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FoundationSearch Reviews & Testimonials (All Categories)

Since 1995, Metasoft has helped more than 16,100 non-profit and charitable organizations throughout North America raise over $25.3 billion in funding. We listen closely and take pride in our commitment to clients. Here is what they have to say. The following reviews and testimonials were written by FoundationSearch Members pursuing grants for projects in all giving categories. Health Spero Medical Pregnancy Resource Center Treasurer Woodland, California

"I wanted to share the good news that we just received a check for $10,000 based on the first grant proposal we ever submitted. We found this Foundation through Foundation Search. They're in our backyard, but we had no idea they existed, and they are completely aligned with our mission.

We not only received a one-time grant, but the Foundation has expressed an interest in coming for a site visit and building a relationship with us.

We're thrilled with the results from a very manageable amount of effort." Health The Denver Hospice Grant Writer Denver, Colorado

"I wanted to let you know how valuable Foundation Search and Big Online have been for The Denver Hospice.

The Development department uses Foundation Search and Big Online to prepare for weekly Solicitor's meetings in which prospects are screened and rated. The user-friendly interface and special search features have reduced critical research time that has been redirected into prospect cultivation and relationship building. The print to Excel feature makes information integration with other databases seamless. The special feature on recent Foundation News stories has expedited searches for relationships beyond posted 990's. I am especially eager to see your relationship mapping tool Director Connections out of Beta and in use for the broader marketplace. It has promising features that elevate the art of prospect identification.

Customer service at Metasoft for error correction and follow-up was rapid response and thorough.

Finally, since we subscribed to FS & BOL, grant revenues for The Denver Hospice have increased 14% over this same time period last year. At this rate, we can reasonably expect a 42% increase for the fiscal year

In this economic downturn, our most ambitious expectations for Foundation Search have been realized." Health The Children's Center Development Director Salt Lake City, Utah

"The Children's Center has been working with Foundation Search for four years. During that time using their resource, we have been able to increase the number of our grant applications from 20 to 100. This has helped to establish critical funding during these challenging fundraising times. Also with their support, we have recently completed a $13 million+ capital and endowment campaign.

The program is so easy to use with excellent information available to me, which has helped me in writing successful proposals. We look forward to a long relationship." Health Miami Children's Health System Foundation Development Coordinator Miami, Florida

"I have been using FoundationSearch for five years and am extremely satisfied with the product and customer service." Religion The Christian Business Men’s Connection Development Officer Chattanooga, Tennessee

"I cannot write enough about FoundationSearch; enough that I’ve been a loyal subscriber for 10+ years via four different non-profits. Its research tools and support links cut through the weeds to enable a quick understanding of a wide range of foundations from their financial stats, board of directors, granting interests and amounts to easy-access 990s. In five minutes or less, I can have a down-and-dirty profile and decide if a particular foundation is worth my time to pursue. The clincher is the fantastic customer service they provide through their relationship managers. They are on-the-spot ready to help with questions I have and are diligent to provide one-on-one training sessions so that no benefit of the subscription is overlooked. Top-notch

I’ve tried other popular foundation search sites, but none compare to the thorough, quick, and accurate information provided by FoundationSearch. Give it a try. You’ll be hooked in no time, wondering why you didn’t know about it sooner

I love FoundationSearch " Social & Human Services Meals on Wheels People (OR & WA) Grant Manager Portland, Oregon

"I have just been introduced to Foundation Search and I am so impressed already In addition to the many features that I would want as a Grant Writer, there are a bunch that I didn’t even know I wanted The search algorithms, analytics, and ability to target my research so specifically are very exciting. I can’t wait to get to work with Foundation Search as an amazing new resource" Health Center for Rural Health Development Consultant Hurricane, West Virginia

"I was pleasantly surprised with the Foundation Search program as it does in seconds, what took me hours to accomplish during past grant searches. This program is a one-stop shop, as it allows the user to view the funders 990’s instantly, past recipients of grants, board connections between potential funders and your board, tools to manage application dates, follow-up dates, and many other functions.

The Foundation Search tutorials are great as they are easy to follow and only last 10 to 15 minutes. During my first two sessions, I found two foundations that fit our agency’s need for statewide funding of one million dollars Additionally, I found seven foundations that will likely fund our regional/county work.

