Online Tools for Grantmakers

This section contains several tools that are helpful in philanthropic practice.

Philanthropy In/Sight

Philanthropy In/Sight is a new, interactive mapping tool designed for grantmakers, policy makers and researchers. Combining the Foundation Center’s rich data on grantmakers and their grants with maps to tell the story of philanthropy through compelling visual portraits, the online map tool overlays data from The Measure of America onto an extensive database about giving in the U.S, creating a powerful tool for grantmakers to use to demonstrate need and impact. The addition of economic, social, political, environmental and other data helps to match need with grants and to measure whether charitable contributions are actually contributing to tangible improvements in the long-term. 

Learn more about Philanthropy In/Sight on the Foundation Center's website.

Family Philanthropy Online

FP Online is an online knowledge center available to NCG members courtesy of the National Center for Family Philanthropy. The online library focuses on a wealth of resources for giving families and those who work with them: a searchable, comprehensive and continually updated collection of more than 1,000 articles, case studies, profiles, presentations, reports, sample policies, and discussion papers related to family philanthropy and ready for you to download.

This tool is available to NCG members only. Log in on the left, then follow this link to FPOnline.
Not a member of NCG? Find out how to join.

PubHub

TRASI - Tools and Resources for Assessing Social Impact [beta]

Tools and Resources for Assessing Social Impact (TRASI) is a beta online database from the Foundation Center for measuring and analyzing social impact for programs and investments. Scheduled to launch in spring 2010, users are invited to participate in beta test phase to explore resources authored by a range of organizations, including social investors, foundations, NGOs, microfinance institutions, and others seeking social change, these resources range from off-the-shelf tools and concrete methodologies to generalized best practices.

TRASI is a project of the Foundation Center.

Online Toolkits

FSG Trustee Evaluation Toolkit
FSG Social Impact Advisors, with funding from NCG member The James Irvine Foundation, interviewed dozens of foundation trustees, CEOs and evaluation experts to uncover critical issues and exciting ideas related to evaluation.

Based on discussions with trustees, FSG determined that current evaluation approaches don’t always generate information useful to trustee. This toolkit shares highlights from these interviews, and explores innovative new approaches.

Check out the FSG Trustee Evaluation Toolkit.

Nonprofits Counts! 2010 Census Toolkit for Nonprofits
Nonprofits Count! 2010, a program of the Nonprofit Voter Engagement Networks and Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, has released a Census Toolkit for Nonprofits.

Available in CD-Rom and online, this kit provides information and tools to help a nonprofit get involved with the 2010 Census.

To order individual CD-Rom versions of the toolkit go to www.nonprofitscount.org and complete the online form.

To place a bulk order, contact the Nonprofit Voter Engagement Network at 1.877.4.1.COUNT.

Check out the Census Toolkit for Nonprofits.

Online Wiki

Web 2.0 for Grantmakers
This wiki site is designed as a simple and quick introduction for grantmakers interested in using new technologies (and some older ones, too) in creative ways.