by Haley Limo

Lately, many of my clients have been asking about applying for more grants from foundations. Because this seems to be a hot topic, I thought I would share with you some of the important aspects of finding and securing grants.

First, you need to find grants to apply to. This can be very difficult since 90% of foundations do not have a website. The only way to find them is through their 990’s. Having a subscription to Candid’s Foundation Center is going to be the gold standard in finding different foundations to apply to. While they offer nonprofit pricing, the price is still quite an investment. If possible, I would suggest using their “Candid Near Me” link to see if any local libraries near you carry their software. This is an excellent way to use a free resource to secure more funding

After you get your list of potential grant makers near you, targeting the family foundations is going to be the best segment for you to target. Over half of all grant-making foundations are family foundations. More importantly, they are well-capitalized: over half of these family foundations hold assets exceeding $10 million.

By law, these organizations are mandated to distribute a minimum 5% payout of their assets annually, though many are even more generous, with 75% paying out more than the required minimum. Despite this capital availability, finding them requires strategy. As stated, only 10% of family foundations maintain a public website. However, every single one of them is required to file a Form 990 with the IRS, which serves as your ultimate transparency tool.

When analyzing data from platforms like the Foundation Directory Online (FDO), your first step should be to transfer the results directly into an Excel spreadsheet. Data organization is critical to preventing administrative overwhelm.

As you audit your list, filter out the "obvious misses." For a targeted foundation strategy, filter out automated or pass-through giving platforms like AmazonSmile, Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs), and broad community foundations. Instead, keep your core focus locked onto dedicated family foundations. Once your list is refined, initiate deep-dive research by Googling the foundation's name alongside the term "990" to pull their official tax filings if you don’t have a Candid login. The best free websites will be Pro-Publica or Instrumentl.

Foundations generally fall into two categories regarding how they accept applications, and each requires a slightly different outreach strategy:

1. Foundations that Accept Unsolicited Grants

For these organizations, your first step should always be to call them directly using the phone number listed in the middle section of their Form 990. Once contact is established, explicitly follow the formal steps they provide to submit a full grant proposal, and ensure you follow up as needed. They will usually have those instructions listed on the 990 or on their website.

2. Foundations that Do Not Accept Unsolicited Grants

Do not let a "no unsolicited proposals" rule completely deter you. Instead, look up their number on the 990, call them first, and pivot your strategy toward submitting a brief, compelling Letter of Interest (LOI) to introduce your work and gauge alignment.

Just because they indicate that they don’t accept unsolicited grants does not mean they aren’t willing to hear you out. Many times, grant makers check that box to ensure they aren’t flooded with email and letter requests, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t open to some new programs.

Some of the largest gifts I have ever received have been from family foundations who said they don't accept unsolicited grant requests!

Crafting the Perfect Pitch

When calling an administrator, clarity and brevity are paramount. Your script should introduce who you are, state your desire to chat about grant opportunities, and deliver a concise, human-centric elevator pitch. For example:

"Hello, I am looking for an administrator with the foundation. My name is Haley with LOT Philanthropy. I would love to chat with someone about applying for a grant. We help abortion-vulnerable women choose life."

If the foundation requests an LOI, structure it formally. State your mission upfront, provide clear historical statistics illustrating your impact since inception, offer a brief overview of your programs, and politely request the next steps to submit a formal proposal. With an organized spreadsheet and a confident outreach strategy, your nonprofit will be well-positioned to unlock vital foundation funding.

That’s it!I hope that these few tools are enough to unlock the next steps on your foundation journey!