Best Places for Free Research

I'm often asked where I get background info on various funders. Here's a few of my best online tools:

http://www.guidestar.org- Search for foundations, non-profit organizations. Great place to see who is giving what! Free registration.

http://www.foundationcenter.org- National resource on RFPs & other goodies. Sign up for the free newsletter. More opportunities than you can handle, guaranteed.

Tax Assessor Database - National database on property ownership. If you figure a person pays 2 - 2 1/2 times their annual household income on their home, you can better estimate the size of their potential gift. Doesn't always work for the most wealthy, but helpful.