• Telephone Reference
  
• Training
  
• Services for People with Disabilities
  
• Photocopying
  
• Book Sales
  
• Interlibrary Loan
  
• Lending Program
  

Telephone Reference

Nonprofit and governmental organizations and individuals
The Foundation Center library staff respond to simple, factual telephone inquiries that can be answered from the reference desk. For complex questions that fall outside the straightforward inquiries that can be answered over the telephone, we may suggest that you visit our library or a Cooperating Collection. You can also pose your question by e-mail to the Center's Online Librarian.

Grantmakers
We offer a variety of services to grantmakers, including telephone reference. For complex reference questions we may suggest that you call our Grantmaker Services Hotline, (212) 807-2446, at our New York headquarters. Or we may, if appropriate, call on your behalf. You can also explore the resources found at the For Grantmakers section of our Web site.

Associates
Customized services including extensive reference is available for members of our Associates Program. Simply send an e-mail or place a toll-free call to the Associates Program staff using the contact information provided when you became a member. Please include your Associates Program account number when placing a request for service. Click here for more information about the Associates Program .

Media
Requests for factual information from members of the media will be answered as promptly as staff time and resources allow. For responses that require more extensive research, we usually suggest that you check the Funding Trends and Analysis section of our Web site or pay a visit to the library. Media requests entailing interpretation of facts or regarding trends in foundation giving will be referred to the office of the President at the Foundation Center's headquarters in New York.

Training

Staff at the Foundation Center - San Francisco present a regular schedule of classes on topics such as grantseeking and proposal writing. Please refer to our Calendar for detailed information on our training sessions.

Services for People with Disabilities

To ensure equitable access to our library resources for all, the Foundation Center is committed to providing services to individuals with disabilities. These services include but are not limited to:

In the Library

• Wheelchair-accessible reference desk and computer workstations.
• Free photocopying of a reasonable number of pages from books and other library resources within the parameters of copyright laws, as required to provide equal access.
• For visitors with visual or mobility impairments, reader services are available (Advance notice is requested).
• For low vision visitors print and computer screen magnifiers, and a reading easel are available.
• So that people with environmental illness and multiple chemical sensitivity can minimize their exposure to harmful substances, we ask that you do not wear perfumes or scented personal care products to the library.

• For visitors with hearing impairments, a signer is available upon request for our scheduled training sessions (Advance notice is required).
• So that people with environmental illness and multiple chemical sensitivity can minimize their exposure to harmful substances, we ask that you do not wear perfumes or scented personal care products to the training annex.
• For other accommodations related to our training sessions, contact us at jfc@foundationcenter.org or shu@foundationcenter.org.

• Loans of Center-issued publications, and selected publications by other publishers, are available to individuals whose disabilities make visiting Foundation Center Library or Cooperating Collection either impossible or a hardship. If you are interested in finding out more about this program, please click here.

• Beginning December 1, 2004 visually impaired grantseekers can use the public computers at the LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired in San Francisco, equipped with the latest technology for blind and low vision users, to enhance their access to the Foundation Center's electronic databases for grantseeking: The Foundation Directory Online Platinum and Foundation Grants to Individuals Online. To learn more bout this partnership, please click here.

Photocopying

Equipment for photocopying from paper and microfiche materials is available at the library. Visitors may also print from the library's public computers. Library visitors are reminded to observe the federal laws regarding unauthorized duplication of copyrighted materials and software.

Fees
Nominal fees are charged for copying and printing materials: $.10 per page for photocopies, microfiche copies, and computer printouts. You do not need to bring coins. The library accepts cash, or checks. Payment is collected at the end of each visit, and receipts are issued.

Book Sales

Print titles listed in the Foundation Center's publications catalog are not available for purchase in the San Francisco library.

You may place an order electronically through the Marketplace area of the Center's Web site.

Interlibrary Loan

We do not participate in interlibrary loan programs.

Lending Program

Click here for the requirements and procedures for borrowing books from the Foundation Center-San Francisco.