Researching Funders with GrantCraft's Free Funder Directory

Why Funder Research Is the Foundation of Successful Grant Writing

The most common mistake in grant writing is not poor writing. It is applying to the wrong funder. You can write a brilliant proposal, but if the funder does not support your type of work, your geographic area, or organizations of your size, the proposal will be rejected. Funder research is the step that separates strategic grant seekers from those who waste time on poorly matched applications.

The GrantCraft Funder Directory is a free resource that helps you identify potential funders and evaluate whether they are a good match for your organization and project. Used effectively, it can dramatically improve your success rate by ensuring that every proposal you write goes to a funder whose priorities align with your mission.

How to Use the Funder Directory

The Funder Directory allows you to browse and research funding opportunities across different categories. When you access the directory, you can explore funders by focus area, geography, funder type, and grant size. This filtering helps you quickly narrow the field from thousands of potential funders to a manageable list of strong prospects.

Begin your research by identifying funders whose stated priorities match your organization's mission and the specific project you want to fund. For each potential funder, look at several key factors:

• Focus areas: Does the funder support the type of work you do, such as education, health, environment, or social services?
• Geographic focus: Does the funder make grants in your service area? Many foundations restrict funding to specific states, counties, or cities.
• Grant size range: Is the funder's typical grant size appropriate for your request? Asking for $50,000 from a funder that typically awards $5,000 grants is a mismatch.
• Eligible organizations: Does the funder support organizations of your type and size? Some funders only support established organizations, while others specifically seek emerging groups.
• Application process: Does the funder accept unsolicited proposals, or do you need an invitation or letter of inquiry first?

Building a Funder Prospect List

Effective funder research results in a prioritized prospect list, typically organized into tiers. Your A-list includes funders with strong alignment across all factors: they fund your type of work, in your area, at the right grant size, and you have a connection or relationship. Your B-list includes funders with good but not perfect alignment. Your C-list includes funders worth monitoring for future opportunities.

For each prospect, record the funder's name, contact information, grant guidelines, application deadlines, typical grant amount, and any connections your organization has to the funder. This information becomes your prospecting database and guides your annual grant writing calendar.

Researching Beyond the Directory

The Funder Directory is your starting point, but thorough funder research goes deeper. Once you have identified promising prospects, supplement your research with these additional steps:

Review 990-PF Filings

Every private foundation in the United States files an IRS Form 990-PF that lists their grants. These filings reveal what the foundation actually funds, which sometimes differs from what their website says. If a foundation's website mentions education and health as priorities but their 990-PF shows 80 percent of grants going to education, that is important intelligence.

Look at grant amounts to understand the foundation's typical range. Look at grantee names to see if they fund organizations similar to yours. And look at the geographic distribution of grants to confirm they fund in your area. Our guide on navigating the grant landscape provides more detail on using 990-PFs for research.

Visit Funder Websites

Read the funder's website thoroughly, including annual reports, blog posts, and news updates. These sources reveal the funder's current thinking, strategic direction, and any shifts in priority. A foundation that recently published a blog post about racial equity may be more receptive to proposals that center equity in their design.

Attend Funder Events

Many foundations hold informational sessions, webinars, or grantee convenings. Attending these events provides insight into the funder's values and preferences that you cannot get from written materials. It also provides opportunities to build relationships with program officers.

The Go/No-Go Decision

After researching a potential funder, make a deliberate go/no-go decision before investing time in a full application. Ask yourself these questions:

• Does our project align with the funder's stated priorities? Rate alignment on a scale of 1 to 5.
• Does our organization meet the eligibility requirements?
• Is our request within the funder's typical grant range?
• Do we serve the geographic area the funder targets?
• Can we meet the application deadline with a quality proposal?
• Do we have the organizational capacity to manage this grant if awarded?

If the answer to any of these questions is no, move on to the next prospect. Your time is better spent on a strong application to an aligned funder than a mediocre application to a poorly matched one.

From Research to Relationship

Funder research is not a one-time activity. It is the beginning of a relationship. Many foundations prefer to fund organizations they know and trust. Before submitting a formal proposal, consider reaching out to the program officer with a brief email introducing your organization and asking whether your project aligns with their current priorities. This pre-application contact can save you time and provide valuable guidance for your proposal.

Keep your prospect list updated as funders change their priorities, deadlines, and leadership. The GrantCraft Funder Directory is a tool you should return to regularly as part of an ongoing funder research strategy. Pair it with the Proposal Builder when you are ready to write, and use the Tips section for advice on tailoring your proposal to specific funder types.

Funder Research Best Practices

• Use the Funder Directory to identify initial prospects based on focus area, geography, and grant size.
• Cross-reference directory results with 990-PF filings to see actual funding patterns.
• Build a tiered prospect list organized by strength of alignment.
• Contact program officers before applying to confirm alignment and build relationships.
• Update your prospect database at least quarterly as funder priorities evolve.
• Make deliberate go/no-go decisions to focus your limited time on the best matches.

Learn more about grant writing strategies at Subthesis.

Ready to build a complete grant writing skill set? The Complete Grant Architect course covers everything from needs assessment to budget construction to post-award management.