Resources for Grantmakers

The following list provides members with a list of national and regional resources. If you are a member in search of an organization or service not listed on this website or you have suggestions for improving this resources page, please feel free to contact us at ncg@ncg.org or by phone at 415.777.5761 x 19.

REGIONAL AND NATIONAL RESOURCES

The Association of Small Foundations - www.smallfoundations.org
is committed to building and strengthening small foundation philanthropy by providing top quality, timely, practical, member-driven programs to all foundations with few or no staff.

The Council on Foundations - www.cof.org
A national association of grantmakers which works to support foundations by promoting knowledge, growth and action in philanthropy. Their publications are useful for grantmakers of all levels.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy - http://philanthropy.com/

The Foundation Center
(http://www.fdncenter.org/for_grantmakers/;jsessionid=BFP4D5KY01XPOP5QALRSGXD5AAAACI2F) An essential resource for grantseekers and grantmakers alike. The Center provides resources and services tailored to your special grantmaker needs.

The Grantmaking School
www.grantmakingschool.org The Grantmaking School led by Distinguished Professor of Philanthropic Studies Joel J. Orosz, Ph.D., is headquartered at the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership of Grand Valley State University. Developed with the guidance of national experts and leaders in philanthropy, The Grantmaking School is the first university-based, practitioner-led curriculum for program officers aimed at advancing grantmaking as a field. The School focuses on the institutional, interpersonal and integrative aspects of grantmaking to provide substantive professional continuing education to experienced grantmakers, and to contribute to the advancement of the grantmaking field.

The Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers
http://www.givingforum.org/ The national association of associations of grantmakers, working to help individual association staff, volunteer leaders and member grantmakers work together across regions more effectively.

Independent Sector
http://www.independentsector.org/ The IS mission is to promote, strengthen, and advance the nonprofit and philanthropic community to foster private initiative for the public good.

The Philanthropy Roundtable - http://www.philanthropyroundtable.org/
A national association of individual donors, corporate giving representatives, foundation staff and trustees, and trust and estate officers. The Roundtable operates on the principle that voluntary private action offers the best means of addressing many of society's needs, and that a vibrant private sector is critical to creating the wealth that makes philanthropy possible.

National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy - http://www.ncrp.org
A national membership organization which works make philanthropy more responsive to people with the least wealth and opportunity, more relevant to critical public needs, and more open and accountable to all, in order to create a more just and democratic society.

The National Center for Family Philanthropy - www.ncfp.org
A nonprofit organization group dedicated to assisting families engaged in philanthropy in effective giving.

GRANTMAKING TOOLS

NCG's Family Philanthropy Online Knowledge Center, a new benefit for NCG members

Grantmaking Basics Online - http://www.grantmakingbasicsonline.org/
The Council on Foundation offers resources that consist of self-paced courses, quizzes, questions to ponder, quotes and study guides to increase your understanding of grantmaking.

Grantmaking Basics Online will help you to:

• Enhance your understanding of the grant review process
• Decipher the complexities associated with financial reports
• Organize and implement successful site visits
• Effectively evaluate and measure foundation performance
• Increase your performance at work

Effective Grantmaking - http://www.grantcraft.org/about/index.html
The GRANTCRAFT website from the Ford Foundation offers resources from grantmakers for grantmakers on the tools and techniques of effective grantmaking. Among the tools available are guides, videos, and case studies that present the practitioner's view of philanthropy.

GRANTMAKER AFFINITY GROUPS

Africa Grantmakers - http://www.africagrantmakers.org/
The Africa Grantmakers Affinity Group (AGAG) is a network of grantmakers working in, or interested in working in Africa. The group has its roots in the Southern Africa Grantmakers Affinity Group (SAGAG), which was designed to encourage greater foundation interest in South Africa, promote better grantmaking in the country, and assist nonprofit organizations fighting apartheid.

Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy - http://www.aapip.org/
Founded in 1990, Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP) is a national membership association dedicated to the two-fold mission of increasing the participation and leadership of Asian Pacific Americans in philanthropy and increasing philanthropic resources to those communities. AAPIP's members include foundations, the staff and trustees of grantmaking institutions, and representatives of nonprofit organizations.

Association of Small Foundations - http://www.smallfoundations.org/ With a membership of some 1,900 foundations, ASF works to provide information and assistance related to quality philanthropy to foundations having five or fewer persons and a portfolio that includes all aspects of foundation work, including public relations, writing letters, cutting checks, mailing and processing grant applications, working with trustees and grantees, doing site visits and evaluations, and managing assets.

Bay Area Blacks in Philanthropy - www.babip.org Bay Area Blacks in Philanthropy (BABIP) is a regional, nonprofit, membership organization whose mission is to advance the interests of African Americans in philanthropy and address the impact of race and diversity within Bay Area philanthropic institutions and on the African American community.

