Scope and Limitations
Foundation Center library
collections contain books, pamphlets, periodical
articles, audiovisual materials and online databases. Our
collections contain information on philanthropy,
the foundation world, the nonprofit sector —
particularly works on such topics as fundraising
and proposal development — and works related
to charitable giving, including project reports,
studies, and statistical analyses. They cover theory,
philosophy, and workings of domestic and international
philanthropy. Literature on all aspects of company-sponsored
foundations and corporate giving is included in
the library collection, as are materials related
to the nonprofit sector, its composition, governance,
and management. Included are publications that discuss
the impact of government policies and funding upon
the sector and the legal and tax implications of
local, state, and federal regulation and legislation.
Voluntarism and revenue generating activities of
nonprofits are also covered. On a selective basis,
materials issued by foundations or resulting from
studies or projects funded by foundations may also
be included.
Researchers seeking older, historical foundation
materials should contact Indiana University-Purdue
University Indianapolis, which houses the Ruth
Lilly Special Collections and Archives
and the Joseph
and Matthew Payton Philanthropic Studies Library.
Special Collections:
Grantmaker Files
Collection of separately issued foundation and
corporate annual reports, grantmaker-issued press
releases and application guidelines, newsletters,
and press clippings.
Subject Files
Articles and other materials organized by subject
headings following the library classification
scheme.
Online Public Access Catalog
The Catalog of Nonprofit Literature is the Center's searchable bibliography of works in the field of philanthropy. It contains citations to materials collected by the Center's five libraries as well as selected literature from other sources. CNL is easily searched, providing access by author, title, journal title, subject, keyword, and four other criteria. Approximately 65 percent of the citations include informative abstracts, and more than 300 link to full texts. This authoritative database is updated daily. To further enhance the usefulness of CNL, the Center's latest acquisitions to its libraries are featured in broad subject categories in "New
Acquisitions". Each record will list the
Foundation Center holdings, so you can see right
away if the item is available in the Washington,
DC library. The online catalog also provides
call number and other useful location information.
Foundation
Center Library Classification Scheme
| |
Call
#s |
Description |
| |
000-099 |
GENERAL
REFERENCE
Dictionaries, thesauri, encyclopedias, almanacs,
statistical compilations, directories (not
grantmaker directories), bibliographies, etc. |
| |
100-199 |
U.S.
GRANTMAKER DIRECTORIES—GENERAL
Geographic, type of support and population
groups. |
| |
200-299 |
U.S.
GRANTMAKER DIRECTORIES—PROGRAM AREAS
Grantmaker directories and general works. |
| |
300-399 |
INTERNATIONAL
ACTIVITIES
U.S. funders, foreign funders, nonprofits
and non-governmental agencies, international
development/international affairs. |
| |
400-499 |
PHILANTHROPY
(U.S)—General
Research, analysis and statistics, history,
economics, philosophy and psychology of giving. |
| |
500-599 |
PHILANTHROPY—Management
Private foundations, community foundations,
corporate philanthropy, grantmaking public
charities, and individual donors. |
| |
600-699 |
NONPROFIT
ORGANIZATIONS—Management
Boards, finance, careers/employment, ethics,
advocacy, planning, evaluation, public relations,
marketing and communications. |
| |
700-799 |
NONPROFIT
ORGANIZATIONS—Fundraising
Annual giving, capital campaigns, corporate
solicitation, cause-related marketing, direct
mail, telemarketing, entrepreneurship, prospect
research, planned giving, special events,
proposal development. |
| |
800-899 |
U.S.
GOVERNMENT
Funding directories, non-funding directories,
specific U.S. federal programs, state, regional
and local programs. |
| |
900-999 |
GOVERNMENT
REGULATION, LAWS AND LEGISLATION
History, incorporation, charitable solicitation,
merger, dissolution, lobbying/advocacy, taxation,
federal tax guides and statutes, state and
local tax guides and statutes. |
| |
A000-A999 |
OTHER
MATERIALS
Conference proceedings and reports, sound
recordings, video recordings. |
Periodicals List
Foundation Center
libraries subscribe to a core collection of the
periodicals included in the Catalog of Nonprofit Literature. The Washington,
DC library has periodicals that supplement
specific collections and are of regional interest.
Please view our Periodicals
List to check whether we have a specific
title or back issue before visiting.
Electronic Resources
The Washington, DC library provides free
access to Foundation
Directory Online Professional, which allows grantseekers
to search the profiles of over 80,000 grantmakers
along with a grants file of 500,000 grants awarded
by the nation’s top funders. Professional, updated weekly, allows full-text
search capability across a database of 250,000+ IRS Forms 990.
The library also provides access to FC
Search: The Foundation Center's Database on CD-ROM.
This comprehensive, user-friendly database gives
you access to the profiles of over 80,000 grantmakers
and 330,000+ records of recently awarded grants.
You can search the database using multiple criteria,
including funders' fields of interest, type of support
awarded and geographic focus.
Another tool for conducting funding research is the
Guide
to Greater Washington D.C. Grantmakers on CD-ROM.
This database includes profiles of over 2,700 grantmakers located in the metropolitan region,
and nearly 20,000 grants awarded by DC-area funders.
Private foundations' 990-PF
tax returns are also available to access in electronic format in the library.
Resources for Individuals
Although the majority of
the materials in the library relate to the information
needs of representatives of nonprofit organizations,
we also have a growing collection of resources for
individual grantseekers.
The Washington, DC library provides free
access to Foundation
Grants to Individuals Online. This electronic
resource, updated quarterly, enables you to search a comprehensive database
of over 6,000 foundations and public charities
that fund individual grantseekers. It covers support
for research, education, general welfare, arts
and culture, and more. The library also has the database's print counterpart, Foundation
Grants to Individuals.
We also have a collection of directories for
those seeking financial aid for higher education,
for research or for artistic endeavors. Those
needing scholarships or fellowships are encouraged
to first contact the financial aid office of the
college or university they are planning to attend.
We also recommend that you visit public and academic
libraries, which may have more extensive collections
of scholarship directories than we do. In the
DC-area, we especially recommend Reach4Success at the Martin Luther King Library.
To learn more about resources for individuals,
the following FAQs may be helpful:
We recommend that you take the free tutorial Guide to Funding Research, which offers a path for individual grantseekers about halfway through the orientation.
Resources for Jobseekers
in the Nonprofit Sector
The Washington, DC library
maintains a job binder with current listings of
job openings at nonprofit and educational institutions
in the area. Most of the listings are for fundraising
positions. Books on careers in the nonprofit sector
and salary surveys can also be found in our collection.
We subscribe to the following periodicals that have
job announcements:
Chronicle of Philanthropy
Nonprofit
Times
Chronicle of
Higher Education
Be sure to check out the Job
Corner of Philanthropy News Digest, which
contains job listings received by the Foundation
Center from foundations and other nonprofits.
To learn more about resources for jobseekers
refer to the following FAQ:
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