Today the web is the most reliable source for locating grant resources and the best place to start the grant seeking process.  Below is a sampling of some of the best grant-writing and funding sources on the web, with special focus on funders with an interest in funding projects related to older adults:

1. Government Grant Sources

• Grants.gov
  This is the access point for over 900 grant programs offered by 26 Federal grant-making agencies, including:
  • Institute of Museum and Library Services
  • National Endowment for the Arts
  • National Endowment for the Humanities
• Administration on Aging
• National Library of Medicine
• Your State Arts Council
• Your State Department of Education
• Your State Humanities Council
• Your State Library

2. Private Grant Sources

A) Foundations

• Council of Foundation’s Community Foundation Locator
  Community Foundations have resource materials, local directories, and other information about funding opportunities specific to a geographic region.
• The Foundation Center
  • Websites of Private Foundations
  • RFP Bulletin
  • Grant seekers training webinars
  • National Print Directories (available from regional Foundation Centers) that can help identify funders specifically interested in funding library projects:
    • Grants for Information Technology
    • Grants for Libraries and Information Services
    • National Guide to Funding for Libraries and Information Services
• The Grantsmanship Center
  This center maintains information, by state, about private foundations, community foundations, and corporate giving programs.
• Private Foundations with a focus on aging:
  • AARP Foundation
  • The Archstone Foundation
  • The Atlantic Philanthropies
  • The Margaret A. Cargill Foundation
  • Cooperative Development Foundation 
  • The John A. Hartford Foundation
  • The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
  • MetLife Foundation
  • The Retirement Research Foundation
  • Volunteer IMPACT Fund
  • The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation

B) Corporations
Visit web sites of corporations (and their associated foundations) that operate in your community for information about their priorities, grant guidelines, and deadlines. Here are a few that have a specific interest in funding innovative health projects for older adults:

• AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals
• Humana
• Kaiser Permanente
• WellPoint

C) Local Sources

• Clubs and Organizations
  Research your local community directories, yellow pages, friends, and staff to help identify local clubs and organizations that provide grant funding, like local Lions Clubs or Junior Leagues.