Communications Network - http://www.comnetwork.org/
The Communications Network is a nonprofit membership organization that promotes strategic communications as an integral part of effective philanthropy by providing the philanthropic community with strategic communications leadership, guidance, and resources. The Network also publishes "Network Notes," an e-mail newsletter focusing on philanthropy and communications issues.

Consortium of Foundation Libraries - http://www.foundationlibraries.org/
The Consortium of Foundation Libraries is dedicated to enhancing learning, sharing resources, and coordinating information services among foundation libraries and archives. The Consortium comprises libraries and information centers associated with public and private foundations, private operating foundations, nonprofit organizations whose function is to perform services for foundations or collecting and disseminating information relating to the foundations' fields of interest, and other nonprofit organizations whose aims and operations are deemed by the membership to be similar to the above organizations.

Environmental Grantmakers Association - http://www.ega.org/
The Environmental Grantmakers Association, a voluntary association of foundations and giving programs concerned with the protection of the natural environment, works to increase awareness of the relationships between environmental grantmaking and other areas of grantmaking and to encourage all types of philanthropic programs to support environmentally related activities. In addition, EGA provides the means by which members can improve their effectiveness as grantmakers and works to increase the resources available to address environmental concerns.

Funders Concerned About AIDS - http://www.fcaaids.org/
Funders Concerned About AIDS assists philanthropy in being more aggressive and strategic in HIV/AIDS and related grantmaking areas by helping funders to broaden their strategic understanding and appreciation of HIV/AIDS issues and increase their creativity in designing and sustaining effective grantmaking strategies around the world.

Funders for Lesbian and Gay Issues - http://www.lgbtfunders.org/lgbtfunders/index.htm
Founded in 1982 as the Working Group on Funding Lesbian and Gay Issues, FLGI works to increase the visibility of and funding for lesbian and gay issues in the philanthropic community.

The Funders Network on Population, Reproductive Health and Rights - www.fundersnet.org
The Funders Network is a network of grantmakers who address issues of population, reproductive health and reproductive rights, both domestically and internationally. Its members share a common goal: to ensure that all people have access to the information and services they need to manage their own fertility and protect and promote their sexual and reproductive health. To that end, the Funders Network seeks to improve communication, foster collaboration, increase resources and enhance the overall effectiveness of grantmakers in this field.

Funders Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities - http://www.fundersnetwork.org/
The Funders' Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities is a resource for foundations, nonprofit organizations, and other partners working to solve the environmental, social, and economic problems created by suburban sprawl and urban disinvestment. The Network informs funders of critical policy and grassroots developments; enables program staff to share effective strategies and tools; builds the capacity of key constituencies to promote smart growth and livable communities; and raises awareness about the interdisciplinary nature of these issues and the need for sustained engagement by a diverse coalition of funders.

Grantmaker Forum on Community & National Service - http://www.gfcns.org/
The Grantmaker Forum on Community & National Service is a network of grantmakers dedicated to expanding opportunities for all Americans to serve and volunteer in order to strengthen our communities and build a healthy democracy. Our membership represents the full spectrum of corporate, family, community and private foundations.

Grantmakers Concerned with Care at the End of Life - http://www2.soros.org/death/newsletter8/gccel.html
Grantmakers Concerned with Care at the End of Life (GCCEL) is a national network of funders who are addressing the critical issues surrounding the experience of dying. GCCEL works to heighten awareness of these issues among philanthropic, government, and healthcare institutions, and also helps to educate funders about what they can do to aid in the development and research of new systems of care, governmental and institutional policies, and public and professional education programs.

Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees - http://www.gcir.org/
Established in 1990, Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees (GCIR) is a national network of more than 175 foundation staff and trustees representing 115 foundations with diverse grantmaking interests and geographic areas of focus. GCIR promotes awareness and understanding among grantmakers about national and international migration trends and public policies and other issues affecting immigrants and refugees, and works to increase financial support for projects and activities benefiting immigrant and refugee communities.

Grantmakers for Children, Youth & Families - http://www.gcyf.org/
Grantmakers for Children, Youth & Families (GCYF) is a membership association of grantmaking institutions established to increase the ability of organized philanthropy to improve the well-being of children, youth and families. GCYF serves as a forum to review and analyze grantmaking strategies, exchange information about effective programs, examine public policy developments, and maintain ongoing discussions with national leaders.

Grantmakers for Education - http://www.edfunders.org/
A membership organization for private and public grantmakers that support education from early childhood through K-12 and higher.

Grantmakers for Effective Organizations - http://www.geofunders.org
Grantmakers for Effective Organizations, a network of people located both in and outside the United States, is dedicated to promoting learning and encouraging dialogue among funders committed to the field of organizational effectiveness.

Grantmakers in Aging - http://www.giaging.org/
Grantmakers in Aging is an educational nonprofit membership organization for staff and trustees of foundations and corporations active in the field of aging.

