Candid does not give grants/donations, suggest specific funders, or approach them on your behalf. More about Candid’s mission. Please refer to the tips and websites in this article.

Before seeking foundation grants to help offset the costs of your higher education, you should pursue the following avenues:

• Learn about federal aid opportunities.
• Fill out the online Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to calculate an early estimate of your eligibility.
• Learn about state-level funding from your state's financial aid agency.
• Contact the financial aid office(s) at the school(s) you are considering.
• Explore scholarship sites and directories, like The Ultimate Scholarship Book 2025, which you can borrow for free from our Overdrive eBook collection. If the 2024 edition is unavailable, we also have previous editions of The Ultimate Scholarship Book to borrow.
• Ask about scholarships from other organizations in your personal and professional networks, like the office for your academic program or professional association(s) that you've joined.
• Local or regional alumni groups for the school(s) you are considering.
• Community, civic and religious organizations.
• Businesses or corporations that employ you, your parents, or your spouse.

If you are seeking funding as a undergraduate student, please see our related Knowledge Base article, Where can I find information about financial aid as an undergraduate student?

How to find funders that give to graduate students

To find funders who give grants to graduate students, you can use Foundation Directory Professional, our searchable database of grantmakers.

Perform an advanced search by Transaction Type: Grants to Individuals, in addition to search terms for Subject Area and Geographic Focus.

For more detailed search help, please see our article, Find your next scholarship, fellowship, or grant on Foundation Directory Professional. 

Subscribe to search from your own location, or search for free at our Candid partner locations.

Worksheet for scholarship seekers

Answer the questions in these fillable PDF worksheets before you start your scholarship search. Your answers will help you focus your search and suggest words or phrases that you can use in you search to uncover opportunities you might not have considered before. Download the worksheets.