Featured Grantwriting Tip
Researching Foundation Grantmaking Using GuideStar

Kelly Hurt

You’ve got the application guidelines. You have your program identified. You’re ready to write your proposal. However, before you start writing you wonder, “How much money should we ask for?”

Foundations are a great source of funding for charter schools and other institutes of education. Many foundations provide a simple application to complete or comprehensive information to guide you in writing a proposal or letter of inquiry. However, they don’t always provide enough information about the range of their grant awards so you know how much money to request for your program.

So, where do you find this information? You can go to your local library to access the Foundation Director, FC Search or Prospector’s Choice – three excellent sources that provide detailed information about foundations, their Board members, their giving history and average grants, and application information. However, if you don’t have time to get out of the office, you can access GuideStar online to find and read foundations’ 990-PF – the IRS form foundations are required to file each year. A 990-PF can be a bit detailed and long, but if you follow the tips below, you can quickly scroll through them to find the information you need to determine how much to request in your proposal. Simply:

1. Go to http://www.guidestar.org/index.jsp
   
2. Sign up for the free membership by following the instructions on the home page.
3. After you become a member, enter the name of the foundation for which you’re seeking information in Quick Search or Advanced Search.
4. When the foundation is listed, click on the name.
5. On the left hand side of the screen under “GuideStar Plus,” you can scroll through a number of categories, including foundation summary, financial information, mission and programs, Board of Directors and 990.
6. Click on Form 990 (if it is available).
7. Click on the most current fiscal year available. You then will receive the form in a pdf (Adobe) file.
8. The grant information usually is located on the last few pages of the report. Click on the “Last Page” button to scroll quickly to the end of the document.
9. Read through the list of recent grants and amounts to discover the size of the foundation’s average grant in general AND for organizations similar to yours (i.e. charter or other public or private schools).
10. Determine the amount you should request in your proposal. For example, if the foundation’s average grant to charter schools is $5,000, then request $5,000 to $6,000.

GuideStar can help you learn more about foundations, their mission and interests, and the amount of grant awards they make to educational institutions. However, the old rule of fundraising holds true – if you’re not sure how much to request or if your not sure if your program is a good fit even after reviewing the 990 and other information, call and ask the Program Officer at the foundation before you write and submit your proposal.

Kelly Hurt is a consultant for the National Charter School Clearinghouse and the founder and President of Kelly Hurt & Associates, Inc.