Finding Funders
There are a few avenues for non-profits such as SOS Aquaponics to find funding. First of all, there are grants from foundations or larger non-profits. The first two databases will help those teams find organizations working in similar fields.
- Foundation DirectoryThe Foundation Center directory contains information about the largest public and private foundations in the U.S. and links to foundation web sites. This director can be used to find grant funding organizations.
- GuideStar PremiumSearchable directory that provides detailed information on more than 850,000 nonprofit (501) organizations. Non-profit organizations could be partnered with or offer grants to other organizations. Use this directory to find organizations with similar missions or goals.
Large corporations have made charitable giving to non-profits a part of their business. Some companies focus their giving in specific areas such as education or the environment. You will search through these opportunities for ones open to the work of SOS Aquaponics.
Finding these corporations is tricky. The first method that you thought of is a Google search, right? That is a great way to get started but what happens if it falls short? One method is to search for newspaper articles highlighting corporate philanthropic work. The databases below let you search multiple publications at once. Try search terms such as 'corporate philanthropy' or 'company grant'. Narrow your search with additional terms such as 'sustainabl*' or 'children'.
- ABI/InformABI/Inform, an extensive international business and management database that contains full text of articles appearing in professional publications, academic journals, and trade magazines published worldwide.
- Business Source CompleteBusiness Source Complete provides full text for business journals and other sources. This includes publications such as the New York Times.
Another option is government grants. This may be a long shot compared to non-profit grants and company philanthropy due to U.S. government grants generally focusing on U.S. based programs. The federal government does have a grant database for you to search.
- Grants.gov"Grants.gov is your source to FIND and APPLY for federal grants."
- U.S. Embassy Chile - GrantsInformation on U.S. grants to organizations in Chile.
Another option for funding is crowdfunding. As a non-profit business, donations to your organization are tax deductible. Consider different methods of getting your non-profit in front of people willing to fund it - advertising, a crowdfunding platform, or something else you come up with! Whichever method that you choose, you will need to find a platform and payment method that supports non-profit's tax deductible donations. Take a look at popular crowdfunding platforms, compare them and find one that meets your needs.
- The 6 Best Crowdfunding Platforms of 2021Articles like this one will help you to identify crowdfunding platforms and investigate how they work. Don't hesitate to seek out second and third opinions (more articles like this one) and read more on the crowdfunding platform's 'About Us' page.