This week, Foundation Center West closes at 1:00 pm Thursday, December 31. The office is closed New Year's Day, Friday January 1.

GrantSpace resources are always available 24/7. You can also e-mail questions to our Ask Us team anytime, and we'll respond to you on the next business day. We wish you a safe and healthy holiday season!

Asking your donors to make an investment in your organization that will make an impact on the world is one the greatest things you can do for a donor. Donors want to give. They need to give. Donors experience joy in their lives when they give their money away.

Next week, Foundation Center West is closed Thursday, December 24 and Friday December 25.

GrantSpace resources are always available 24/7. You can also e-mail questions to our Ask Us team anytime, and we'll respond to you on the next business day. We wish you a safe and healthy holiday season!

Claire Rice is the deputy director and field director-Southeast Michigan of Sustain Arts. We interviewed her about Sustain Arts--a newly-launched fundraising tool that provides open access to arts and cultural philanthropy data. 

Monday, December 14:

WEBINAR How to Apply to the Creative Work Fund

Tuesday, December 15 - Thursday, December 17:

Proposal Writing Boot Camp

If your organization has employees (or hopes to in the future), it’s important to be aware of the employment laws that may apply to your organization. Lack of knowledge in this area can lead to expensive fines and legal fees. 

Imagine your good luck: you’re at a holiday party, and find yourself one-on-one with a potential major donor you’ve never had the chance to meet before. Can you quickly and compellingly impress them with what your organization stands for? Storytelling is easy when you’re engaging people who already know what your organization stands for, but getting the essence of your story across in less than a minute can be challenging.

The Creative Work Fund is a grantmaking program of the Walter and Elise Haas Fund that invites San Francisco Bay Area artists and nonprofit organizations to create new art works through collaborations. Attend this informational session to learn more and ask questions about applying for the fund’s 2016 cycle.

Foundation Center’s new tool, Foundation Funding for U.S. Democracy, indicates that foundations made grants of almost $299 million between 2011 and 2014 in the campaigns, elections, and voting category, which  includes support for implementation, research, reform, and/or mobilizations efforts related to campaign finance, election administration, redistricting, voting access, as well as voter registration, education, and turnout. More than half those grant dollars went for voter registration, education, and turnout initiatives, and, as one might expect, the annual total spiked in 2012, a presidential election year, as did funding for voting rights efforts.

Tuesday, December 8:

WEBINAR How to Engage Your Board in Fundraising: Today, Tomorrow, and Next Year!

Introduction to Finding Grants

Wednesday, December 9: 

WEBINAR Introduction to Proposal Writing

Thursday, December 10:

WEBINAR Introduction to Project Budgets