Frequently Asked Questions

The following are questions asked often by users of the Grants Information Collection, a Foundation Center Cooperating Collection located in Madison, Wisconsin. Visit the Foundation Center's FAQs site for more questions and answers on grantseeking and grant research, foundation funding, nonprofit organization management, and related topics.

Questions


ABOUT US/CONTACTS/HOURS

  1. What is the Grants Information Collection?
  2. Where is the Grants Information Collection located?
  3. Who can use the collection?
  4. What are your hours?
  5. How can I contact the Grants Information Collection?
  6. Will someone be able to help me once I get there?
  7. What are your borrowing policies?
  8. Are there any other funding collections similar to yours? How about in Wisconsin?
  9. May I make an appointment?

GETTING STARTED: NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS

  1. Are there any workshops available on finding grants?
  2. Why is the information in your Web pages on grants for individuals organized separately from that of grants for organizations?
  3. What is a 501(c)(3) organization and why should I know?
  4. Is there some overview on the grant research process for finding grants for nonprofits?
  5. Is there some book which has all available Wisconsin grants?
  6. What are 990-PFs and why should I know about them?
  7. Do you have information on starting a nonprofit organization? What about one in Wisconsin?
  8. Do you have any computer databases for finding grants which I can use instead of your books? Can I search your funding databases from my computer off campus?
  9. How do I find out about government grants?
  10. What is a foundation? Is it the same thing as a charity?
  11. What if I am not a member of a nonprofit organization? Can I still somehow qualify for a grants only awarded to an organization?
  12. Where can I get more information on foundations, finding grants, nonprofit management, and similar topics?

GRANTS TO INDIVIDUALS

  1. Do you have any computer databases for finding grants which I can use instead of your books?
  2. Can I search your funding databases from my computer off campus?
  3. Where do I start looking for the scholarships and grants offered at the University of Wisconsin-Madison?
  4. Can I qualify for a grant if the information says that the grant is offered "to academic institutions only"?
  5. Do you have information on grants for international students?
  6. Do you have information on grants for paying medical bills or similar debts?

BUSINESS FINANCE

  1. Can you help me locate grants to start my small business in Wisconsin? How about starting a business outside Wisconsin?

PROPOSALS AND GRANT APPLICATONS

  1. Do you have information on proposal writing?
  2. How about help in writing or reviewing my proposal?
  3. Are there sample proposals available?
  4. Do you have grant application forms?

Answers


ABOUT US/CONTACTS/HOURS

1. The Grants Information Collection is one of a national network of approximately 300 similar library collections throughout the U.S. established by the Foundation Center, an independent national service organization based in New York. The Foundation Center's mission since its beginning in the 1950's is to provide free access to authoritative sources of information to nonprofit organizations on foundation and corporate giving. The Grants Information Collection, located at the University of Wisconsin - Madison, also provides information on scholarships, fellowships, and grants available for individuals. Other collections throughout the U.S. can be found at the Foundation Center Cooperating Collections site.

2. The Grants Information Collection is located on the second floor of Memorial Library at 728 State Street in Madison, Wisconsin. It is a special collection of the Reference Department located in Room 262. There are directions to campus and campus maps available at the Campus Information and Visitor Center.

3. Anyone can use the Collection. Non-University users will need to get a visitor's pass at the Library Entrance by first showing valid identification, with a photo and current address, in order to obtain a visitor's pass. For more information on Memorial Library access, see its site under Policies for Library Users.

4. The Grants Information Collection is open during Memorial Library building hours. However, if you need assistance in using the collection, you might want to check the Reference Desk staff schedule or call (608) 262-3242.

5. You may contact the Reference Desk at (608) 262-3242. If you would like to send email, you may contact the Collection Supervisor, Nikki Busch, at the address: grantsinfo@library.wisc.edu.

6. Any Reference staff member will be glad to show you the location of the collection and answer basic questions you might have. Staff members do not do not do funding research for users.

7. Items from the collection cannot be checked out. However, there are numerous books on fundraising, board management, nonprofit law, and related topics which do circulate, located in Memorial stacks and in other libraries on campus. The titles held in the Grants Information Collection can be found in MadCat, the library online catalog.

8. There is an online directory of Foundation Center Cooperating Collections. Wisconsin collections include the Funding Information Center at Marquette University Memorial Library (whose web site has the a link to the 2006 revised Wisconsin Common Application Form) and the Foundation Collection at University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point Library.

9. Users are encouraged to use Grants Information Collection's printed handouts and web pages and to attend our grant research workshops. However, in certain cases appointments can be made with the Grants Librarian - for instance, when visitors are traveling some distance to use the collection. See the Grant Appointment Guidelines before scheduling an appointment.


