Press Releases and Social Media

Governments like to share the good news of funding announcements. Almost all department websites have a section listing press releases. This is a great source of information about policy & program priorities and how the government talks about its work and funding. It can also be a great place to learn what kinds of activities and organizations are being funded. Most federal departments now offer you the opportunity to subscribe via email to their news updates which is definitely a helpful source of information. 

Although Twitter is rapidly losing credibility, it remains a helpful source of information on government announcements and activity. I would also recommend LinkedIn and Instagram, as government departments and officials are often active on these platforms as well.  

So, to summarize, there are many ways to find information about who is receiving government funding for what kind of work. The next step is to compare this to the kind of work your organization is doing. Is it comparable? Are there examples of this work getting funded? When and by who? Are RFPs related to your work issued on a regular schedule? By developing a detailed picture of government funding for work similar to yours, you can:

1. Be prepared for potential requests for proposal announcements.

2.Understand who is getting funding and for what, and identify potential partners.

3. Find out about the many non-competitive ways that government can fund non-profits.

Checklist for finding funding: