Researching Grant Funders: A Free, Step-by-Step Prospecting Method

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.

You do not need an expensive subscription to research funders well. A handful of free, public sources, used together, will show you who funds work like yours, where they give, and how much. This article walks through those sources and how to turn what you find into a prospect list. For the broader strategy behind prospecting, see our guide to strategic grant research and prospecting methods.

Free Sources for Finding Funders

Each source below covers a different part of the funding landscape. Start with the ones that match the type of funder you are looking for.

Grants.gov: the official search for federal grant opportunities. Search by keyword, funding agency, and eligibility, and save searches so you are notified when new opportunities are posted.
SAM.gov Assistance Listings: descriptions of every federal assistance program, formerly known as the CFDA. Use them to understand a program's purpose, eligible applicants, and typical award range before an opportunity opens.
ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer: free access to IRS Form 990 and 990-PF filings. Look up any private foundation to see its assets, total giving, and the organizations it has funded.
IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search: confirms a funder's tax-exempt status and provides copies of electronically filed returns.
Candid: publishes free nonprofit and foundation profiles. Its Funding Information Network partners, often public libraries, offer free in-person access to Candid's subscription Foundation Directory.
Community foundations: your local community foundation lists its own grant programs and often knows other local funders. Search the Council on Foundations' community foundation locator or your state association of nonprofits.
Corporate giving pages: companies with a presence in your area usually publish giving guidelines, foundation pages, or annual corporate social responsibility reports.

As you search, narrow the field from thousands of possible funders to a manageable list by filtering on focus area, geography, funder type, and grant size.

What to Look for in Each Prospect

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.

Going Deeper on Your Top Prospects

Search results are 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 its grants, and you can read them free on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. 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. Revisit the sources above regularly as part of an ongoing funder research strategy. Pair your research with the Proposal Builder when you are ready to write, and use the Proposal Builder tips panel for advice on tailoring your proposal to specific funder types.

Funder Research Best Practices

Use Grants.gov for federal opportunities and ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer or Candid for foundations to identify initial prospects based on focus area, geography, and grant size.
Cross-reference search 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.

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