GETTING STARTED: NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS

10. Information on grant seminars and area workshops is available on the web at http://grants.library.wisc.edu/seminars.html. The collection supervisor at times is available to give in-house presentations on funding resources to area nonprofits, campus departments, classes, and other local groups. Contact Nikki Busch at (608)262-6431, or email her at grantsinfo@library.wisc.edu.

11. Foundation grants are usually restricted to nonprofit organizations as recipients, particularly those with a 501(c)3 tax-exempt status from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. There are some foundations which have special permission from the IRS to give to individuals, but the numbers are few in comparison. Separating the grant information according to the type of recipient - organization or individual - should make the funding search more efficient for the grantseeker.

12. A "501(c)3 organization" is a nonprofit organization that meets the tax exemption requirements of section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code. For more information, see the Charities & Non-Profits section of the Internal Revenue Service. There general information on applying for tax-exempt status and forming a nonprofit at the Foundation Center's FAQ, How do I establish a nonprofit organization?

13. There is an excellent overview, Guide to Funding Research, which can offer guidance to first-time grantseekers in using our collection.

14. Frankly, no. However, take a look at Marquette University's publication, Foundations in Wisconsin, available in print or online or both formats at any of the three Foundation Center Cooperating Collections in Wisconsin and perhaps your local library. It is also available for purchase from Marquette University Memorial Library's Funding Information Center. In addition, the Foundation Center's database, FD Online, contains a vast amount of information on Wisconsin foundations, and is available at the same Cooperating Collections.

You may wish to start looking for state and local government assistance at the Wisconsin.gov site, and use its Subject Directory and its corresponding Search box.

15. Form 990-PF is the public record information return that all private foundations are required by law to submit annually to the Internal Revenue Service. The Foundation Center's web site has a 990 Finder along with links to a tutorials on 990's and how to interpret them. Whereas private foundations file IRS Form 990-PF, in general churches, hospitals, schools, or publicly supported organizations file IRS Form 990. Often when you have difficulty locating a particular organization's tax return, it may be because the organization you are looking for files a Form 990, instead of a Form 990-PF.

16. Yes. There is an excellent link to the one of the Foundation Center nonprofit management tutorials, Establishing a Nonprofit Organization. There is also our site, Starting a Nonprofit Organization and Nonprofit Law: Web Sites and ...Selected Books. See also the Foundation Center's FAQ site, Nonprofit Management: Establishing a Nonprofit Organization. A handy to-do list, How to Form a Nonprofit Corporation in Wisconsin, is available in chart format on the lower half of the Marquette University's Funding Information Center's site, Starting a Nonprofit.

17. There are a number of databases available at the Grants Information Collection for searching grants. However, keep in mind that no one computer database will have all available funding opportunities. A complete list, Databases by Title, is available. However, it might be better to decide if you are looking for grants to individuals or for grants to organizations, then go to one of the following web pages for descriptions of our databases and their printed equivalents:

Databases for Grants to Individuals Best for individuals in general, university-sponsored individuals, and particularly those searching for education-related funding.
Databases for Grants to Organizations Best for funding for nonprofit organizations and their programs; includes funding for academic institutions

Some databases have license restrictions for on-campus users only, some are available off campus but restricted to University of Wisconsin-Madison faculty, staff, and students. Still others have free internet access to anyone. Information on computer accessibility to campus resources is outlined in Off-campus Online Access. One can also call the Library Technology Group Information Desk at (608) 262-8880. Generally speaking, conditions of access are given with each database described in the database web pages listed in FAQ 13 above.

18. Government grants can be found initially by searching Grants.gov. It describes itself as the "single access point for over 1,000 grant programs offered by the 26 Federal grant-making agencies." Primarily managed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, it offers users "full service electronic grant administration" with guidelines and grant applications available online. Search capabilities include by agency, category, grant type, or by browsing available grant opportunities.

Individuals looking for grants and human services assistance may want to try GovBenefits.gov.

19. The Foundation Center's FAQ, What is a foundation? will answer this question. The Council on Foundations states that "foundations are nonprofit organizations that support charitable activities in order to serve the common good. They provide this support by making grants to other nonprofit agencies, or through operating their own programs." For purposes of federal tax law, a 501(c)(3) organization is classified as either a public charity or a private foundation. Since foundations usually do not give grants to other foundations, for obtaining grants it is advantageous to be a public charity. Also, public charities are not subject to a number of special tax rules which apply to private foundations. See also the excellent online tutorials, Foundations and their Role in Philanthropy and Foundations Today at the Foundation Center's Learn About Foundations and Funding site.

20. Individuals can often get grants awarded only to nonprofit organizations by finding a nonprofit organization, or fiscal agent, which will sponsor the individual and receive the grant on the individual's behalf. For more on this process, see the Foundation Center's FAQ site, "Fiscal Sponsorship"

21. An all-around place to begin is the web page of the Foundation Center, of which this collection is one of a network of their Cooperating Collections throughout the U.S.


