of the Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County
4th floor, Bausch & Lomb Public Library Building
(585) 428-8130 Hours
The Grants Information Center, the Rochester area's largest grants information collection, is a Cooperating Collection of the Foundation Center. As a member of this nationwide network of libraries, community foundations, and other nonprofit agencies, the Grants Information Center provides visitors with free public access to grantmaker directories, books on fundraising and nonprofit management, and online databases.
Free Online Training Classes
Are you a representative of a nonprofit organization and new to funding research?
Learn how the resources of the Grants Information Center at the Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County can help you become a more effective grantseeker! Small group classes are offered once a month in the computer training lab in the Bausch and Lomb Public Library building.
For information about upcoming classes and to register, call 585-428-8130.
Online Resources
These databases are available at the Central Library:
- Foundation Directory Online is a fully searchable database that includes detailed profiles of all active U.S. foundations, as well as an extensive file of recent grants awarded by the nation’s top funders.
- Foundation Grants to Individuals Online is a database of more than 6,100 foundation and public charity programs that fund students, artists, researchers, and other individual grantseekers.
- Online Guide to Grantmakers in the Rochester Area, a database from the Grantmakers Forum of New York, contains information on over 250 local and national corporations, foundations, trusts, and other funders. It is searchable by field of interest and type of support.
Researching Grants
Use the Guide to Finding Grants as a starting point for grants research.
Congressional Research Service has prepared this guide to grants and federal domestic assistance for members of Congress and their constituents.
Help from Organizations
Seeking funding can be a difficult, labor-intensive process. Assistance for the novice grant writer is available from these nonprofit organizations:
To find out about other grantseeking training that may be available, call the Central Library's Business and Social Sciences Division at (585) 428-8130, use the Ask a Librarian e-reference service, or look at the notebook of grantwriting classes in the Grants Information Center at the Central Library.
Library Help
Library staff can help patrons start their grant searches by suggesting appropriate resources and by providing instruction on how to use them. Staff cannot recommend specific funders or write proposals. To ask a question or register for a training class, call (585) 428-8130.