Search the Foundation Directory Online Essential Database from Home During Library Closure

By Caroline Labbe, Adult Services Librarian, Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library

Nonprofits in Need

If you, or someone you know, are trying to keep a nonprofit running during the pandemic, then you know that finding sources for grants is more important than ever. Fortunately, Fairfax County Public Library (FCPL) is able to offer temporary, remote access to a valuable resource to support that research.

Grants Research Then and Now

When the library is open and operating normally, three FCPL branches host Grants Research and Training Centers (GRTC). As a Funding Information Network Partner of Candid, FCPL’s GRTC is a community resource for nonprofit organizations, students, artists and other individuals seeking foundation grant opportunities. At the Reston Regional, Sherwood Regional and Tysons-Pimmit Regional branches, patrons can access Candid’s Foundation Directory Online (FDO) Professional database using either public computers or their own laptops or tablets connected to the library’s public Wi-Fi.

While branches and their GRTCs are closed to the public due to COVID-19, Candid has graciously made a scaled-down version of FDO — FDO Essential — available to remote users through FCPL’s website at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library/grants. On that webpage you can watch a short video for an introduction to using FDO Essential, then use the link just above the video to access the database.

What Does the Database Offer?

FDO Essential provides detailed information about foundations that fund nonprofits, recipients of past grants, geographical areas where grants have been awarded, typical dollar amounts for grants, grant recipients, and much more. The database also has a live chat feature and a help section.

Try out FDO Essential from home now, then access the full FDO Professional version once the library and its Grants Research and Training Centers at Reston Regional, Sherwood Regional and Tysons-Pimmit Regional branches reopen.