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Local Media Resources: For obscure family foundations that lack web sites, try the online edition of the local newspaper from the town where the foundation is based to learn about the donor. Try this mega-list of links to domestic and international newspapers:
http://www.kidon.com/media-link/usa.shtml
EXAMPLE: Limited information could be found on the Mary Stuart Rogers Foundation through standard resources. But using the internal search engine for the online edition of the Modesto Bee resulted in some clues: From a 1998 newspaper article: “California State University, Stanislaus, administrators joyfully accepted two major donations Wednesday, including the largest single gift in the school's history. The campus received a $4 million gift from the Modesto-based Mary Stuart Rogers Foundation. The gift outstrips the largest previous gift, a $470,000 donation from an anonymous donor in June. In honor of the gifts, the trustees approved the naming of a proposed classroom building after the late Mary Stuart Rogers. The Rogers gift is of special satisfaction to university fund-raisers. The single donation more than doubles last year's total of $1.7 million raised by the university. The foundation previously has donated generously to Stanislaus State, including through a scholarship fund that has benefited about 120 students. Stanislaus State needs the passage of a proposed school construction bond to proceed with building the $28 million Mary Stuart Rogers Educational Services Gateway Building. University staff are busy exploring ways to make the most out of the foundation's gift. Possibilities include creating new programs and endowments for visiting faculty.” Another article described the community involvement of the foundation president: "The United Samaritans Foundation of Modesto, which runs vans delivering food to needy families, will prepare those meals at the new center. The foundation is outgrowing the kitchen at St. Anthony's Catholic Church. 'The quality of help in the community is going to far exceed what it was in the past,' said John Rogers, president of United Samaritans. The unique combination of the city, Stanislaus County and a private charity sharing space resulted from a series of community discussions 21/2 years ago. 'This came about because of donations from local people and endowments from foundations,' Rogers said." Interesting to learn that Mr. Rogers plays the role of both grantseeker and grantmaker. Major Metropolitan Newspapers San Francisco: With the growth in high-tech grantmaking, free access to articles from the San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Examiner, and SF Gate. Searching on the keyword "philanthropy," I quickly learned that he nonprofit Project HELP (High Expectations Learning Program) received $225,000 as a three year grant from the Silicon Valley Social Venture Fund.
http://www.sfgate.com/wais/search/arch-pro.shtmlNew York: After registering, site visitors can access the current day's news and selected past articles through a free search engine. The New York Times' online archive contains articles back to 1996 with free summaries and full text for $2.50.
Archives: http://archives.nytimes.com/archives/
Free: http://search.nytimes.com/search/daily/Los Angeles: At the Los Angeles Times' web site, articles from the past 14 days are free to registered users. Archived articles dating back to 1990 cost $2 each.
http://www.latimes.com/archives/National Magazines Business Week: Offers several ways to search or browse past issues. Subscribers to the magazine can search the latest five years worth of past issues for free. Nonsubscribers can use a fee-based archive for stories dating back to January 1991. If a staff person or volunteer already subscribes to the print version, they can obtain a password to research corporate prospects.
http://www.businessweek.com/Time Magazine. Most archived articles can be accessed for free. To test the value of information found, enter the word "philanthropy" into the magazine's search engine and read the article on "A New Way of Giving" from the July 24, 2000 issue.
http://www.time.com/timeIndustry Standard: News magazine focused on the economy of the Internet. Free access to all past and current articles. Interesting information on high-tech CEOs and corporate profits.
http://www.thestandard.com/Lexis Nexis News Database Most university faculty, students, and staff can access Lexis Nexis through the web site of their campus library using their email user name and password. This full-text database contains information on news, business and law, with over a billion full-text articles available. Databases are updated daily, making this an excellent resource for current information. Nonprofit organizations can investigate whether a paid community library membership at a local university includes access to Lexis Nexis -- or -- recruit a student intern to assist with funder research. These Lexis Nexis tips will help you get started: Click on the "News" button. On the next screen, click on the "General News" link. You will now see the search interface.
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