Help & Resources for Not-for-Profits
Financial Assistance
Federal
If you are looking for federal grants for your not-for-profit corporation, Grants.gov is a good place to start. Administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, this initiative is designed to help connect organizations with grant opportunities in an efficient manner.
To take advantage of this site, you can follow a registration checklist to get your organization registered. Grants.gov also offers an animated eligibility tutorial to help you determine if your organization may be eligible for available grants. There is also a grant search tool that you can use to find grant opportunities by agency or category.
The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance provides a list of all federal programs available to state and local governments; federally-recognized Indian tribal governments; territories of the United States; domestic public, quasi-public, and private profit and nonprofit organizations and institutions; specialized groups; and individuals.
This catalog describes federal programs, projects, services, and activities provided by federal departments or agencies that offer assistance or benefits. Follow the catalog’s user guide to take full advantage of the site. The website also offers guidance on writing grants, to improve your chances of receiving funding, and describes the different types of assistance that are available.
The federal government’s central hub, USA.gov, offers a page dedicated to not-for-profits that includes links to information on grants, loans and other assistance. This page can connect you with grant and program information from the U.S. departments of Education, Health and Human Services, and Housing and Urban Development, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency. If you click on the link to State and Local Funding Directories for Nonprofits you will be directed to a page that offers online training and tutorials on successful grant seeking, as well as other tools and resources to help you access available resources.
New York State
New York State offers a wide array of grants to local governments, not-for-profits and others. The Education Department offers information on grants available in New York State. You can also find a list of links to various grant opportunities on New York State’s official website, in the grants information section.
The following are links to some of the larger grant programs available from New York State. While some of these links provide information on grants for municipalities and individuals, many are targeted towards not-for-profits for various purposes.
- Affordable housing
- Agriculture
- Alcohol and substance abuse
- Arts
- Children and family services
- Criminal justice and crime victim assistance
- Environment
- Health (also, guidance on locating and applying for health promotion funds)
- Homeless housing
- Mental health
- Parks, recreation and historic preservation (and a list of state-funded programs)
- Temporary and disability assistance (and a list of related programs)
If you are looking for financial assistance for a program or purpose not listed above, you should contact the appropriate administering agency directly and ask to speak with someone who can help you with grant information. You can reach any State agency or department by calling the State Operator at (518) 474-2121.
General grant and fundraising help
The OAG's Bureau of Charities offers a brochure with fundraising tips for charities.
The New York State Education Department offers links to grant and fundraising help, including general resources, fundraising guidance, grant and proposal writing, online publications, and grants by subject.