Maneuvering through all the information that's available about foundations and the grants they make can seem like an overwhelming task.  That's why Pennsylvania Foundations Online is such an essential tool for any non-profit organization seeking to raise funds from foundation grants.  Quite simply, we've done a lot of the work for you!    

The people who research the information for each PA Foundations Online profile are highly trained professionals who understand your needs as a grant seeker.  They also know how to find and interpret the important information you need and present it clearly.  Our goal is to make your searching as efficient as possible, and not waste your time.  

Ø      PA Foundations Online only contains information about foundations that make grants in Pennsylvania.  Unlike other research products, we don't contain foundations that are located in Pennsylvania but never give here.  

Ø      We also don't contain foundations that are extremely small, and grant less than $500 a year. 

Ø      With few exceptions, we don't list foundations that make small grants to support only one very specific type of cause, such as high school graduates from a specific high school going on to one specific college. 

Ø      Or foundations that are really trusts and exist to provide operating support for one named organization. 

We want the foundations in PA Foundations Online to be useful for you, and we don't want you to be bogged down with misleading information that will just waste your time. 

But what about that phrase, "Does not accept unsolicited proposals," and its cousin, "only gives to pre-selected organizations" we are encountering more and more?  What do those statements really mean?  Quite simply, there is a box on the IRS 990 PF form (the tax return that private foundations are required to submit annually to the IRS) that the person completing the form can check that says "does not accept unsolicited proposals."  And these days, more and more foundations are checking that box just to reduce the amount of requests they receive. 

Some foundations do only give to a pre-selected list of organizations year after year.  However, at PA Foundations Online, our researchers take the time to carefully analyze whether or not that is really how the foundation does business.  If the researcher sees a sufficient quantity and variety in the grants being made from year to year, then we will provide a full profile on that foundation, including comprehensive lists of grants made in prior years.  This enables you to make a fully informed decision about approaching that funder.  

So, in conclusion, for the savvy grant researcher, "pre-selected only" doesn't always mean "pre-selected only" - and PA Foundations Online is the very best tool available to help you make that determination.  Happy Grant Seeking!