Candid Resources

The Community Foundation for the CSRA has joined Candid’s national network of resources. Through research, collaboration and training, Candid connects people who want to change the world to the resources they need to do it. Candid’s data tools on nonprofits, foundations, and grants are the most comprehensive in the world.

What is Candid?

Every year, millions of nonprofits spend trillions of dollars around the world. Candid finds out where that money comes from, where it goes, and why it matters. 

As a member of Candid’s nationwide network of libraries, community foundations, and other nonprofit agencies, the Community Foundation for the CSRA, in partnership with the Augusta Richmond County Public Library, provides visitors with free public access to Candid’s products, services, and resources. At the Augusta Richmond County Public Library, you can access the Foundation Directory Online Professional, Grants to Individuals, and other resources to assist and strengthen your nonprofit organization. Representatives of nonprofit and grassroots organizations and other patrons are welcome to use these resources at the main location at any time during open hours

Go For the Gold!

Earn a 2023 Gold Seal of Transparency and gain access to one free year of Foundation Directory Essential.

If your nonprofit’s annual revenue or expenses total less than $1M and you earn a Gold Seal of Transparency or higher, you can receive a free year of access to Foundation Directory Essential through Candid’s Go for the Gold promotion.

Candid Learning

A single destination for live and virtual trainings, resources, and learning experiences to help you improve the way you do your work and to help you strengthen your nonprofit. Candid Learning offers many training options covering a wide variety of topics. Trainings are available in-person, in webinars, or as self-paced eLearning courses and many of the introductory courses are free. Course topics include:

  • Proposal writing
  • Fundraising
  • Goveranace
  • Management
  • Starting a nonprofit

Do you work or volunteer with a nonprofit in search of funding?

Get one-on-one assistance with using Candid’s Foundation Directory Online to identify potential funders. Email outreach@arcpls.org or call 706-821-2612 to set up an appointment.

FAQ's

Who can use Candid's programs?

The Community Foundation has invested in Candid resources to further strengthen our nonprofits and support our community throughout Richmond, Columbia, McDuffie and Burke counties in Georgia and Aiken and Edgefield counties in South Carolina. We are sharing these resources with:

  • Nonprofits
  • Foundations
  • Educational Institutions
  • Research Institutes
  • Government Organizations
  • Students
  • Artists
How do I gain access to Candid resources?

Visit the Augusta-Richmond County Public Library at 823 Telfair Street Augusta, GA 30901. Check in with the second floor staff and fill out the sign-in sheet. Feel free to use one of the second floor library computers. Extended session time will be available upon request if there are no others waiting for computers. Alternatively, you can use your laptop and connect to Candid through the library’s WiFi. Access the library’s WiFi using a PINES library card number and PIN/password or go in to get a wifi pass for the day. Please let library staff know you are there to use Candid.

Can I Still Access (FDO) Essential?

Candid made a recent change to Foundation Directory off-site access. You will still register with the Community Foundation using the link above. Once your registration is confirmed, you will receive a link for FDO Essential. The link will take you to the FDO login page where you’ll be asked to create an account, which you can use each time you log in. The day pass allows you to use FDO Essential remotely in a 24-hour window. There is a clock at the top of the screen that will tell you how much time remains in the pass. After the 24 hours, the clock will show the next date on which you can activate a new pass (every 30 days).

How do I access (FDO) Professional?

Access to Foundation Directory Online (FDO) database is only available at the Augusta-Richmond County Library Headquarters at 823 Telfair St, Augusta, GA 30901.

How do I access GTI?

Access to Grants to Individuals (GTI) database is only available at on-site computers through the Augusta-Richmond County Library Headquarters at 823 Telfair St, Augusta, GA 30901.

What can I find at Foundation Grants to Individuals?

Foundation Grants to Individuals is an online database of over 8,500 foundation and public charity programs that fund students, artists, researchers, and other individual grantseekers. This resource provides online access to accurate, up-to-date information on foundations that fund:

  • Educational support – scholarships, fellowships, loans, and internships
  • Students and graduates of specific schools
  • Arts and cultural support
  • Awards, prizes, and grants by nomination
  • International applicants
  • Employees/families of employees at specific companies
  • Research and professional support
  • General welfare and special needs
How do I learn how to use the FDO?

The Community Foundation and Augusta-Richmond County Library staff are available to help you navigate the Foundation Directory. You may also watch the Introduction to Foundation Directory Online webinar recording here.

For tips on how to navigate the philanthropy classification system, here.

Is there a way to get help if I need it?

In addition to the resources provided by the Community Foundation, Candid provides instructions and recorded tutorials to learn how to use their tools. Candid's sites also have a built-in chat feature where you can reach out directly to Candid staff for support.

If you are unable to find your answer, please contact Rebecca Wallace, Director of Grants and Community Engagement, or Lasima Turmon, Sr. Program Officer, or Erin Prentiss, Outreach Services Manager for Augusta-Richmond County Public Library System at prentisse@arcpls.org.

What can I do at a Funding Information Network location?

The Augusta-Richmond County Public Library is our Funding Information Network location. Here, you will be able to:

  • Conduct research on potential funders for my nonprofit work or artistic project
  • Attend workshops to learn how to approach funders and write grant proposals
  • Ask librarians my fundraising and nonprofit-related questions
  • Network with my peers in the local social sector
  • Find educational scholarships, fellowships, and loans
  • See on maps who’s getting and giving grants in my own community
  • Stay up-to-date on funding trends
What will I find at Funding Information Network locations?
  • Foundation Directory Online Professional, most comprehensive database of all U.S. grantmakers and millions of their grants
  • Proposal-writing guides with step-by-step instructions and examples of successful proposals
  • Foundation Grants to Individuals Online, a one-of-a-kind database of programs that provide support for students, artists, researchers, and other individual grantseekers
  • Philanthropy In/Sight®, an interactive mapping tool that combines the Foundation Center’s data on grantmakers and their grants with familiar Google maps
  • Research reports on trends and patterns of giving by U.S. foundations
  • Free workshops and orientations on how to effectively use these resources and identify potential funders
  • Expert staff trained to help you make the most of your research

These resources are provided with support from the
Augusta-Richmond County Public Library.

Community Foundation Trainings

Funding With Foundation Directory Online

Funding Information Network Locations

Rebecca Wallace Photo

For more information on Candid Resources, please contact Rebecca Wallace, Vice President of Programs here or at 706-724-1314.