Government Funding. Federal, State, County, and City funding sources can be more complex to write, are likely to provide larger sums of money, and require more sophisticated record keeping and reporting. Because they are public dollars, spending guidelines can be more restrictive. The grants office must be involved in the vetting and application for these grants.
Foundations and Charitable Trusts. These organizations are set up to manage and distribute funds for charitable purposes. They can either be “managed wealth,” existing funds derived from investments of estates or from living individuals or, as charity organizations that raise funds each year to distribute for charitable purposes often directed to a specific cause. Community Foundations, like the Greater Tacoma Community Foundation, are established as a single organization that pools the funds of individuals and groups within a given geographic area to manage and redistribute those dollars to charities. They are required by law to distribute a percentage of their funds each year.
Corporate Community Funds or Foundations. Businesses and corporations allocate a portion of their profits into charity giving through their own community fund or foundation to support the local community in which they do business, for visibility and public relations purposes and for tax benefits.
Employee Community Funds. Many larger corporations will have a separate fund raised, managed and distributed by the employees themselves, in addition to the corporate giving program. Boeing is an example.
Indian Tribes Charitable Funds. Indian Tribes with gambling operations are required by law to distribute a portion of their profits into social and human services in the area where they operate.
The management and distribution of funds for charity is regulated under the U.S. tax codes. Most gifts are given only to nonprofits as defined under the 501(c)3 nonprofit tax codes. Some funders are very specific they will not give to government agencies. Some will give to schools. This needs to be clarified before the application. The Tacoma School District, as a government entity, qualifies as a nonprofit. The Grants Office has an IRS Letter on file declaring our nonprofit status to accompany your application.