Nonprofits Can Now Search for Grants from Home Using Candid’s Foundation Directory Online Essential

Jim Murray  | Business, Science and Technology Department, Central Library

All locations of the Birmingham Public Library (BPL) are closed at this time due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but that does not mean that you can’t have access to the nonprofit grant seeker’s best friend, Candid’s Foundation Directory Online Essential. Under normal circumstances, access to the Foundation Directory Online is limited strictly to onsite patrons at the Birmingham Public Library’s Central location. But both BPL and Candid understand that we are all living through some rather extraordinary circumstances, and we can certainly exercise some flexibility in our policies in order to meet the needs of our patrons.

The Foundation Directory Online Essential is a searchable database containing a wealth of information about grantmakers who can provide funds to support your nonprofit’s projects. The profiles of the nearly 200,000 grantmakers included in the database contain details about each grantmaker’s contact information, funding interests, the types of funding they have available, their financials (including IRS 990 forms), names of governing personnel, and grant application procedures. The database is easy to search and has some very helpful guides and resources to set you on the path to becoming an accomplished nonprofit grantseeker. The results of your searches can be downloaded, printed, or emailed.

The Birmingham Public Library is a long-standing member of Candid's Funding Information Network. In addition to offering patrons access to Candid’s subscription research databases, the library also serves as a gateway to many other sources of information related to nonprofit organizations and grantseeking. An introductory class on how to search the Foundation Directory Online is offered at the Central library on a frequent basis. For more information about any of these resources and services, please contact Jim Murray of the Central library’s Business, Science and Technology Department at Jim.Murray@cobpl.org.