Nonprofit Grants
Foundation Grants: Types, Where to Find Open Ones, and How to Apply
Grant Writing Service Editorial Team
June 17, 2026 · 4 min read
Table of contents
Key takeaways
- Foundation grants come from private, family, community, and corporate foundations, and each type is approached differently.
- Most private foundations do not accept unsolicited proposals; their Form 990-PF says so.
- Community foundations run open, published grant cycles and are the most accessible starting point.
- Many foundations want a short letter of inquiry before a full proposal.
Foundation grants are awards from private, family, community, and corporate foundations, nonprofits that exist to give money to charitable work rather than run programs themselves. They fund everything from general operating support to specific projects, almost always for 501(c)(3) organizations or groups working through a fiscal sponsor. Unlike government grants, there is no central listing: each foundation sets its own priorities, its own process, and in most cases its own decision about whether to accept applications at all.
The four types of foundations, and how each gives
| Type | Where its money comes from | How it usually gives | How to approach it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private foundation | One individual, family, or company, invested as an endowment | Set priorities, often national or topical; formal staff at larger ones | Check guidelines; many want a letter of inquiry; many accept no unsolicited requests |
| Family foundation | A family's gift; family members on the board | Often local or tied to the family's interests; many have no staff | Usually through a relationship or a short letter |
| Community foundation | Many donors in one area, pooled | Open grant cycles for local nonprofits; also donor-advised funds | Apply to published cycles; meet the program staff |
| Corporate foundation or giving program | A company's profits | Causes linked to its business, employees, and operating locations | Local branch or regional office; often online applications |
Private and family foundations are both private foundations under federal tax law, which brings two rules that matter to applicants. They must pay out a minimum each year, generally about 5 percent of their investment assets, so even quiet foundations are giving money to someone. And they must file Form 990-PF, a public return that lists their grants.
How to tell whether a foundation accepts applications
This is the question most grant seekers skip, and it decides whether a prospect is real. The 990-PF asks each foundation to check a box if it gives only to preselected organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests. Candid's analysis of fiscal year 2023 returns found that 71 percent of the 112,733 private foundations filing checked it. Among the 1,744 foundations with more than $100 million in assets, 38 percent accepted unsolicited requests.
So a foundation appearing in a database, or funding a peer of yours, does not mean it will read your proposal. Check its website first. If it has published guidelines, an application portal, or deadlines, it is open. If it has no website, open its most recent 990-PF (free on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer) and look at the application information section. A checked box means the only way in is a relationship, such as a board member or donor who knows a trustee.
Where to find foundations that are open to you
- Your community foundation. It publishes its grant cycles and deadlines. The Council on Foundations' Community Foundation Locator finds the one serving your area.
- Foundations that fund your peers. Annual reports of similar nonprofits list their funders; those foundations have already shown they fund your kind of work.
- Foundation databases. Candid has the most complete giving records; our comparison of the best grant databases covers costs and free access.
- Regional associations of grantmakers. Many regions have a membership association of local foundations, and some publish member directories or common application forms used by several funders at once.
- Corporate giving pages of the large employers in your area.
The full search sequence, including state and federal sources, is in our guide to searching for nonprofit funders.
What foundations look for
Read the foundation's last two or three years of grants before you write anything. The pattern tells you more than the mission statement: typical grant size, whether it funds new grantees or renews the same ones, whether it gives general operating support or only projects, and whether it funds outside its home city.
Then check fit on three points. Does it fund your cause? Does it fund where you work? Does it fund the kind of activity you are proposing, at the size you need? A strong proposal sent to a foundation that fails any of those tests is still a decline.
From first contact to a grant
The usual path with an open foundation runs like this:
- Read the guidelines and note the deadline, the format, and any restrictions.
- Make contact if invited to. Many foundation program officers welcome a short call before you apply. Ask whether your project fits current priorities.
- Send a letter of inquiry if the foundation asks for one: one to two pages on the need, the program, the amount, and why this funder. Our guide to the letter of inquiry shows the structure.
- Submit the full proposal when invited, following the foundation's outline. Most cover the need, the program, outcomes and evaluation, the budget, and sustainability; see how to write a grant for a nonprofit.
- Report on time if funded. Foundations renew grantees who report clearly and keep them informed.
How foundation grants differ from government grants
Foundation grants are usually smaller than federal grants but quicker to decide, lighter on compliance, and more flexible: many foundations fund general operating support, which government grants rarely do. The process is also openly relational. A federal review panel scores what is on the page; a foundation program officer may already know your organization before the proposal arrives. Most nonprofits pursue both, and our step-by-step nonprofit grant guide covers the overall process. Newer organizations should read our guide to grants for new nonprofits, since many foundations prefer applicants with a track record.
When you have the right foundations and want the letter of inquiry and proposal prepared for each, our nonprofit grant writing service can write them.
