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npE FAQ: Financing

(1) Rolfe Larson <Rolfe@RolfeLarson.com>
Draper Richards Foundation provides up to $100,000 annually for three years to social entrepreneurs who possess solid ideas for starting new nonprofit organizations in the United States. The foundation accepts proposals for a variety of public service areas including community and economic development. Visit: www.draperrichards.org.

(2) From Andy Horsnell <Andy@RolfeLarson.com>
HP has a new Microenterprise Development Program, a new grant initiative targeting nonprofit microenterprise development agencies that serve clients in low-income communities in the United States. For more information, go to: http://grants.hp.com/us/programs/micro_index.html

(3) From Sri Sridharan <infinisri@gmail.com>
Two foundations I have looked at are Skoll (www.skollfoundation.org/socialentrepreneurship/index.asp) and Acumen (www.acumenfund.org). Ashoka comes up repeatedly, but I have not dealt with them.  I am in Arizona. We have branch/chapter of Social Venture Partners (http://svpaz.org/) that is very active. The City of Phoenix also has a Community Development Fund and they make small grants.  Since you are in Washington, I do recommend contacting SVP in Seattle. I believe they originated in Seattle. A book my friends have mentioned me is: Sources of Financing for New Nonprofit Ventures Author(s): J. Gregory Dees and Nadine Dolby

[Moderator's note: that publication, published in 1991 and revised in 1996, can be downloaded from Harvard Business Online, for $6.50. Here's the link
http://harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu/b02/en/common/item_detail.jhtml?id\ =391097

(4) From Stewart Walker <stewart_walker@sbcglobal.net>
There was a request for funders for SE. This is a list that I have been maintaining. No claims of completeness.  

(5) From Kevin Jones <kevin@collectiveintelligence.net>
you have money for the purchase and just need money for marketing and sales? are you sure grant capital is what you want? could you handle a loan rather than a grant? have you looked into other forms of capital?

(6) From Beth Bubis <beth@se-alliance.org>
MoneyNet is a directory of foundations developed by the Enterprise Foundation specifically focused on those interested in projects related to community economic development. You'll be able to search by types of funding provided, in addition to geographic and mission foci. Social Enterprise Alliance's partnership with the Enterprise Foundation has helped expand the directory to include funders of social enterprise. http://www.enterprisefoundation.org/resources/Funding/moneynet/index.asp  

(7) From Paul Breaux <pbreaux@sbspartners.us>
For a broader search, you may want to go the Foundation Center online. While there is fee for such a search, many libraries have the Foundation Center online for free. See link: http://www.fdncenter.org/  Helpful tip: Bring a fundraiser friend to the library with you who can quickly navigate the online directory. You can do it, it just might take you a bit longer if you are not familiar with it.]

(8) From Tom White <tom@sereporter.com>
You may want to try

  • The Double-Bottom Line Investor Directory at the Columbia Biz School's RISE Project (www.riseproject.org) and

  • The Enterprise Foundation's MoneyNet database www.enterprisecommunity.org/resources/funding/moneyNet/donorsearch.asp

The Enterprise Foundation has worked with the Social Enterprise Alliance in expanding access to information about funders of social enterprise. You can select "social enterprise" in the "Subject/Focus" field to identify these funders.

(9) From Tami Bunce <resourcedev@ldaptbo.com>
I have found great resources under "Social Enterprise" foundations that support Social Enterprise and Social Entrepreneurship. Also look under Ashoka International.

The npEnterprise Forum discusses practical steps nonprofits can take to enhance their organizational capacity, mission impact, and financial sustainability, through the development of income-generating business activities. This list is owned and moderated by Rolfe Larson Associates (www.RolfeLarson.com). We reserve the right to select messages for distribution to the list, and to publish archived messages with proper attribution in other venues. More information about this listserv is available at www.npEnterprise.net, including how to subscribe and unsubscribe. The npEnterprise Forum has been designated by the Social Enterprise Alliance (www.se-alliance.org), a membership organization, as its official listserv. Permission to redistribute message(s) contained in this email is granted provided you include this paragraph.

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