Donor Resources

Resource directory

Lots of funders face logistical barriers to maximize impact. Here you’ll find a useful collection to address common challenges.

Thought Leadership, Listservs, and Knowledge Libraries

We spent a decade learning through trial and error. But you can skip steps by learning from these leading thinkers.

Common Affinity Grantmaker Groups 

Affinity groups are networks of like-minded organizations with a common desire to influence grantmaking and grant-seeking processes. Affinity groups work together to be more responsive to the needs of a particular region, sector, or other group.

International Grantmaking

Grantmaker-Specific 

Africa Specific

Central America 

 

US Specific 

European Philanthropy

Global Development 

Sector-Specific

Organizations with trustworthy pipelines

Not sure where to find visionaries or organizations doing great work? Don’t worry, these folks have done the hard work for you:

Fiscal Sponsorship

If the organization you’re interested in doesn’t have a 501c3 designation, you can work with these intermediaries:

Philanthropy dictionary

501(c)(3): IRS designation for public serving nonprofit organizations exempt from income tax and eligible to receive tax-deductible gifts

990: Form used by the IRS for annual reporting by nonprofit organizations

BOD: Board of Directors

CBO: Community-based organization

CDD: Community-driven development

CFRE: Certified Fund Raising Executive - certification/credential for fundraisers

DAF: Donor advised fund

ED: Equivalency determination - a good-faith determination that a non-U.S. organization is equivalent to a U.S. public charity

ER: Expenditure responsibility - a set of grantmaking and monitoring procedures and requirements enabling U.S. grantmakers to make grants to foreign organizations that are recognized as neither 501(c)(3) public charities nor the equivalents of U.S. public charities

Fiscal Sponsor: A non-profit organization that has offered its legal and tax-exempt status to other groups.

IGA: Income-generating activities

I&E: Income & expenditure statement

INGO: International non-governmental organization

MFI: Microfinance institution

MOU: Memorandum of understanding—letter of agreement between parties

M&E: Monitoring & evaluation

MEAL or MEL: Monitoring, evaluation, and learning

NGO: Non-governmental organization

NPO: Nonprofit organization

PD: Program director

P&L: Profit and loss statement

PO: Program officer

PSOs: Philanthropy-Serving Organizations have deep content knowledge in their specific areas of expertise, whether it is knowledge of a particular funding issue, population group, or philanthropic practice.

RFP: Request for proposals - an announcement of grant fund availability

SDGs: Sustainable development goals, a collection of 17 interlinked objectives designed to serve as a "shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet now and into the future"

SROI: Social return on investment

WHT: Withholding Tax

VAT: Value-added Tax