When non-profit directors or development staff comes to me looking for help in the world of foundations, the first thing I usually have to do is dispel the most common myths surrounding foundation funding.
Myth #1: Foundation funding is easy.
Myth #2: Foundations are anxious to give money to organizations like mine.
Myth #3: Foundations just require a [...]

The Aubrey Rose Foundation in Cincinnati, OH helps families with children who have a life-threatening medical condition. The organization was founded in memory of Aubrey Rose Hollenkamp, who as an infant was diagnosed with a severe cardiac condition.
The foundation seeks to help families whose child has a serious illness such as organ failure, cancer [...]

In the past couple of weeks I’ve discussed grants with several non profit leaders.  One person said that their most challenging issue was simply finding appropriate grants to apply for.  There are several databases available that will let you search by a variety of criteria such as subject or location.  These databases then produce a [...]

Does your organization serve a rural population?  An interesting study recently revealed several interesting facts about how foundations view rural populations.
Grantmakers’ perceptions of rural life, geographical isolation and capacity-building needs greatly reduce rural nonprofits’ ability to secure funding, finds the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy in its latest report, Rural Philanthropy: Building Dialogue from Within.
The [...]

Grants are not my area of expertise, but I do like to be familiar with the basics. One of those basics of course is that there are many more requests out there than actual grants available. 80% of donations to non-profits come from individuals not foundations or corporations. Which are two reasons [...]

While looking for a new job in fund-raising, someone suggested that I look into The Foundation Center’s online courses. I am certainly glad that I did. They offer a variety of courses, some for a fee and others that are free.
The Foundation Center is well-known as a leading authority on philanthropy. It was [...]

And I thought lawn racing was just on King of the Hill. I grew up in a small town so I can relate… making this video even more entertaining.
Stay tuned to the end to see why these everyday guys are really hometown heroes.

Everyday heros from towns large and small are making [...]