Grant Resources for Nonprofits - The Foundation Center

What is the Foundation Center?

The Foundation Center is the leading authority on connecting grant-seeking nonprofit organizations with philanthropic institutions and providing them with tools they can use and information they can trust. Established in 1956, the Foundation Center supports a nationwide network of Cooperating Collections, such as the one at Birmingham Public Library, that provide under-resourced populations with the tools and training needed to connect with those willing to provide funding for their endeavors.

What is BPL’s Cooperating Collection?

The Cooperating Collection, located in the Government Documents Department at the Central Library, provides free public access to grantmaker directories, books on fundraising, and information on managing nonprofit organizations. Also available is free access to the Foundation Directory Online, which contains more than 99,000 profiles of grantmakers, 1.6 million records of recently awarded grants, and much more. Trained staff are available to help searchers make the best use of the collection’s resources.

What can the Cooperating Collection do for you?

If you work for or represent a nonprofit organization, the Foundation Center and BPL’s Cooperating Collection offer a variety of paths to furthering your organization’s goals and identifying sources of potential revenue. The Library gives free quarterly orientations on how to use the Center’s resources, the next of which will be on February 16 from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. A special presentation by Joanne Kepics of the Atlanta Foundation Center will be given on March 1 from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. in the Richard Arrington Auditorium. These programs are free, but registration is required as space is limited.

The Government Documents Department is located on the 3rd floor of the Central Library’s Linn-Henley Building and can be reached at (205) 226-3620 or at gov@bham.lib.al.us. The Cooperating Collection may be accessed at any time during the library’s regular business hours.