Grantmakers in the Arts - http://www.giarts.org/
Representing over 250 organizations, Grantmakers in the Arts is a nonprofit membership organization comprised of private foundations, family foundations, community foundations, corporate foundations, corporate giving programs, and nonprofit organizations that make arts grants. GIA welcomes public-sector grantmakers as affiliate members.

Grantmakers in Health - http://www.gih.org/
Grantmakers In Health, an educational organization dedicated to helping foundations and corporate giving programs improve the nation's health, works to foster communication and collaboration among grantmakers and others, and to strengthen the grantmaking community's knowledge, skills, and effectiveness in dealing with health-related issues.

Grants Managers Network - http://www.gmnetwork.org/
The Grants Managers Network (GMN) is committed to improving philanthropy by leading the field of grants management to achieve efficient and effective grantmaking. As the nation’s only nonprofit membership organization devoted to serving grants management professionals, GMN connects its more than 1,300 members to best practices and the collective knowledge of the field, innovative learning experiences, and peer-to-peer collaborations.

Grantmakers Without Borders - http://www.internationaldonors.org/
GWOB is a network of trustees and staff of public and private foundations as well as individual donors who practice global social change philanthropy. We invite you to join us in providing resources to help make another world possible.

Hispanics in Philanthropy - http://www.hiponline.org/
Hispanics in Philanthropy is an association of more than 450 U.S. and Latin American grantmakers and nonprofit leaders committed to increasing philanthropic support of Latino communities and to promoting greater participation by Latinos within organized philanthropy. HIP seeks to increase Latino representation on foundation staff and boards, promotes efforts to strengthen the Latino nonprofit sector, develops cross border exchanges between Latin American and U.S. foundations, and educates grantmakers about issues affecting Latino communities.

International Funders for Indigenous Peoples - http://www.firstpeoples.org/IFIP.htm
Established in 1999, the International Funders for Indigenous Peoples (IFIP) is a venue for communications and resource sharing among international funders of indigenous peoples. IFIP provides a forum that cuts across grantmaking disciplines to build a contextual understanding of indigenous peoples that includes the impact of globalization.

Jewish Funders Network - http://www.jfunders.org/
The Jewish Funders Network brings together Jews, nationally and regionally, who believe that their funding decisions must be philosophically and strategically sound and who understand that their philanthropy goes much deeper than the mere act of writing checks. JFN encourages membership among individual philanthropists as well as foundation trustees, executives, and grantmaking professionals.

National Network of Grantmakers - http://www.nng.org/
The National Network of Grantmakers is an organization of 400 individual donors, foundation staff and board members, and grantmaking committee members involved in funding social and economic justice by supporting organizations working for change.

Native Americans in Philanthropy (NAP) - http://www.nativephilanthropy.org/
Native Americans in Philanthropy seeks to engage Native and non-Native peoples in understanding and advancing the role of philanthropy through practices that support Native traditional values for current and future generations.

Neighborhood Funders Group - http://www.nfg.org/
A membership association of grantmaking institutions dedicated to strengthening the capacity of organized philanthropy to understand and support community-based efforts to organize and improve the economic and social fabric of low-income urban neighborhoods and rural communities.

Peace and Security Funders Group - http://www.peaceandsecurity.org
PSFG is dedicated to enhancing the effectiveness of philanthropy to promote international peace and security. To this end, the group provides opportunities for education and information sharing; facilitates the development of effective strategies and collaborations; and encourages greater and new investments in this challenging and rewarding area of work.

Technology Affinity Group - http://www.tagtech.org/
The Technology Affinity Group seeks to advance technology best practices in philanthropy through the formation of a network of technical and non-technical foundation staff. TAG helps its members to spread understanding of how technology can best serve philanthropic goals, foster partnerships with program and communications staff, explores appropriate future technologies, and identify resources for technical knowledge and expertise.

Women & Philanthropy - http://www.womenphil.org/
Women & Philanthropy is an association of grantmakers, women and men, dedicated to mobilizing the resources of the philanthropic community to achieve equity for women and girls by increasing funding for programs that achieve equity for women and girls.

Women's Funding Network - http://www.wfnet.org/
The Women's Funding Network is an association of women's funds working to increase resources for programs benefiting women and girls. By fostering strategic alliances among women, donors, communities, and institutions, WFN promotes the development and growth of women's funds with the aim of strengthening the women's funding movement and promoting women's leadership in philanthropy.

OTHER RESOURCES FOR GRANTMAKERS AND NONPROFITS

CompassPoint Nonprofit Services - http://www.compasspoint.org/index.html
CompassPoint Nonprofit Services is a nonprofit training, consulting and research organization with offices in San Francisco and Silicon Valley. Through a broad range of services, we provide nonprofits with the management tools, concepts and strategies necessary to shape change in their communities.