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SHERMAN, TEXAS - Austin College will offer free grant-research training sessions Thursday, March 19, at 1:30 p.m. and at 3 p.m. in Hopkins Center, Room B10 (basement level). Each session, open to the general public with advance registration, is limited to 25 participants. To register for the training session led by a Funding Information Network partner, email Brittany Derebery, session coordinator and Austin College director of foundation relations, or call her at 903.813.2423.
During the “Introduction to Finding Funders,” sessions, participants will receive training in use of the Foundation Directory Online to find potential funders for nonprofits. At the end of the session, participants will have time to explore the resources for themselves, ask questions, and network with other attendees.
Austin College is a Funding Information Network partner with the Foundation Center of New York, making a collection of resources available to grant seekers in the region. Announcing the partnership last year, Austin College President Marjorie Hass said that providing this resource is an additional way in which Austin College seeks to be a good partner with the larger community.
The scheduled training sessions provide an introduction to the Foundation Center’s comprehensive online database, Foundation Directory Online Professional. Participants can learn how to create customized searches to develop targeted lists of foundations that will match their organization’s funding needs. The sessions will include exploration of Power Search, which allows individuals to search across nine Foundation Center databases—grant makers, grants, companies, 990s, news, jobs, RFPs, nonprofit literature, and IssueLab reports.
Two computers in Abell Library Center on the campus are dedicated exclusively to the Funding Information Network. Staff at the Circulation Desk can direct individuals to the computer stations. No logins are necessary to access the information database.
Funding Information Network partners provide under-resourced and underserved populations in need of vital information and training with tools they can use to become successful grant seekers. Located throughout the country and around the world, Funding Information Network partners offer free access to the Foundation Center’s detailed information on grant makers and applying for grants. The Center’s core collection of resources includes Foundation Directory Online, profiling more than 110,000 U.S. grant makers; Foundation Grants to Individuals Online; Philanthropy In/Sight; print directories; and proposal writing guides. Funding Information Network locations also hold training sessions on how to effectively use these resources and identify potential funders. Find more information about the Funding Information Network.
The partnership with the Foundation Center of New York is part of the newly developing Austin College Center for Community and Regional Development.
Austin College, a private national liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas, has earned a reputation for excellence in academic preparation, international study, pre-professional foundations, leadership development, committed faculty, and hands-on, adventurous learning opportunities. One of 40 schools profiled in Loren Pope’s influential book Colleges That Change Lives, Austin College boasts a welcoming community that embraces diversity and individuality, with more than 36 percent of students representing ethnic minorities. A residential student body of 1,250 students and a faculty of more than 100 allow a 12:1 student-faculty ratio and personalized attention. The College is related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA) and cultivates an inclusive atmosphere that supports students’ faith journeys regardless of religious tradition. Founded in 1849, the College is the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original name and charter.
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