dollar figures, and priorities change — sometimes yearly, sometimes mid-year. Every figure or program named here is illustrative of what exists and where to find it, not a current guarantee. The single most important skill this directory supports is knowing where the authoritative, current source is — and going there. Beware look-alike and fee-charging sites; use the official .gov and the funder's own domains.

B.1 Where to Search (the master finding tools)

Federal (U.S.) - Grants.gov — the central portal for nearly all U.S. federal grant opportunities, across every agency. Search, find Notices of Funding Opportunity (NOFOs), and submit. The first stop for federal funding (Chapter 19). - SAM.gov — System for Award Management. Where your organization registers (and gets its UEI, the Unique Entity Identifier) to be eligible for federal funding. Register early — it can take weeks (Chapters 15, 19). - USAspending.gov — the public record of federal spending, including grants. Use it to see who has been funded, for how much, and by which program — intelligence for your own strategy. - Agency sites — for agency-specific detail beyond the portal listing (NIH, NSF, ED, USDA, DOE, NEA, NEH, HUD, and others — see B.2).

Foundations & private philanthropy - Candid (candid.org) — formed from the merger of Foundation Center and GuideStar; the major hub for foundation research. Foundation Directory (prospect research on funders, their giving, and their grants) and GuideStar (nonprofit profiles, including the IRS Form 990). Often available free at Funding Information Network partner libraries (Chapter 18). - The IRS Form 990 / 990-PF — a private foundation's annual return, public by law. It lists actual grants paid, assets, and trustees — the most reliable intelligence on what a foundation actually funds (Chapter 18). Find them via Candid/GuideStar, ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer, or the foundation's own site. - A foundation's own website and annual report — the authoritative source for current priorities, guidelines, and process.

State, local, and other - State grant portals and agency sites — most states run their own grant listings; many federal dollars flow to you through the state (pass-through / formula funding, Chapter 19). - Your state's nonprofit association, community foundation, and United Way — local funding and capacity resources (Chapters 18, 28). - Sector-specific databases and listservs — discipline and field-specific opportunity lists (e.g., agency-specific, foundation affinity groups, professional associations).

B.2 Major Federal Funders (by agency)

Each entry: who they fund, signature mechanisms/programs, and where to verify. Mechanisms and rates change — confirm at the source.

  • NIH — National Institutes of Health (nih.gov; grants.nih.gov). The largest biomedical research funder in the world. Signature mechanisms include the R01 (the flagship research project grant), R21 (exploratory/developmental), F-series fellowships (e.g., F31, F32), and K-series career-development awards; SBIR/STTR for small business. Reviewed for Significance, Investigators, Innovation, Approach, Environment (verify current criteria). Tools: RePORTER (search funded grants), the NIH Guide for funding opportunities, Matchmaker, and ASSIST/eRA Commons for submission. (Chapters 16, 20, 27.)
  • NSF — National Science Foundation (nsf.gov; research.gov). Funds fundamental research and education across (non-medical) science and engineering. Twin review criteria: Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts — both must be addressed explicitly. The PAPPG (Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide) governs the rules. Programs include CAREER (early-career), and SBIR/STTR. Submit via Research.gov or Grants.gov. (Chapters 17, 20.)
  • U.S. Department of Education (ED) (ed.gov). K-12, higher-ed, and research funding (including the Institute of Education Sciences, IES). Formula and competitive (discretionary) grants. (Chapter 29.)
  • USDA (usda.gov; nifa.usda.gov). Agriculture, rural development, nutrition, and food research — including NIFA competitive research programs and rural development grants. (Chapter 31.)
  • DOE — Department of Energy (energy.gov). Energy and physical-sciences research, including the national labs and ARPA-E.
  • HHS beyond NIH (hhs.gov). CDC, HRSA, SAMHSA, ACF, and others fund health, public-health, and human-services work — a large grant source for nonprofits and health organizations. (Chapters 19, 28.)
  • NEA — National Endowment for the Arts (arts.gov) and NEH — National Endowment for the Humanities (neh.gov). The federal arts and humanities funders; often require matching funds and route through state arts/humanities councils. (Chapter 30.)
  • HUD — Housing and Urban Development (hud.gov). Community development and housing — including CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) and Continuum of Care. (Chapter 31.)
  • DOJ, DOL, EPA, NEA/NEH, IMLS, and others. Justice (e.g., OJP), labor/workforce, environment, museums and libraries (IMLS) — each runs grant programs listed on Grants.gov and detailed on the agency site. (Chapters 19, 31.)
  • SBA — Small Business Administration (sba.gov; sbir.gov). Coordinates the government-wide SBIR/STTR programs (the eleven-plus participating agencies post their own solicitations); sbir.gov is the cross-agency hub. (Chapter 20.)

