Foundation Directory Online

HomeHelp My FDO SearchSearch GrantmakersLog Out
  • Upgrade Subscription
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Search Tutorial
  • Discount Book Mall
  • Free Newsletters
  • E-mail to a Friend
  • blog
  • Contact Us

Content

1. What are the differences between Foundation Directory Online Basic, Plus, Premium, Platinum, and Professional?

Foundation Directory Online Basic is a database of the 10,000 largest private and community foundations in the U.S. based on their annual giving. Foundation Directory Online Plus is a database of the 10,000 largest private and community foundations in the U.S. based on their annual giving and over 1.1 million recently awarded grants. Foundation Directory Online Premium is a database of the 20,000 largest private and community foundations in the U.S. based on their annual giving and over 1.2 million recently awarded grants. Foundation Directory Online Platinum is a database of the entire universe of over 92,000 foundations, corporate giving programs, and grantmaking public charities in the U.S. and over 1.3 million recently awarded grants.

Foundation Directory Online Professional provides subscribers with access to an unprecedented wealth of timely, comprehensive information on grantmakers and their grants. Included is a database of the entire universe of over 92,000 foundations, corporate giving programs, and grantmaking public charities in the U.S.; a database of nearly 3,700 sponsoring companies, offering a quick pathway to corporate funders; a database of over 1.3 million recently awarded grants; and a keyword-searchable database of over 441,000 recently filed IRS Forms 990 and 990-PF.

Our fact-filled funder portfolios organize funder-specific content in one convenient location and include: grantmaker-related news, job opportunities, and Request For Proposals (RFPs); grantmaker-related publications and articles; and officer and trustee affiliations and other key staff.

FDO Professional also provides exclusive funder-specific functionality: the ability to search across a funder's grants with customized search indexes; the ability to map a funder's grants for any given year by recipient type or primary subject and drill down to view disbursements by county, city, or ZIP code; and the ability to chart a funder's grants for any given year by recipient type or primary subject and drill down to view disbursements by secondary and tertiary category.

View a comparison chart.

2. How frequently does new and updated data appear in Foundation Directory Online?

New and updated grantmaker, company, and grant data appears weekly. New grantmaker-related news, job opportunities, RFPs, publications, and articles appear daily. New IRS Forms 990 and 990-PF are posted when they become available from the IRS.

3. What should I do if I discover that information needs to be updated?

A link at the bottom of grantmaker and company profiles can be used to e-mail the Foundation Center's editorial staff with updated information.

4. Is Foundation Directory Online useful to international grantseekers?

Yes. The Fields of Interest Index includes the names of specific countries that grantmakers have a known giving interest in. The Geographic Focus Index includes the terms "International" and "National; international" to locate grantmakers that award grants outside the U.S.

For Plus, Premium, Platinum, and Professional subscribers, the Recipient Country search field is used to search for grants awarded to recipients located in a particular country. The Recipient City Index includes the names of non-U.S. cities where grants have been awarded.

For Professional subscribers, the Subsidiary Country search field is used to search for sponsoring companies with business operations located in a particular country. Professional subscribers also have access to full-color printable charts that show the distribution of a grantmaker's grants by Recipient Location: U.S. vs. International; and Country.

5. Why is the 990s tab missing from some grantmaker records?  

You're probably looking at the record of a corporate giving program. A corporate giving program is a grantmaking program established and administered within a for-profit business organization. Corporate giving programs are not subject to the same reporting requirements as private foundations and don't file an annual IRS Form 990 or 990-PF.

6. What is the difference between an IRS Form 990 and an IRS Form 990-PF?

The IRS Form 990 is filed with the IRS by community foundations and other public charities. The IRS Form 990-PF is filed with the IRS by private foundations only.