Answers to your most pressing social sector and nonprofit questions.
Social enterprise, also known as social entrepreneurship, broadly encompasses ventures of nonprofits, civic-minded individuals, and for-profit businesses that can yield both financial and social returns. One example of social enterprise...
One of the key responsibilities of a nonprofit board is to ensure that the organization has enough resources to fulfill its mission. Thus, board members are often encouraged, even required,...
Finding grants typically begins with "prospect research" - finding out who is most likely to give you money. Funders generally care about: Subject. Is your mission compatible with theirs? Does...
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...
When the U.S. government grants a private foundation tax-exempt status, it expects the foundation to use its money to do good for society. To make sure that happens, the government...
In February 2019, Foundation Center and GuideStar joined forces to become Candid, a 501c3 nonprofit organization. Together, these two organizations bring a combined 88 years of expertise and millions of data points to...
Determining your nonprofit's technology needs and choosing from the vast array of available software can be overwhelming. Choosing carefully will help ensure that technology will maximize your nonprofit's impact and...
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. **For emergency...
Candid offers free training courses on fundraising and management. We have courses to fit your schedule: in-person classes, live or recorded webinars, and anytime self-paced eLearning courses. Check our calendar...
Program evaluation is the process of collecting information about a program in order to make decisions about it. Including an evaluation plan in your program shows that you take your...
Generally, "nonprofit" and "not-for-profit" have the same meaning. However, nonprofit, legal, academic communities do make subtle distinctions between the two terms. Although the words can be used differently by different...
Nonprofits can and do use the following sources of income to help them fulfill their missions: Fees for goods and/or services Individual donations and major gifts Bequests Corporate contributions Foundation...
When funders ask for a letter of inquiry (LOI), they want a few pages that will make them excited about giving you a grant. Some foundations will then invite you...
What is technical assistance? Technical assistance (TA) can be broadly defined as any specialized service or skill that a nonprofit does not possess within the organization, but which it may...
An artist's statement is a written document that introduces you as an artist. It explains why and how you make your art, along with other facts about you and your...
According to the Alliance for Nonprofit Management, risk management is defined as follows: [...] a discipline for dealing with the possibility that some future event will cause harm. It provides...
Current Offerings in University-Based Programs is a database of nonprofit management programs at more than 290 U.S. colleges and universities. Compiled by Seton Hall University, the site includes online programs,...
A nonprofit can raise funds outside of its home state. However, most states require individuals and organizations to register before soliciting contributions there. Thus, not only must you register in...
Broadly speaking, a foundation is a nonprofit corporation or a charitable trust that makes grants to organizations, institutions, or individuals for charitable purposes such as science, education, culture, and religion....
You can often find Forms 990 from 3-10 years ago online via websites that provide access to these forms. Many foundation annual reports are archived at the Indiana University Purdue...
Please be aware that "foundation" is not a legal term. If an organization has the word in its name, do not assume it makes grants. Broadly speaking, a foundation is a...
Unfortunately, some services falsely raise people's hopes that "free money" grants are widely available and easy to get, especially for individuals. The old adage holds that, "If it sounds too...
Table of contents: Step 1: Are you ready to start a nonprofit? Step 2: Do your homework Step 3: Build a solid foundation Step 4: Incorporate your nonprofit Step 5: ...
Starting a nonprofit may be the most complicated way to act on your passion to serve your community. It requires much planning, time, effort, and money just to start, but...
Few proposal writing resources are specifically for individual grantseekers. Foundations that give to individuals have highly specific criteria, so creating a comprehensive "how-to" guide is hard. If you don't qualify,...
Nonprofits have different budgets for different needs. Given our focus on foundation grants, most of Candid's budget resources are for proposal budgets. You can also find information here about other...
Like for-profit business ventures, nonprofits can create a business plan to describe how they will turn their mission into reality. The business planning process involves the following steps: Researching the...
According to the National Center for Charitable Statistics (NCCS), more than 1.8 million nonprofit organizations are registered in the U.S. This number includes public charities, private foundations, and other types...
A continuación le ofrecemos ingredientes fundamentales en la creación de una organización sin fines de lucro: una misión que demuestre el propósito benéfico de la organización, su enfoque y valores...
Although many foundations prefer to support direct programmatic activities, many do give grants to help nonprofits cover administrative costs, also known as general operating expenses or overhead costs. Overhead rate...