B.3 International and Multilateral Funders (Chapter 21)

  • USAID (usaid.gov) and its business forum — U.S. international development funding (grants and cooperative agreements; note the distinct world of contracts). (As with all agencies, structures and priorities shift with policy — verify current programs.)
  • The World Bank (worldbank.org) and the regional development banks — development finance, largely to and through governments.
  • United Nations agencies — UNDP, UNICEF, WHO, UN Women, and others, each with their own funding and partnership mechanisms.
  • The Global Fund; Gavi — global health financing (HIV/TB/malaria; vaccines).
  • Major global foundations — e.g., the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Wellcome Trust, Open Society Foundations — large international grantmakers with their own portals and priorities.
  • Bilateral and EU funders — the European Commission (e.g., Horizon Europe), and national development agencies (e.g., FCDO, GIZ). Eligibility and registration requirements are often substantial — verify carefully.

B.4 Foundations and Private Philanthropy (Chapter 18)

Foundations are diverse; the categories matter more than any list: - Large national foundations (e.g., Ford, MacArthur, Robert Wood Johnson, Kellogg, Hewlett, Mellon, Gates) — substantial, often strategic and invitation-influenced; read their current strategy carefully. - Family foundations — range from large and professional to small and personal; relationships and fit matter enormously. - Community foundations — place-based; fund local nonprofits and often offer capacity support. Find yours via your region or Candid. - Corporate foundations and giving programs — aligned with business interests and geographies (Chapter 18). - Operating vs. grantmaking foundations — operating foundations run their own programs and may not give grants; check before you invest time.

Verify any foundation through: its own website and annual report (current priorities, guidelines, deadlines, whether it accepts unsolicited proposals), its Form 990-PF (what it actually funded, and at what size), and Candid/GuideStar. Match the size of your ask to its typical grant, and confirm geographic and program fit before you write (Chapter 3).

B.5 Capacity, Training, and Professional Resources (Chapters 32, 35)

  • Grant Professionals Association — GPA (grantprofessionals.org). The professional body for grant professionals: community, training, conferences, a code of ethics, and the GPC credential (Chapter 35).
  • NCURA (ncura.edu) and SRA International (srainternational.org). Professional associations for research administrators — the institutional side of grants (Chapters 26, 35).
  • Association of Fundraising Professionals — AFP (afpglobal.org). For the development/fundraising profession (Chapters 28, 35).
  • Candid's training and Funding Information Network. Free and low-cost training on grant seeking and proposal writing, and free database access at partner libraries (Chapter 18).
  • Your institution's sponsored-programs / grants office. For researchers and organizational staff: the authoritative internal source on registration, routing, compliance, indirect-cost rates, and submission (Chapters 26, 27).
  • 2 CFR 200 (the Uniform Guidance). The federal rules governing federal awards — costs, procurement, audit, reporting. The compliance backbone for any federal grantee (Chapters 12, 26).

How to use this directory. Start from the right finding tool (B.1), identify candidate funders (B.2–B.4), and then do the real work: go to each funder's own current, official site, read the current guidelines and announcement twice (Chapter 3), verify eligibility and fit, and decide. This directory tells you where the doors are; Part III tells you how to walk through each one. Keep your own running, updated list of the funders that fit your work — your prospect pipeline (Chapter 33) — and verify every detail at the source before you rely on it.