Foundation Center Expands Resources for Spanish-language Nonprofits, Grantseeekers 

New York, NY — April 23, 2009. At a time when nonprofit organizations across the country are being hard hit by an economy in crisis, the Foundation Center is continuing to expand its initiative to reach Spanish-speaking grantseekers and nonprofits serving Latino communities, a part of the nonprofit sector that often has been under-resourced even in the best of economic times.

Beginning six years ago with a single class taught entirely in Spanish, the Center's Spanish-language resources have grown every year and now encompass an array of online and in-person classes on fundraising, proposal writing and budgeting, and establishing a nonprofit organization — all of them free. The Center also publishes Guía para escribir propuestas, a translation of its Guide to Proposal Writing, to aid the growing number of Spanish-speaking grantseekers in the U.S. who need to develop skills related to proposal writing but for whom language is a barrier.

"Even native English speakers often find the process and nuances of fundraising challenging, and those who speak English as a second language are at a greater disadvantage," said Luz Rodriguez, the Center's training coordinator. "We are continually striving to find more ways to serve this significant segment of our audience."

Sponsored by The Meadows Foundation, Inc., and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, in 2009 the Center is offering free grantseeker training dedicated to Spanish-speaking nonprofit organizations in Miami, Philadelphia, and several Texas cities. The full-day courses introduce participants to foundation fundraising and identify grantseeking resources, while offering a unique opportunity to exchange information in their own language. The Center will also develop new resources, such as an audio version of the Guía and a video of its class, "Grantseeking Basics in Spanish," to be available for free access at its web site.

Free Foundation Center Spanish-language resources include:

Proposal Budgeting Basics
Proposal Writing Short Course
Webinar: Grantseeking Basics in Spanish
Establishing a Nonprofit Organization
Finding Foundation Support for Your Education

Topical resource list on fundraising, proposal writing, and nonprofit governance

Spanish versions of web pages for its New York, San Francisco, and Washington, DC, library/learning centers

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on finding foundation support for a nonprofit organization

For other Spanish-language training, visit the Center's web site and refer to "Training Courses."

About the Foundation Center
Established in 1956 and today supported by close to 600 foundations, the Foundation Center is the nation's leading authority on philanthropy, connecting nonprofits and the grantmakers supporting them to tools they can use and information they can trust. The Center maintains the most comprehensive database on U.S. grantmakers and their grants — a robust, accessible knowledge bank for the sector. It also operates research, education, and training programs designed to advance philanthropy at every level. The Center's web site receives more than 57,000 visits each day, and thousands of people gain access to free resources in its five regional library/learning centers and its network of more than 400 funding information centers located in public libraries, community foundations, and educational institutions in every U.S. state and beyond. For more information, please visit foundationcenter.org or call (212) 620-4230.