by Pat Fitzmorris
UPDATE 9/19/204: The San Diego Foundation no longer houses the Foundation Library. It is now housed at Nonprofit Management Solutions. Please click here for hours and location.
In our Grant Development classes we recommend that grant seekers do Research, Research, & more Research to find the foundation that will fund your program. One of the best places to do research on potential funding sources is the San Diego Foundation. The San Diego Foundation is located in Liberty Station at 2508 Historic Decatur Rd., Ste. 200 San Diego, CA 92106. The hours are M-F 8AM to 5PM.
According to the Foundation’s web page, “The San Diego Foundation is proud to stand as San Diego's leading resource for information about charitable giving and community needs. We encourage, support and facilitate meaningful dialogue on issues affecting each of our communities, and work with philanthropists to develop creative solutions to meet critical community needs. The Foundation proudly grants out more than $60 million each year to outstanding nonprofits throughout the county, in areas such as the environment, arts and culture, science and technology, civil society, health and human services, and disaster relief.” As you can see the foundation itself is a great place to start looking for a match. Go to the web to review the guidelines, application forms and deadlines. www.sdfoundation.org.
The Foundation also has a library and several computer stations open to the public to do research on other foundations that may be interested in funding programs. The database is amazing and it can cut your research time by hours just because of the sorting system. Be sure to sort by geography, target population, deadlines and areas of interest (art, science, etc). Please call to determine the librarian’s hours so she/he can show you how the system works. Then you can go on your own any time. They also offer leadership training and scholarships.