It is always a good idea to know about other organizations and funders working in the same areas as you. You may wish to collaborate, check out an innovative program, or model a grant after another organization’s efforts. This is also a good way to connect with thought leaders in your areas of interest.

Candid provides several ways to identify organizations and funders working in your areas of interest.

Foundation Directory – A comprehensive database of funders, grantseekers, and grants. Foundation Directory is where grantseekers go to find information on grantmakers working in their areas of interest, including in-depth profiles of each grantmaker plus inside looks at the grants they've actually made. Funders can also use Foundation Directory to identify other funders working in particular areas, as well as grantseekers that have received grants for work in these areas.

Use Foundation Directory for free at all Candid partner locations or subscribe to use Foundation Directory anywhere. Eligible nonprofits with revenue or expenses under $1M can also gain a free year of access to Foundation Directory Essential through our Go for the Gold! promotion.

GuideStar – A collection of information on all nonprofits in the United States, Candid's GuideStar makes that information available to the public. Since foundations are also nonprofit organizations, they also have profiles in Guidestar, which has a robust and thorough search engine to help you narrow your search.

Foundation Maps –Candid's world-class philanthropy data powers Foundation Maps, which you can use to advance your work with funding insights, trends, and opportunities to maximize your impact. New data on grants, foundations, and recipients are added to Foundation Maps every week, so you can stay current with other funders and organizations that are active in your areas of interest.

Foundation Landscapes – Explore in-depth reporting about key issues and grantmaking areas using Foundation Landscapes. These stand-alone websites were created to give viewers a broad view of missions and areas of deep work while also drilling down into tactics and strategies that are successful in particular issue areas.

In addition, other leadership groups in philanthropy provide specifics on those working in key areas:

United Philanthropy Forum – The Forum keeps an updated list of their members, both affinity groups and regional associations of grantmakers.

Grantmaker Affinity Groups – The Council on Foundations maintains a list of grantmaker affinity groups working in areas across the spectrum of philanthropy.