Grant Explorer FAQs

1. What is Grant Explorer?

Grant Explorer is GuideStar's new grant-research tool. With a database featuring more than 56,883 private foundations and 4.13 million grants, Grant Explorer brings indispensable information to the fingertips of grantseekers and grantmakers alike. For more information, please visit our Products and Services catalog.

2. How do I purchase Grant Explorer?

You subscribe to Grant Explorer from GuideStar's on-line store by clicking Products after you log in.

3. How much does it cost?

Grant Explorer is only $499 a year or $49 a month.

4. Can I use Grant Explorer with other GuideStar products and services?

Yes. Grant Explorer is easily accessible in conjunction with other GuideStar products and services. Each subscription, although purchased separately, allows for seamless navigation.

5. Can I update information about my organization in Grant Explorer?

Much of the information appearing on Grant Explorer is digitized directly from the Forms 990-PF provided to GuideStar by the IRS. This information cannot be altered until a more recent 990-PF is received from the IRS. Basic organizational information, however, can be changed by clicking on Update your nonprofit report after logging in. If your organization is already a GuideStar Participant but you don't know your log-in information, please contact Customer Service at customerservice@guidestar.org.

6. What is a grant?

A grants is a form of financial support offered to charitable organizations.

7. What is a funder?

A funder is an organization that provides financial support in the form of a grant.

8. What is a grantee?

A grantee is the recipient of a grant.

9. What is an NTEE code?

NTEE stands for National Taxonomy of Exempt Entities, a classification system for nonprofits developed by the National Center for Charitable Statistics. See a complete list of NTEE codes and their corresponding descriptions.

10. What is an officer?

Officers are the executives and board members of an organization.

11. What are grantmaking guidelines?

Guidelines are general rules established by funders for candidates who wish to apply for grants. Usually they include contact name, application format, and submission deadlines.

12. What is the State Breakdown section?

State Breakdown shows a funder's grants listed by the states in which the recipient organizations are located.

13. Why is there such a large "unknown" category in the State Breakdown section?

All grantee information is taken from IRS Forms 990-PF. We attempt to match grantees listed on the 990-PFs to the official IRS list of qualified charities. Unfortunately, foundations often fail to provide a grant recipient's correct legal name, city, and state, so it is not always possible to match awards to grantees.

If a match between a funder and a grantee cannot be established, then the grant falls into the "unknown" category.

14. What is the Program Breakdown section?

Program Breakdown shows a funder's grants according to each recipient's major NTEE codes.

15. Where does Grant Explorer information come from?

Grant Explorer data is digitized from the IRS Forms 990-PF (the tax form that all private foundations are required to file) provided directly to GuideStar by the IRS. Grant Explorer includes data from private foundations that match any of the following criteria:

Grant activity of more than $50,000; contributes to pre-selected organizations only.
Grant activity of more than $10,000; accepts grant applications.
Total assets of $5 million and greater.

Only grants of $5,000 and greater given by these organizations are part of the Grant Explorer database.

16. How many grants are included in Grant Explorer?

Grant Explorer includes more than 4.13 million grants.

17. How often is Grant Explorer updated?

Grant Explorer is updated weekly. Our database incorporates more than 8,000 new listings each week.

18. How large are the grants listed in Grant Explorer?

Grant Explorer includes grants as small as $5,000. There is no maximum grant size.

19. What kind of information can I find when I research a funder?

When you choose to view more detailed information about a funder, you can expect to find the following fields of information:

Organization name
Address
EIN
Total assets
Total grants awarded
Average grant size
Dollar amount approved for future payment
Officers—board members
Guidelines—contact name, application format, submission deadlines
State Breakdown—percentage of grant money by state
Program Breakdown—percentage of grant money according to the eight major NTEE codes
Grants—a listing of all grants awarded, arranged alphabetically within each fiscal year

This information comes directly from the Forms 990-PF private foundations file with the IRS. Because filers sometimes leave fields in the 990-PF blank, there is no guarantee you'll find all of this information for every funder.

20. What kind of information can I find when I research a grantee?

When you choose to view more detailed information about a grantee you can expect to find the organization's name and address, along with a list of grants received. Grant information includes:

Funder name
Fiscal year
Grant amount

21. Why can't I find information about a certain grantee?

All grantee information is taken from IRS Forms 990-PF filed by private foundations. An attempt is then made to match these grantees to the official IRS list of qualified charities. Unfortunately, foundations often fail to provide a grant recipient's correct legal name, city, and state, so it is not always possible to match awards to grantees.

It is also not possible to match grants to individuals, governmental entities, religious organizations, and foreign organizations, because they are generally not required to register with the IRS. If you feel that the information you are looking for does not fall into any of these categories, please contact Customer Service at customerservice@guidestar.org.

22. In the Grants Awarded section, why are some organizations linked and others not linked?

A grant recipients that has been positively matched to its official IRS listing features a link to its GuideStar Report. Unfortunately, it is not always possible to match grantees.

23. Where can I find grantmaking guidelines?

Go to "Funder Search," enter your search criteria, and click Search to produce a list of funders that meet those criteria. Click on the name of the funder whose guidelines you'd like to view. Click Guidelines to view the grantmaking guidelines the funder provided to the IRS.

24. How can I search for grants?

There are three ways to search for grants in Grant Explorer: funder search, grantee search, and people search. Please see our free demo for more information.

25. How can I search for grantees?

The grantee search allows you to find grants by using a grantee's name as your main search criteria. A list of organizations matching that criterion will come up; click on the name of the charity that interests you.

26. What is the people search?

The people search allows you to research whether a private foundation leader is associated with other 501(c)(3) private foundations by using his or her name as your main search criteria.

27. What names are included in the people search?

The people search includes the names of all officers, directors, trustees, and foundation managers listed by funders in Part VIII, Section 1a, of Form 990-PF and any employees listed in Part VIII, Section 2a.

28. Can I search by multiple criteria?

Yes, you can use any combination of the search criteria.

29. How many listings will my search return?

A maximum of 1,000 results will be listed. If your search pulls up more than 1,000 listings you will be asked to refine your search by including at least one additional search criterion. There is no minimum search result.

30. Do you have any sample searches available?

To view examples of the kind of searches that can be performed on Grant Explorer, please visit the Search Tips and Facts page.

31. What dictates the order in which search results appear?

Search results are listed in alphabetical order. Grants awarded are listed chronologically by fiscal year (most recent first), then alphabetically by grantee within each year, and by grant amount (high to low) within each grantee.

32. Can I sort Grant Explorer search results?

Search results cannot be sorted. Within each report, however, grants awarded and funders, can be resorted by the criteria listed at the top of those sections.