Grant Profiles

Interns with Christine

Last month, Accelerate Climate Solutions interns got the chance to visit the philanthropy library at College of Dupage (COD). With the help of librarian Christine Kickels, we dug through the database Candid. COD is one of the only sources in Illinois to view this database for free. Candid reveals all kinds of funder information, including preferred location, amounts awarded, and key details for applying to grants. We walked away with more than 70 grantmakers that are potential funders for Accelerate Climate Solutions. Praneeth, a summer intern from Metea High School said, “I never knew that there was such a useful tool for finding grants.”

Gathering the information is just the first step. Back at the office, we compiled everything for easy access and reviewed what was needed for an initial approach, such as writing a Letter of Inquiry. Only a few of the interns have worked with grant writing before, so this felt all new. “Looking through the grantmaker profiles was really interesting because it held an insight into a side of business I had never seen before” said Nishi, summer intern from the University of Illinois. 

Our grant profile

Candid is connected to another database, called Guidestar, which provides detailed information about nonprofits. Ms. Kickels described the two databases as “fitting together like a dating app.” Nonprofits are seeking Funders. And funders are seeking non-profits too. (Top tip: Funders are required to donate 5% of their funds annually.) A quick review showed our profile needed some TLC. Becca, a second year intern from the University of Dayton, is working to make it shine. “As a Marketing major, I always like learning new platforms. Editing in Guidestar was really interesting because it was different from any other site I have encountered.” 

Visiting the College of DuPage Philanthropy collection was a great way to build resources for Accelerate Climate Solutions. Time to apply for grants!