Non Profit Grant Blog

Hey I have a group of friends who are organising a local carbon neutral music concert and obviously it will take a lot of planning and resources, etc. I was wondering what the chances are of getting a grant to help with the costs and where I could start if i was to ask for one?

You MIGHT be able to convince a local business to sponsor your event, but you can’t get a grant from any nonprofit foundation.

Federal law only permits foundations to give grants to nonprofit corporations.
There is a LOT of legal paperwork – about six months – to establish a nonprofit.

But if you want to do that, this is what to do:

You have to be an adult to file LEGAL forms.
There’s much more to it than you think.

You need education in the fields of business, nonprofit management, psychology, and social services.
You also need life experience to teach you to deal with all of the types of people you’ll encounter.

There are thousands of organizations already doing the work that you want to do.
And they’re already competing for VERY scarce dollars.
Find a good one and volunteer.

http://serve.gov/

Take relevant classes in high school and college.
Eventually, you can get a paid job with a nonprofit.
You could get a degree in nonprofit management.

A nonprofit is a corporation, just like General Motors, or Sears, or McDonald’s.
You file the incorporation documents with your home state the same way.
There must be an official address and place of business, by laws, a board of directors, board meetings, and minutes of those meetings.
They are required to file formal reports on their financial activities with the state AND the feds.

Now here is where the differences start.

The difference is that a nonprofit has no owner and no stock.
When the corporation brings in more money than it spends, the excess is called a "fund balance", instead of a "profit".
That fund balance can be re-invested in the corporation or held in savings for future projects or for lean times.
The board of directors makes those decisions.

Once the org incorporates, it must apply to the IRS for a tax exempt status.
Those rules are under section 501(c) of the IRS code.
Most charities are under (c)(3).
Labor unions are under c5.
There are about two dozen different categories.

That means that the ORGANIZATION does not pay taxes on its income.
The EMPLOYEES of the organization pay their personal taxes under the same rules as everyone else.

Individuals who donate money to c3 orgs can deduct it from their income taxes, if they itemize.
Donations to other categories – c4, c5, etc. are not deductible.

There are thousands of state and federal rules governing activities, finances, and reporting.

For example, c3 orgs CAN NOT endorse political candidates and there are strict limits on the lobbying that they can do.
That’s why labor unions can endorse candidates and churches can’t.

State laws on soliciting donations from the public vary, but all states have them.

C3 and C4 orgs can be eligible for government grants for their work.
They can also solicit money from charitable foundations.

But then the foundations will come to their offices and tell them they’re doing everything wrong and refuse to give them any money unless they change everything they do.
And even then they might not give the money.

I hate foundations.

Look at http://www.irs.gov/charities/index.html
There is more info at www.foundationcenter.org
Source(s):
27 years as volunteer, staff, manager, board member, board president, and consultant to nonprofit corporations.

I want to open a therapy clinic for people to see me for free and I need a grant from the government to do this!!! So how do I do that or do anyone knows how or where do I find out information on this? example: websites?

go to http://www.grants.gov for open grants. You should be incorporated and receive your tax-exempt status from the IRS before you can even apply for most grants. The Foundation Center at http://www.foundationcenter.org is another site you can search for open grants, but you still need to be incorporated and have tax-exempt status to qualify for most if not all of them.

Who in my state do I contact to apply for a grant? Do I have to pay it back at all? Someone suggested to me to apply for a 501 (C) 3 Non Profit Corporation thing? What would that do and how would I go about it, any answers I would appreciate very much.

If you are a legally registered, with the irs, nonprofit you can and should apply for grants.
Most grants are matching funds. You put up 1000 in cash the grant gives you 1000.
Grants come with stipulations and are to be used according to the guidelines.
Example a library applies for a grant specifically to purchase children’s books then that is what they must buy’
It is the nonprofits responsibility to search and apply for grants.

Hi,

I want to start a full inclusion private pre-k through sixth grade school in San Francisco. I would like to build the campus from scratch in order to cater to children with special needs and also to make it a green building with an organic garden. Where do I start? Where can I get funding? I’m just starting by myself for now. Should I try to start a non-profit group first?

Thanks for any help and advice!

To begin with…starting any business (even schools) you need a good business plan. The plan outlines the business, how much money you need to begin with, and itomize everything you need for "start up" or "seed money" – how much will everything cost, licensing, qualifications, design specs, location/zoning laws, goals of the business and various other plans for your business.
Private schools are very difficult to get funding for because they are private. In other words, people PAY for their children to attend a private school. So private schools automatically make money on tuition. Public schools are free. Also schools for children with special needs are actually easier to find funding for but, YOU MUST HAVE the credentials and qualifications to operate a "special needs" school. Be specific about special needs…physical disabilities, mental disabilities, learning disabilities, whatever the disability.
However, don’t give up just yet.
There is a group of retired business people (from ALL businesses including schools) that will look over your business plan, advise you where you CAN get funding, what to expect if the plan goes wrong and how to correct it before it’s to late, also how to improve on your plan. Anyone in business will tell you, WITHOUT a business plan 9 out of 10 businesses will fail within the first year.
Look in you local yellow pages or B-B listings (and, of course the internet) for these types of organizations.
Also, government grant money is available for more businesses, private or otherwise, schools, and a lot more. Check on the internet but be careful they are not just after your money. ASK QUESTIONS as to what these grants offer and what they expect from you for their money. (GRANT money is FREE, you do not pay it back) LOANS you pay back. Check out private foundations that give grants specifically for private schools.
Beginning any business always takes careful planning and research. Research how other private schools began. Research, research, research and double check the research.
KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU EXPECT to accomplish.

Ps. Renovating, taking over old buildings, reopening closed schools are less espensive and will give you an "edge" to get the school up and running. ANY building, or or new, can be modified to be "green".

I know this is a lot of information and you have an excellent idea, just do the RESEARCH and learn everything you possibly can about the type of school you visualize.

MUCH GOOD LUCK TO YOU!

My mother is starting a non-profit organization and she wanted me to do some research. i need to know what’s availible.

Your best bet is to seek for private grants or grants from private foundations.

The best resource for this is Foundation Center http://www.fdncenter.org . They have a very good database covering all organizations giving grants and you can find foundations that are interested in supporting your type of cause. However, it’s a subscription based website ($19.95 per month I think is the cheapest subscription price). But it certainly is worth the fee. You can subscribe one month, and make sure you get all the info you need and then stop the subscription.

If you want to try federal sources, you can go to the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) http://www.cfda.gov and Grants.gov http://www.grants.gov – these are two sites created by the federal government to provide transparency and information on grants.

CFDA has several ways to search for grants. I suggest you search by beneficiary and select Private Non Profit Organization and you can find listings of grants available http://12.46.245.173/pls/portal30/CATALOG.BROWSE_BENEF_RPT.show

However, to be able to get grant awards, you need to be 501C(3) certified from the IRS http://www.irs.gov/charities/charitable/index.html