LibGuides: Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Nonprofit Resource Guide: Grant Seeking

About Grants

Grants can be a wonderful opportunity for a nonprofit to expand their capacity when used as part of a well-rounded fundraising strategy. But there are some important things you should know. The following is adapted from Candid’s “Introduction to Finding Grants,” available in full on Candid Learning.

According to Giving USA, foundation grants only account for about 19% of giving to nonprofits. Individuals account for around 67%. This highlights the importance of diverse funding sources.
Foundations must give away money regardless of the economy, which can make them an appealing funding source during economic recessions when it can be hard for individuals to donate.
Use Foundation Directory to find out how you should approach each foundation. Typically, it’s not a good idea to send the proposal first unless that’s what they say they want.
Every foundation is different and will have different motivations and priorities. This directly informs their giving practices.
As such, you must do your research and know what is important to each foundation, as well as who their key people are and what their priorities are.
Foundation grant seeking is a lot like job seeking or dating. You need to find the right match to be successful. You also need make sure that your needs align with their interests and that you’re tailoring your proposal to each opportunity.
Not every grant will be for the amount you need. You may need multiple grants or a combination of grants and fundraising to cover your project. It’s important to know what a foundation is comfortable giving as well as what you need

Foundation Directory

is the best place to find grant opportunities.

Foundation Directory helps nonprofits find funding faster

Build robust prospect lists from 242,000+ grantmakers
Know which funders are more likely to provide support
Connect with key decision makers through the LinkedIn integration
Find collaboration opportunities and join forces with other nonprofits

Access Here - Must be inside a Library Location

Candid Classes

Introduction to Finding Grants

Introduction to Foundation Directory

Other grant sources

National Sources

Grants.gov
Many Federal agencies post their grant opportunities on this website.
Small Business Grants
The Small Business Administration (SBA) provides a small number of grants to nonprofits that support entrepreneurship.
NOTE: The SBA does NOT provide grants for starting a business.

County Sources

Mecklenburg County Community Services Grant Program
The Community Service Grant (CSG) Program is an opportunity for Mecklenburg County government to partner with local nonprofit organizations to help meet critical needs in the community.
Mecklenburg County Health Equity Grants Program
Provides grassroots, community, and faith-based organizations with capacity-building resources and support to implement chronic disease prevention programs or initiatives.

City Sources

City of Charlotte Neighborhood Matching Grants
The Neighborhood Matching Grants Program (NMG) awards funds to eligible neighborhood-based organizations to make neighborhoods better places to live, work, and play. The program, created in 1992, has four primary goals:
- Build neighborhood capacity and participation
- Allow neighborhoods to self-determine improvement priorities
- Leverage resident involvement and resources to revitalize and reinvest in low & moderate-income neighborhoods
- Stimulate the development of partnerships between City and community groups

Grants to Individuals

Fast Fact: Did you know most foundations legally cannot give to individuals? Foundations can generally only give to tax exempt organizations for tax exempt purposes.

Access Here - Available inside the Library only

You can use the Grants to Individuals dataset, now contained in Foundation Directory, to research just those foundations that can legally give to individuals. Foundation give to individuals primarily for educational purposes (scholarships), art projects, and educational media production (documentaries, etc.). Some limited funding may be available for other purposes. There is very little to no funding available for healthcare, home ownership, or other personal reasons.

Learn how to search for Grants to Individuals data here

Need help?

If you need additional help, or if you find a broken link, please contact the nonprofit team at NonprofitTeam@cmlibrary.org or Jeremy Lytal at JLytal@cmlibrary.org. Thank you!

Disclaimer: Any information in this guide is intended for reference/informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a source of legal, tax, financial, or accounting advice and should not be taken as such. Please contact a professional in their field should you have need of such advice or counsel.