Foundation Folders

Web sites and online communications tools present foundations with a multitude of challenges and opportunities. While many foundations are now online, many more are only beginning to realize the potential of the web to distribute information about their programs and communicate with grantseekers and the communities they serve. Our "Foundation Folders" program provides foundations with an immediate web presence and helps make information about foundations more widely available.

Project Fact Sheet

What are "Foundation Folders"?

The Foundation Center creates and hosts free web sites exclusively for grantmakers. We initiated this program in 1996 to help grantmakers obtain an immediate web presence. Eligible grantmakers receive a custom web site that can include program descriptions, application guidelines, grants lists, and other materials you specify. Your Folder is posted at our web site with the URL: foundationcenter.org/grantmaker/yourfoundationname. More than 175 grantmakers currently participate in the program and the list continues to grow.

What are the benefits of having a foundation folder?

A Foundation Folder helps increase your organization's visibility and recognition, enabling you to reach all of your diverse audiences simultaneously. Your web site will be easily located by the thousands of people who use Foundation Center tools for their research, including our print directories, The Foundation Directory Online, and Foundation Finder. Grantmakers who currently have a Foundation Folder report that they receive better proposals and fulfill fewer requests for information by mail. In addition, a Foundation Folder offers the benefits of:

• substantial savings in time and budget dollars
• free maintenance and technical support
• unparalleled personalized service
• the experience and expertise of Foundation Center web specialists

Who is eligible to participate?

Any domestic grantmaking private foundation, community foundation, corporate foundation, grantmaking public charity, or affinity group that does not already have a web site is eligible. Public charities wishing to participate in the Foundation Folders program must include information on their grantmaking activities, along with application guidelines to be posted.

What kinds of materials can be included in a folder?

Generally speaking, the Center will post any text or images provided by a foundation in the proper format. Foundations can post materials such as their annual report, contact information, mission statement, program descriptions, application guidelines, grants lists, RFPs, newsletters, etc. * All such materials are formatted for the web by Center staff so that they resemble the original source documents or in a style mutually agreed upon by the foundation and the Center. Participating foundations are asked to provide PC-formatted Microsoft Word or ASCII text, or Adobe Acrobat (PDF) files, as well as hard-copy versions of their Folder materials. Formats for logos and images should be discussed with Center staff.

The Center will also post a grantmaker's 990-PF return in Adobe Acrobat format (PDF), which can be viewed using Adobe Acrobat Reader, free software that can be downloaded from the Adobe web site. In this format, the 990-PF is an exact duplicate of the annual information form (or return) filed with the IRS and thus meets the IRS regulations for making this document widely available to the public. The Center will post returns of up to 50 pages free of charge; larger forms will incur a charge of $25 for each additional block of up to 50 pages. A clean paper copy of the form should be provided for posting to the web.

Foundations who wish to post lengthy grants lists (i.e., containing over 100 grantees) and/or financial statements provided by their accountants must send them to the Center in PC-compatible Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, or Adobe Acrobat format. These files will then be posted in PDF format for display on the World Wide web.

* The Center reserves the right to limit the content of Foundation Folders in accordance with program guidelines and availability of resources.

Who determines what my folder looks like?

The appearance of Folder content is arrived at by web Services staff working closely with each foundation. The Folder design will draw from the look of the foundation's printed materials, whenever possible.

How frequently can folders be updated?

The contents of a Folder can be updated as frequently as an individual funder chooses. The Center reserves the right to "retire" any Folder whose contents have not been updated in the previous twelve months. If a foundation with a Folder creates its own web site, the Center will retire that foundation's Folder and create a link to the grantmaker's web site.

How long does it take to create a folder?

Please allow approximately 4 weeks after we receive all materials from your foundation for your Foundation Folder to be complete. Folders are created on a first-come, first-served basis. Once the Folder is finished, it will be presented for final approval to a foundation representative. Once it has been approved, the new URL will be made publicly available.

How will my folder be publicized once it is complete?

Upon completion of a Folder, its URL will be added to our list of Foundation Folders. The new URL will be integrated within the Center's print and electronic directories.

PLEASE NOTE: The Foundation Center does NOT submit Foundation Folder URLs to external Internet search engines (i.e., Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc.). While many search engines eventually pick up Foundation Folder URLs on their own, it is each foundation's responsibility to submit its URL to these search engines to actively promote its new site beyond the Foundation Center's own offerings.

Premium web Hosting Service

Maximize your foundation's communications efforts with our new package of premium web hosting services that includes all of the benefits of our free Foundation Folder web site service — custom-tailored design, attentive personal service, and free updating and maintenance — plus:

• Web site with your own domain name
  Our web Services team will create a site for you and register it with your own unique domain name, e.g., www.yourfoundationname.org. Get the best of both worlds by having us design, host, and maintain your web site on the Foundation Center's server, while you retain an independent web presence.

• Web site usage reports
  We'll help you assess the impact of your web site by providing you with detailed reports of web site usage each month, including the number of visitors, lists of the most frequently visited pages and directories on your site, and statistics tracking referrals to your site from other web sites.

• Password-protected area of your site
  To help you provide targeted, secure content for your special constituent groups, such as your board or grantees, we can provide a password-protected area of your site.

Premium web Hosting Service Fee: $1,000 per year

Who should I contact to set up a foundation folder?

For more information about the Foundation Folders program, kindly direct your inquiries to:

Foundation Folders Program
The Foundation Center
79 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10003-3076
Tel: (212) 807-3696
E-mail: folders@foundationcenter.org