Nonprofit Resource Center

Return to Foundations and Nonprofits

Welcome to the Nonprofit Resource Center, located on Level 3 of the Central Library. Whether you’re just starting your nonprofit or would like to enhance an existing one, we offer a wealth of resources including books, periodicals and databases. In addition, the Denver Public Library is a Cooperating Collection of the Foundation Center. Cooperating Collections are free information centers that provide a core collection of Foundation Center materials and a variety of supplemental resources in areas useful to grant seekers.

Call or email us if you’d like to schedule an appointment with one of our staff to learn about our resources or be added to our email list to notify you of upcoming classes: 720-865-1363 or lflavin@denverlibrary.org

Databases

Foundation Center’s Foundation Directory Online
Find funders fast by searching the fully indexed database to find current, comprehensive information on U.S. grant makers and their grants. Available at the Central Library only.

Colorado Grants Guide Online
Browse or search Colorado grants by area of interest, name, or geographic focus. Available in any Denver Public Library.

Local Resources

Colorado Nonprofit Association Formerly CANPO
A statewide nonprofit membership coalition connecting nonprofits of all sizes, missions and geographic locations. CNA strengthens the nonprofit community through training, issue discussions and public advocacy about the importance of the nonprofit sector.

Colorado Grants
Sign up for the free Colorado Nonprofit Insider newsletter. The website also includes a grants deadline calendar, sample grant proposals, and excerpts from previous newsletters.

Grants For Individuals
From Colorado Grants. Learn how to avoid scams, find help for disabled individuals, locate programs that promote home ownership and sources for loans.

Community Resource Center
The Community Resource Center (CRC) creates opportunities, tools and strategies to develop nonprofits and community groups to strengthen Colorado. Sign up for the Colorado Nonprofit Training Guide Quarterly or find articles written by CRC staff, board, and friends; featuring best practices and emerging trends.

Denver Office of Strategic Partnerships
The Denver Office of Strategic Partnerships (DOSP) was created in January 2004 to serve as a liaison between the City of Denver and the nonprofit sector. The DOSP maximizes financial, capital and nonprofit resources by leveraging and coordinating resources around federal competitive grants and nonprofit resource and space sharing.

Starting and Managing Nonprofits

Principles & Practices for Nonprofit Excellence in Colorado
This guidebook was developed by Colorado nonprofits for Colorado nonprofits. It provides resources to help you keep up-to-date on legal compliance, prepare to complete the Form 990, build capacity, and demonstrate transparency and accountability.

GrantSpace
GrantSpace℠, a service of the Foundation Center, offers information and resources that are specifically designed to meet the needs of grant seekers. Offers sample documents, free online training courses, starting and managing nonprofits and developing proposals.

501(c)(3) Application Help
This website is designed to help new nonprofit organizations complete the Application for Exempt Status Under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Articles of Incorporation
Before applying to the IRS for a federal nonprofit designation, you must first establish the organizational entity. This is done by filing as a nonprofit corporation with the Secretary of State.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy
The No. 1 news source, in print and online, for nonprofit leaders, fund raisers, grant makers, and other people involved in the philanthropic enterprise. For more than 20 years, The Chronicle has been connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas.

Foundation Center
Established in1956 and today supported by close to 550 foundations, the Foundation Center is the leading source of information about philanthropy worldwide. It operates research, education, and training programs designed to advance knowledge of philanthropy at every level.

Tax Information for Charitable Organizations
Requirements, forms and FAQs from the IRS for nonprofits, religious organizations, political organizations and private foundations.

How to Start a Nonprofit – Guidelines and Resources for Entrepreneurs
Comprehensive advice and materials for anyone who is considering starting a nonprofit organization. Offers alternatives to starting a nonprofit, how to shut one down, and thorough help with each step of the process of starting a nonprofit.

Grant Proposal Writing Sites

Govspot
Has a wide variety of resources for grant writers including sample proposals, tips for getting government money and other grant writing tools.

GrantProposal.com
A site devoted to providing free resources for both advanced grant writing consultants and inexperienced nonprofit staff. Includes great tips and advice.

Colorado Common Grant Application
Allows Colorado grant makers and grant seekers to work from a common set of questions that reinforce solid nonprofit practices. Required by some grant makers.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
Offers a two-part guide: developing the proposal and then writing it. From the U.S. government perspective.

Proposal Writing Short Course
The Foundation Center’s online tutorial teaches all the components of a proposal in a succinct and fun format.

Proposal Budgeting Basics Tutorial
The Foundation Center’s online course is designed to help with the basics of developing a project budget and is geared for those who have general knowledge of proposal development.

