The most reliable way to learn how to find foundation grants is to read what a foundation actually gave, not what it says it cares about. Every private foundation files a Form 990-PF with the IRS, and that return lists the grants it paid, who received them and how to apply. Read the grant list, check whether the foundation takes requests, then confirm everything on its website before you write a word.
The rest of this post walks through that method step by step, with a prospect sheet you can copy.
What does a foundation's 990-PF tell you?
The 990-PF is the annual return private foundations file. The IRS page on Form 990-PF has the form and its instructions. For prospect research, three things on it matter most:
The grant list. In the supplementary information section, the foundation lists grants and contributions paid during the year, and those approved for future payment, with each recipient's name and the purpose.
The application information. The same section asks who receives applications, what form they should take, any deadlines and any restrictions on giving.
The preselected box. A foundation can check a box saying it only gives to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests.
Mission statements tell you what a foundation hopes to fund. The grant list tells you what it did fund. When the two differ, plan around the grant list.
Where do you find a foundation's 990-PF?
ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer is a free search of 990 filings. Search by name, open the organization, and you will usually see several years of returns. The IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search lets you confirm a foundation's status and find filed returns by name or EIN. Candid is another source many development teams use.
Community foundations and other public charities file a Form 990 rather than a 990-PF, and report grants on a schedule of that return. The reading method below still applies.
How to find foundation grants: a step-by-step method
Write down what you are asking for. Program, place, population and a rough request size. You will compare every funder against this.
Build a long list. Search for foundations by name, by location and by organizations like yours. Look up who funds your peers: their funders often appear on their websites and annual reports.
Pull the two or three most recent 990-PFs. One year can be unusual. Several years show a pattern.
Read the grant list line by line. Note where the money went, for what purpose, and how gifts to new names compare with gifts to repeat grantees.
Check whether it takes requests. Look at the preselected box and the application information.
Go to the funder's website. Confirm guidelines, deadlines, the apply and contact pages, and any change in priorities.
Decide and record. Pursue, watch, or drop, with one line on why.
How do you read what a foundation actually gave?
Treat the grant list as data. Ask the questions a program officer would recognise:
Where are the recipients? A foundation that says it funds nationally may give almost entirely in one region.
What kind of organizations? Look for groups your size, not just your field.
Are the same names there every year? A list that barely changes suggests a closed circle.
What purposes are listed? General support, program support and capital projects point to different asks.
What did first-time grantees receive? That is a more honest guide to your request than the largest gift on the page.
Does the funder take requests or give by invitation only?
Start with the box on the 990-PF. If it is checked, the foundation has told the IRS it does not accept unsolicited requests. Then read the application information: a named contact, a stated format and deadlines suggest an open door.
Then check the website for phrases like "by invitation only" or "we do not accept unsolicited proposals." If a funder is closed, an unsolicited proposal is unlikely to help. Keep it on a watch list, learn whether anyone on your board knows its trustees, and revisit next year.
What if the website and the 990-PF disagree?
The website wins, because it is newer. A 990-PF describes a tax year that has already ended, and it is filed after the fact. A foundation that has changed its focus, opened an application process or moved to invitation only will usually say so on its website long before a return shows it.
Use the filing to understand behaviour and the website to understand the rules today.
A prospect sheet you can copy
Set up one row per funder with these columns:
Foundation name and EIN
Returns read (which years)
Where it gives
What it funds, from the grant list
Typical gift to a new grantee
Repeat grantees: many, some, few
Takes requests: yes, no, unclear
Website checked, and what it says now
Contact and apply page
Deadline
Decision and reason
A worked example, using a family foundation we'll call the Riverside Fund: grants mostly to youth literacy programs in two counties; mostly repeat grantees, with a few new names each year; the preselected box is unchecked; the website lists an online letter of inquiry and a contact email. Decision: pursue, starting with a letter of inquiry.
For more on turning prospects into a plan, see our guide to effective prospect research and how to secure a nonprofit grant. When you are ready to write, craft a strong grant case statement first.
Doing this for forty funders at once
The method works well for five foundations. At forty, the reading becomes the week. With CommunityForce grant discovery enabled for your organization, Explore holds every US foundation from the IRS list and its 990 filings, with what it actually gave. Matches ranks funders against your funding profile, best fit first, with why each fits, what to watch out for and a next step. For the best fits, Phoenix reads the funder's own website to see whether it takes requests or gives by invitation only, and where the website and the filing disagree, the website wins. You decide what goes forward, and the application is still yours to write. To see it with your own funding profile, book a demo.
Questions people ask
How many years of 990-PFs should you read?
Two or three recent years is usually enough to see a pattern. If the grant list shifts sharply between years, check the website for a new strategy before you decide.
Is a foundation's grant list the whole story?
It shows grants paid during the year and those approved for future payment, so a multi-year grant can appear more than once. Read the purpose line and the recipient together rather than counting gifts.
Should you contact a foundation that gives by invitation only?
Not with a proposal. A short introduction through someone who knows the foundation, or simply staying on its radar through your public work, is the more respectful route.
Do community foundations file a 990-PF?
No. Community foundations are generally public charities and file a Form 990. Their websites usually set out open grant programs and deadlines clearly.
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