GRANTS TO INDIVIDUALS

22. There are a number of databases available at the Grants Information Collection for searching grants. However, keep in mind that no one computer database will have all available funding opportunities. Start with Databases for Grants to Individuals. If you have a fiscal sponsor or are with in an academic institution you may qualify for funding in the following listing: Databases for Grants to Organizations.

23. See answer to FAQ 18.

24. The best place to start - especially for undergraduate campus funding - is the University of Wisconsin Office of Student Financial Services and Financial Aid at UW-Wisconsin. Either site will be a good starting point for Law, Medical, Pharmacy, Veterinary, Returning students, and Graduate students seeking financial aid. Note also that the Wisconsin Guide to Undergraduate Scholarships is available at both sites. In addition, consult with the academic departments, schools, and colleges, centers, and other programs on campus for funding information connected to those areas and fields of study.

University researchers and post-doctoral scholars should check the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs for research funding guidelines and additional information, such as on-campus contacts facilitating sponsored program funding.

25. Faculty, researchers, graduate students, and others who are affiliated with a university or other academic institution may often qualify for grants using their institution as an organizational sponsor. These individuals should contact their department chairs, deans, or campus office of sponsored research for more information. (At UW-Madison the Research and Sponsored Programs office has posted a College and School Research Contacts site.) The institution will in most cases get a percentage of the grant for administrative costs, the sum of which is often figured into the original proposal budget.

26. See the web sites, Funding for International Students & Scholars for Study or Research in the United States and Funding for International Scholars in the United States Resources in Print: A Selection respectively. Also, many of our funding databases such as those found at the site Databases for Grants to Individuals have a separate search field for selecting and eliminating citizenship requirements.

27. Grants to pay medical bills, debt relief, and for similar individual needs are limited. One place to check for government benefits for individuals is GovBenefits.gov.

Generally speaking, however, grants which are available from foundations and/or by the federal government are awarded to either state and local governmental agencies or to nonprofit organizations which in turn provide human services programs for individuals in their communities who qualify for their assistance.

Wisconsin state and local government assistance programs can be found within the Wisconsin.gov: State Agencies site, where, for instance, one can find programs within departments such as the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services. See also the Wisconsin State and Local Government Funding and Assistance Programs web pages. However, keep in mind that most of these funding programs are not awarded directly to individuals.

Those few foundations that are exceptions to the above and do give personal assistance grants can be found in a printed directory, Foundation Grants to Individuals, located at the Grants Information Collection, along with its online equivalent, Foundation Grants to Individuals Online. (The latter is also available from the Foundation Center for $9.95 per month to any interested individual. See the FC site at http://foundationcenter.org)


BUSINESS FINANCE

28. There are very few grants for small businesses. Why this is is explained well in the Foundation Center's FAQ on the topic. For information on Wisconsin business finance opportunities try Wisconsin.gov's Business Services or its Business Wizard site. See also the Wisconsin Department of Commerce "Business Resources" links. Finally, the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Small Business Development Center offers information and programs on business start-up finance and management. (The SBDC offices outside Madison are listed at the Wisconsin SBDC site.

Entrepreneurs outside Wisconsin might find advice and help from similar sites in their state's official site, and the additional information at the Foundation Center's business finance FAQ(mentioned above) on the subject. Many public libraries can also be a useful resource.


PROPOSALS AND GRANT APPLICATIONS

29. There is proposal writing information in the following Web sites: 1) Proposal Writing: Web sites and 2) Proposal Writing: Selected Books. The library staff does not help users write or review proposals. Resources on locating sample grant proposals are included in both web sites. The Foundation Center also has this as an FAQ site, Where Can I Find Examples of Grant Proposals?

30. The staff at the Grants Information Collection does not provided help in proposal writing, although staff may be able to recommend resource individuals in the area, grantmakers that review proposals submitted to them, and seminars offered in Wisconsin. On the University of Wisconsin campus the Writing Center provides opportunities and classes on such topics as writing graduate research proposals, application essays, and advice on applying for specific grants such as the Fulbright, Rhodes, Hilldale, Wisconsin Idea, and others. Faculty will want to check with their particular UW-Madison College and School Research contacts, especially for federal grant proposals.

31. See our Proposal Writing: Web Sites section, Proposal Writing: Selected Books, and the Foundation Center's answer to this question in their FAQ, Where Can I Find Examples of Grant Proposals?

32. Although we do not collect application forms, many grantmakers have web sites from which applications may be duplicated. Also, there is a Wisconsin Common Application Form accepted by many Wisconsin foundations. Other group application forms can be found in a list of Common Grant Applications from the Foundation Center.