Fundraising Resources

Foundation Center
Find grant maker statistics on national growth trends, state and metro area aggregates and grants statistics on top recipients by area of interest or type of support.

Guide to Fiscal Sponsorship
Since most foundation funding is awarded to nonprofits rather than to individuals, affiliating yourself with an organization or obtaining a fiscal sponsor can increase your likelihood of receiving funding. This guide from the Foundation Center is a detailed look at the affiliation possibilities for individual grant seekers.

Raise-Funds
A website and resource for people charged with managing, working for, raising money for, or who are on the board of nonprofit organizations. It addresses issues and ideas important to professional fund raisers and volunteer leadership. Areas covered include learning to be a development officer, organizing fundraising campaigns, choosing key staff, and the responsibilities of board members and other volunteers.

Grants for Nonprofits
Alphabetized by subject, this compilation focuses primarily on grants or funding sources for nonprofit organizations. A few categories are also of interest to individuals.

Requests for Proposals
The Foundation Center’s Philanthropy News Digest, a service of the Foundation Center, publishes RFPs and notices of awards as a free service for grant making organizations and nonprofits. Find and apply for grant opportunities and then track your application.

Evaluation of Outcomes and Self-Assessment

Innovation Network (Innonet)
Offers some online help in preparing an assessment/evaluation plan for your nonprofit.

National Council of Nonprofits
Here are great tools to help your organization along the path to effective self-assessment and evaluation of outcomes.

Government Resources

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance is a government-wide compendium of Federal programs, projects, services, and activities that provide assistance or benefits to the American public. It contains financial and non-financial assistance programs administered by departments and establishments of the Federal government.

Grants.gov
Grants.gov is a central storehouse for information on over 1,000 government grant programs and provides access to approximately $500 billion in annual awards. Find and apply for grant opportunities and then track your application.

USA.gov for Nonprofits
Find information and services for nonprofits, including grants, loans, assistance, taxes, management and more. Check out the surplus government property for government and nonprofits and links to faith-based partnerships.

Colorado Creative Industries
Colorado Council on the Arts’ Colorado Creative Industries offers several grant programs for artists, arts groups, community organizations, schools and other government agencies to support arts and cultural activities that benefit Coloradans. Search for recent grants, apply for grants and find help managing your award.

Colorado Department of Education
This page is designed to be a central resource for all State and Federal Grant opportunities for preK-12 Education, either administered or recognized by the Colorado Department of Education.

National Endowment for the Arts
The NEA was established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. To date, the NEA has awarded more than $4 billion to support artistic excellence, creativity, and innovation for the benefit of individuals and communities. The NEA extends its work through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector.

National Endowment for the Humanities
The NEH is an independent grant-making agency of the United States government dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities. View grant programs and learn about application programs and deadlines.

Rating Charities

GuideStar
TakeAction@GuideStar is a resource for donors who want to give with their heads as well as their hearts. Find information to help you find the nonprofits that are making a difference in the causes that matter to you most. Consult expert analysis, read and write charity reviews, and donate online directly from GuideStar.

Cumulative List of Organizations
The IRS maintains this list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible charitable contributions. This online version is offered to help you conduct a more efficient search of these organizations. In addition, you may verify an organization's tax-exempt status and eligibility to receive tax-deductible charitable contributions by asking to see an organization's IRS letter recognizing it as tax-exempt.

Better Business Bureau National Charity Reports
View the standards developed by the BBB Wise Giving Alliance for charity evaluations and view a full alphabetical listing of all completed charity reports. Also file a complaint about a charity and the BBB will work with you to resolve it.

Charity Navigator
Charity Navigator, America's premier independent charity evaluator, works to advance a more efficient and responsive philanthropic marketplace by evaluating the financial health of over 5,500 of America's largest charities. Check out the Top Ten Lists on subjects ranging from 10 celebrity-related charities to 10 charities routinely in the red.

Colorado Secretary of State Charitable Solicitations
The Colorado Charitable Solicitations Act requires charitable organizations intending to solicit contributions in Colorado, as well as any person intending to act as a paid solicitor or professional fundraising consultant, to register with the Secretary of State. Register a new charity or search for an existing one.

MinistryWatch
MinistryWatch is an independent donor advocate facilitating the information needs of donors. It provides information on organizations alleging to be charitable and its key leadership in order to identify materially misleading behavior, or wasteful spending practices, as well as identifying those operations that are above board and running efficiently.

Print Resources

As a Cooperating Collection of the Foundation Center, the Denver Public Library owns a core collection of reference materials for the fundraising community. These materials are located in the Reference Room at the Central Library.

In addition, search the catalog for circulating materials using keywords such as: