How to find grants for your nonprofit
Updated Nov 4, 2026
Most grant money for small nonprofits comes from three places: private foundations, government programs and local institutions such as community foundations and businesses. Here is a method that works without a paid database.
1. Write down what you are asking for
Before searching, write one paragraph that answers: what program needs money, who it serves, where, how much it costs this year and what part you want a grant to cover. Funders judge fit on exactly these points, and your search terms come straight from them.
- Cause: two or three plain words a funder would use ("youth mentoring", "food pantry", "affordable housing").
- Place: your city, county and state. Most foundations give close to home.
- Size: your annual budget and the amount you need. A $10,000 ask and a $250,000 ask go to different funders.
2. Start with funders who already gave to organizations like yours
The strongest predictor that a foundation might fund you is that it already funded similar work in your area. Private foundations report every grant on Form 990-PF, so this is public. Look for organizations similar to yours - same cause, same region, similar size - and see who funded them.
On Grantvello you can do this directly: enter your profile and the results show, for each funder, the actual grants that made it a match. You can also browse by state or cause.
3. Check federal and state programs
Federal grants are listed on Grants.gov. Many are open only to governments or universities, so filter for opportunities that list nonprofits as eligible. Our federal opportunities list shows only those, checked daily. Also check your state's grants portal and your county or city: a lot of federal money reaches small nonprofits as subgrants from state agencies.
4. Look locally
- Community foundations serve a city or region and often run open grant cycles for local nonprofits.
- Corporate giving programs of large local employers, banks and utilities.
- Service clubs (Rotary, Lions, Kiwanis) and local family foundations.
5. Qualify each prospect before you write
For every funder on your list, check four things: does it accept unsolicited proposals, does it fund your geography, does its typical grant fit your ask, and has it given recently? Our guide on evaluating eligibility walks through each one. A short list of well-qualified funders beats a long list of names.
6. Keep a prospect list
Track each funder with its deadline, typical grant, contact and next step. See how to build a grant prospect list.
Common mistakes
- Sending the same proposal to every foundation with "grant" in its name.
- Applying to a foundation that only funds preselected organizations.
- Asking for far more than the funder's typical grant.
- Trusting an old deadline: always confirm the current cycle on the funder's own site.
Put it into practice
Search foundations by their real grants, or get a ranked list for your organization.
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