Nonprofits, Philanthropic Organizations and Grant Writing Resource Guide: Websites on Nonprofit Topics

Foundation Center and GuideStar are now Candid. Use this site to research nonprofit organizations, find grant funding to apply for, discover where funds are directed, and more.

The Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy (CNP) is part of the Urban Institute. They produce the National Center for Charitable Statistics (NCCS) listed in the next section of this guide. But they also produce research reports and other publications on topics like "The Role of Faith-Based and Community Organizations in Post-Hurricane Human Services Relief Efforts" and "The Broader Movement: Nonprofit Environmental and Conservation Organizations, 1989-2005." They also developed "990 Online©," a web-based application that allows nonprofit organizations and nonprofit accountants to electronically prepare and submit IRS Forms 990, 990-EZ and 8868 (Extension Request). Check out, for example, their Nonprofit Sector in Brief reports.

Another affiliate of the Urban Institute, this group whose "mission is to develop and disseminate high quality data on nonprofit organizations and their activities for use in research on the relationships between the nonprofit sector, government, the commercial sector, and the broader civil society," provides a wide range of data.

"Idealist is a project of Action Without Borders, a nonprofit organization founded in 1995 with offices in the United States and Argentina. Idealist is an interactive site where people and organizations can exchange resources and ideas, locate opportunities and supporters, and take steps toward building a world where all people can lead free and dignified lives." From the opening screen, you can look for volunteer opportunities or volunteers, internships or speakers. Sign up for a free account to use the site fully. There is a charge for postings by consultants and U.S. organizations and agencies, but not for postings by most individuals.

This general Federal portal page links to useful web content related to Grants, Loans and Assistance; Management and Operations; and Tax Information for charities, nonprofits and tax-exempt groups. Submit your email for updates. Although oriented towards the federal government--want a quick link to the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance? You can find it here--the site also provides links to State Filings for Nonprofits, including this page for Massachusetts.

BoardSource is dedicated to "Building Effective Nonprofit Boards." Most of their publications and services are fee-based. Fortunately, this handy glossary of terminology used by nonprofits and boards is available for free. This site also provides free white papers, reports and toolkits relevant to nonprofit management and board effectiveness.

This Michigan State University page "focuses on nonprofit directories and other web sites (over 100 in all) providing advice or information about running nonprofits." It's not updated often, so there are a few dead links. And listings include many fee-based and membership-only web resources, as well as the freely accessible resources you'd hope to find. So, even though some links may lead to frustration, with so many listings provided, you will likely find something of interest here.

Part of the Aspen Institute, the PSI offers "leadership development initiatives, convenings, and communications" to social sector "actors committed to advancing the good society." Many of their reports are available as free PDF downloads. They are also behind the publication State of Nonprofit America, which Sawyer Library has in both the original version and the second edition (2012).

Grant Thornton is one of the largest accountancy firms outside of the Big Four. They produce a variety of publications and reports related to nonprofit governance. Recent titles include "The State of the Not-for-Profit Sector in 2019", "Not-for-profit CFOs weigh future risks and opportunities for their organizations", and "Strategies to secure funding for your nonprofit."

Calling itself " The Leading Business Publication For Nonprofit Management," numerous features and special reports from this monthly are accessible through their website. Especially useful are the "NPT Top 100" of America's top 100 nonprofits, and their "Salary Survey." Fulltext is also available in several of our databases, including Academic OneFile.

"Philanthropy News Digest (PND), a daily news service of the Foundation Center, is a compendium, in digest form, of philanthropy-related articles and features culled from print and electronic media outlets nationwide. Published daily, each PND abstract summarizes the content of, or from, an original article, press or news release, or grantmaker Web site. Each abstract includes a citation of the original news source, which readers of the Digest can use to read the original Web site, or to find a copy of the original article (if abstracted from a print source) through a library"...like ours!

This is the website of "The Newspaper of the Nonprofit World." Updates and current topical features can be viewed here. Although some content at the website is available only to subscribers. Some useful content--like an extensive annotated list of "Internet Resources"--are available for free. We also have over a decade's worth of fulltext in the library collection.

The Hauser Center, part of the Kennedy School at Harvard, is tasked to "explore the critical questions about the role of nonprofits, civil society institutions and movements worldwide and the challenges of leading and innovating in the sector." This filtered list presents Hauser publications up to 2013, when it merged with Harvard Kennedy School's Center for Public Leadership. Some of the papers are available for free download, and they link to (but don't, of course, provide free access) to fee-based Harvard Cases related to nonprofit organizations.

The ICNL "is the leading source for information on the legal environment for civil society and public participation. Since 1992, ICNL has served as a resource to civil society leaders, government officials, and the donor community in over 100 countries." Their Research Center includes a library of over 2950 resources from 194 countries in 41 languages.

This webpage, maintained by the Global Development Research Center, is worth a browse. "NGO Café was set up on the internet as a meeting place for NGOs to discuss, debate and disseminate information on their work, strategies and results." Categories--with strange headings like "NGO Bungee Jumps" do have some interesting links attached. Not frequently updated.

This UK organization identifies as "a charity dedicated to getting the best for other charities and their donors. For over 80 years, we have found the most effective and efficient ways to connect donors to the causes that matter to them and for money to get where it’s needed. For charities, we provide not only financial services and advice but also donation processing, freeing them up to concentrate on the real work of making a difference." Of primary interest are their publications like their World Giving Index, a global overview of "giving trends." Here is the 2012 World Giving Index.

The Giving Institute promotes ethical standards related to philanthropy and provides professional fundraising resources, research, and current information. The Giving USA group is a closely related institution which publishes Giving USA, an annual guide to philanthropic activity.

"The National Council of Nonprofits is the network of state and regional nonprofit associations serving more than 20,000 member organizations. By linking local nonprofit organizations across the nation through state associations, the National Council helps small and midsize nonprofits manage and lead more effectively, collaborate and exchange solutions, engage in critical policy issues affecting the sector, and achieve greater impact in their communities." Their Resources Page includes a short How to Start a Nonprofit guide.

Network for Good calls themselves the "Home of Easy & Affordable Online Fundraising." Clearly, they want to partner with you--for a fee--in fundraising using their "DonateNow" button and other services. This "free" website does have some content worth reading, however the actual open website content is limited and when they offer you a download of a "free ebook" it always requires you to provide personal/institutional information (then expect an email within a few days trying to schedule a "10-15 minute talk about your online fundraising programs"....and after all that the ebook is usually more of a brochure with frequent links back to their website. So, there might be something useful here that you don't need to pay for, but USE WITH CARE.