Through our nonprofit collection, you can read books on how to start a 501(c)3 organization, create an effective board to govern it and, most importantly, how to get funded to achieve the results you’re aiming for. We have handouts to guide you in the grant research process, Web sites that have been organized by librarians to help you start searching, and databases full of information you’ll need to know about the foundations that give money.

Start your nonprofit project by looking for money. The UW Tacoma Library is one of only three Puget Sound locations offering Foundation Directory Online, the country’s premiere resource for finding grantors.

If you’re looking for funding without the support of a nonprofit organization, try the Foundation Directory for Individuals Online. Got a hankering to create some meaningful art? Had a run of bad luck due to a natural disaster? Use this directory to look for educational and arts support, awards and prizes and general welfare and special needs.

Once you’ve found someone who’s interested in throwing money at you to do good works, you can read our many guides to writing successful grant proposals. You can hunker down in our dedicated nonprofit resources space and make the magic happen.

Tip of the Month: We exist to support our UW Tacoma community as a whole, and that includes you and your extracurricular interests. Make an appointment with Anna Salyer, our nonprofit research librarian, and she’ll happily support you in your attempts to make our community a better place!  You can reach her at anna3@u.washington.edu.

Carole Svensson is the assistant director of the UW Tacoma Library. Got an idea for a book to feature in Book Dirt? E-mail Carole at svensson@u.washington.edu.