Social enterprise, also known as social entrepreneurship, broadly encompasses ventures of nonprofits, civic-minded individuals, and for-profit businesses that can yield both financial and social returns.

One of the key responsibilities of a nonprofit board is to ensure that the organization has enough resources to fulfill its mission.

Finding grants typically begins with prospect research -- finding out who is most likely to give you money. Look for funders whose interests match your organization's mission, programs, populations served, and locations served.

You can search for foundation grants with Grants to Individuals, our searchable database of grantmakers that provide support directly to individual grantseekers, including students.

With an increase in hardships due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have started this list to point you to emergency financial resources.

A payout requirement is the minimum amount that private foundations must spend each year for charitable purposes.

Foundation Center joined forces with GuideStar in 2019 to become Candid. Candid connects people who want to change the world to the resources they need to do it It serves grantseekers, grantmakers, researchers, policymakers, the media, and the public.

Determining your nonprofit's technology needs and choosing from the vast array of available software can be overwhelming. Yet choosing carefully will help ensure that technology will maximize your nonprofit's impact and solve problems, not create them.

Even with a clear fundraising plan in place, nonprofits sometimes can find themselves temporarily short of cash, due to unforeseen circumstances like disasters or delays in payments.

Candid offers free and fee-based training courses on fundraising and management. We have courses to fit your schedule: in-person classes, live or recorded webinars, and anytime self-paced eLearning courses.

Including an evaluation plan in your program shows that you take your objectives seriously and want to know how well you have achieved them. More and more foundations expect to see an evaluation component in the programs they fund.

Generally, "nonprofit" and "not-for-profit" have the same meaning. However, nonprofit, legal, academic communities do make subtle distinctions between the two terms.

Individual donations, corporate contributions, foundation grants and fee for services are some of many sources of income for nonprofits. While opinion varies as to what a nonprofit's "ideal" mix is, using several different sources to achieve sustainability is generally a good practice.

When funders ask for a letter of inquiry (LOI), they want a few pages that will make them excited about giving you a grant. Some foundations will then invite you to send a full proposal. But for many foundations, an LOI is enough to make a decision. That means a great LOI might win you funding for your project.

Looking for a consultant or technical assistance provider for your nonprofit? Foundation Center can't give recommendations, but we can point you to resources to find them.

Most foundation funding is awarded to nonprofit organizations, but Candid can help guide individual grantseekers to a number of resources.

An artist's statement is a written document that introduces you as an artist. It explains why and how you make your art, along with other facts about you and your art.

For nonprofits, risk management may refer to assessing finances or insurance coverage, but it also may refer to screening volunteers, training employees and reducing liability, to name a few.

Current Offerings in University-Based Programs is a database of nonprofit management programs at more than 290 U.S. colleges and universities. Compiled by Seton Hall University, the site includes online programs, and users can browse institutions by name, state, or program type (noncredit, continuing education, undergraduate, graduate, doctoral).

Candid does not offer any training in the use of Raiser’s Edge software, but Blackbaud, the software's vendor, offers a variety of online and in-person training options. Select "Search for Training" to review its offerings.

A nonprofit can raise funds outside of its home state. However, most states require individuals and organizations to register before soliciting contributions there.

Are you thinking of starting a grantmaking foundation? Learn about the different types of foundations, find resources to get you started, and discover some alternative paths.

You can often find Forms 990 from 3-10 years ago online via websites that provide access to these forms.

Broadly speaking, a foundation is a nonprofit corporation or a charitable trust that makes grants to organizations, institutions, or individuals for charitable purposes such as science, education, culture, and religion. There are two foundation types: private foundations and grantmaking public charities.

Be aware that most foundations prefer to give grants to nonprofit organizations. If a grantmaker wants to give grants to individuals, it needs to get advance approval from the IRS.

The old adage holds that, "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is." This article has tips to help you avoid scams.

Starting a nonprofit organization can be an inspiring way to give back to your community and help those in need. However, it is important to understand all of the steps involved in this process before moving forward. 

Starting a nonprofit may be the most complicated way to act on your passion to serve your community.

Remember one important rule: "If you don't qualify, don't apply." Foundations that give to individuals have highly specific criteria. This article gives a typical breakdown for an individual project proposal.

Nonprofits have different budgets for different needs. Although most of Candid's budget resources are for proposal budgets, this article provide brief information about other budgeting tools, such as organizational operating budgets and cash flow forecasts.