Well, I used a Korean proverb as the subtitle of this posting. Does anybody catch its meaning? To translate it word to word, the proverb says ‘You are lying under a tree as waiting a persimmon drops at you,’ whose meaning is equivalent to ‘You may gape long enough ere a bird fall in your mouth.’
I quoted it because it felt like we’ve been waiting under the tree (waiting or whining for the university to give money to us), not actively doing something to pick the persimmon (seeking and asking for the money we want, e.g. grant writing!)
We were informed and glanced over SDGFunders, WINGS, and CAF World Giving Index. It was good to know there are this much information on the web regarding grant making and receiving, and there were what I really want to show to my colleagues the most – the resources for finding funders. They require subscription and one is so far U.S. centered, but it was amazing to me that this kind of databases actually find and show the grant makers information worldwide including their interests and past grantees too!
Foundation Center
Foundation Center is a nonprofit organization whose mission is “to strengthen the social sector by advancing knowledge about philanthropy in the U.S. and around the world.” It provides a two hour free trial but after the trial we have to subscribe it ($2,000 per year) so we need to be careful before try it. Its new feature Foundation Map is very interesting because we can choose the library subject and it shows the grantmakers who are interested in it. Now it’s US centered but hopefully it will be extended.
Foundation Directory Online
This database is very expensive, according to Susan. I don’t know how much it will cost my organization to subscribe, but because I thought it’s fascinating I took some screenshots during I was able to access it. If it’s an affordable price, I wish my library provides to users.
You can search companies/grants/grantmakers by various criteria.
There are refinement options to narrow down your search results.
There is no ‘Library’ category, so I chose ‘Education’ among the Fields of Interest.
Now I have a list of 57 grants given to South Korean organizations in past.
If I click on the grantee’s name I can see the grant details.
I can click on Grantmaker Tab or do a separate search for the grantmaker’s information.
Everyone needs money. To provide new services, acquire new collections, build new facilities, and to do so much more things, we need money and the more the better! However, it does not just come along or appear from nowhere. We need to know who has the money, for what s/he is willing to give, and how s/he wants it to be dealt with. This session introduced us to many useful sources that could open doors to new possibilities by being funded to put our plans into practice.
What’s more, even if we are not going to be allowed to seek out outside grants for some reasons, the skills we learned still will be helpful to apply when we ask for budgets to the university. Isn’t it?