Glossary of Grant Terms-Funders

If you’re new to grant seeking and proposal writing, or even if you have experience, there may be terms and acronyms that mystify you.  I’ll regularly publish posts that define some of these terms to help you navigate the grant process.

Types of Funders

Other than federal and state government agencies, there are several types of organizations that award grants.  It can help to understand the differences between them and the type of organization you may be working with. 

 

  • Community Foundations generally support charitable activities focused primarily on “local needs”-those of a particular town, county or region in a state. They raise most of their funds from local sources through public, corporate and foundation donations and grants.  An example is the St. Croix Valley Community Foundation.  For information on all Wisconsin community foundations, see the Grantsmanship Center.
  • A Corporate Foundation is a private foundation that derives its grant making funds primarily from the contributions of a single private business.  The company-sponsored foundation often maintains close ties with the donor company, but it is a separate, legal organization, sometimes with its own endowment, and is subject to the same rules and regulations as other private foundations.  Corporate foundations are sometimes more likely to award grants to organizations in communities where they have a presence, such as a factory or regional headquarters.  A partial list of Wisconsin corporate foundations is available at the Grantsmanship Center.
  • Corporate Giving Programs are similar to corporate foundations, but generally focus on other methods of providing resources than outright grants.  These could include employee matching contributions, scholarships, or gifts of equipment or supplies.  Because of the nature of the awards, giving programs are often local in nature, that is, they aren’t awarded on a national basis but in the communities where employees live and work.  An example is some of the activities of the Land O’Lakes Foundation.
  • Private Foundations are similar to corporate foundations—they generally award grants on the basis of need and competitive program proposals.  Private foundations can vary widely in size and number and amount of grants distributed, from small family foundations that work on a very local level to international foundations, such as the Ford Foundation.  Corporate and private foundations generally have specific issues they’re interested in funding.  For example, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funds health related projects. 

     

      November 19, 2008 · KJacobson · 2 Comments
      Tags:  Â· Posted in: Grant Advice

      2 Responses

      1. Corporate Foundation Grants » Rural Community Development - November 21, 2008

        [...] I mentioned in a recent post on corporate foundations, they are often more likely to support projects in communities where they have a presence [...]

      2. Grant Glossary: Acronyms » Rural Community Development - February 2, 2009

        [...] confusion out of the grant seeking and proposal writing process.  Previous posts have addressed types of funders and types of [...]

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