If you wish to minimize your costs and maximize your staff’s time, I highly recommend the Search Foundation Program." Social & Human Services Taking Ground CEO, Co-founder Siloam Springs, Arkansas

"At the end of the day, Metasoft Systems Inc. (with their software FoundationSearch) helps non-profits find funding to serve their communities. These organizations feed the hungry, provide homes for the homeless, and meet needs governments are often ill-equipped to meet - at the person-to-person level. As a core customer of Metasoft, we are thankful for their support to help us improve the lives of people and clients every day." Education Savannah State University Grant Specialist Savannah, Georgia

"I wish you had contacted me a year ago I understand the potential of using this database and search software which will certainly make my work easier and increase productivity. It is an amazingly user-friendly program, particularly with the charts, matrix representation, and tutorials. Data is easy to access and not overwhelming. Trust me, you have made my job easier" Social & Human Services Ronald McDonald House at Stanford Development Officer Palo Alto, California

"As we just renewed our contract with FoundationSearch, it was an opportunity to review the value of the service. After signing on with you, I found an abundance of foundations that are funding like organizations. We increased our proposal submissions by over 50% and received two significant grants in just the first round. Not only were we able to raise new funds in the first year and pay for the service, but have received new funding in each subsequent year. It was an easy decision to continue with our Foundation Search subscription and can't imagine being without this valuable resource now." Education University of Michigan, Office of University Development Executive Director, Foundation Relations & Program Initiatives Ann Arbor, Michigan

"Michigan has been using FoundationSearch for as much as eight years. I love it - I find I'm on it nearly every day. It has lots of prospect management/query management tools that I manage to NOT use due to old habits, but its broader database of foundations (many more smaller, regional, or family foundations are included) and its deeper data on grants (inclusive of all grants on the 990s, rather than those included in survey responses) are remarkably useful for us. It just feels much more comprehensive in its support.

When I cost-compared to FDO professional, the two were comparable, though we now have so many licenses on campus that I'd imagine we are paying more for FoundationSearch. At Michigan, we pay for the basic contract through University development, and then each unit buys in for a single license for their user, if they wish. I believe we have as many as 10 users across campus.

To be honest, we also have Foundation Center, because we are an FC library site, and I agree its profiles look nicer for sharing. But the ability to output specific grants data to spreadsheets for editing, sorting and sharing with faculty is still stronger at FoundationSearch.

I also agree that for a single mission/purpose like a museum, etc, that the price tag is high. But for a university with a very broad range of grant 'subjects', I find FoundationSearch indispensable. I also find it indispensable for the 'gray' areas between family foundations and professional foundations - it helps with prospecting and gives me great info to send off to major gift officers if need be." Arts & Culture Miami City Ballet Foundation & Government Relations Manager Miami, Florida

"FoundationSearch saves us time in our research efforts and helps us develop proposals that are more focused on the funder's interests. When evaluating our best opportunities for funding, we use the information available in the FoundationSearch database." Social & Human Services Boat People SOS Development Manager Falls Church, Virginia

"FoundationSearch has been exactly the resource I needed to move my organization's foundation fundraising to the next level. With the help of intuitive tools and up-to-date information, my staff have been able to build relationships with potential grant-making partners with more success than ever before. FoundationSearch keeps us educated and informed on particular grant makers, overarching trends, and changes in the field- and for that we are extremely grateful." Education WSU Foundation Director, Foundation Relations Pullman, Washington

"Washington State University has switched to FoundationSearch, and we love it.

It provides excellent analysis capabilities especially for funding patterns, sortable by geographic region, grant size, category (i.e. can be filtered just for grants to universities and colleges, or just for health grants, etc.), which enables us to make predictions on the likelihood of funding, contact previous grantees, assess our success against competing organizations, etc. It also includes BIG Online, which is a database of top grant-making corporations, and most recently it is beta testing a global search tool.

Individuals from our large institution are buying their own IDs and passwords to give each unit search capabilities, alleviating the pressure on our central team to analyze their requests or provide additional lists. Both online and phone help is easily accessed, online courses are available at reasonable fees (I haven't tried these yet, but will be doing one soon), the database of news articles and searchable 990's (archived as well as current) is comprehensive and easy to use.

You can print profiles for clients, but they also have links to the Websites, which are always where one has to go ultimately anyway to assess current priorities and RFP regulations. Within the FoundationSearch profiles, however, there is a quick link to the stated 'limitations' of the organization, so that you don't have to search through the Website for those and can avoid making elaborate plans to submit only to find out too late that the organization has limits that disqualify you." Sports & Recreation Aspen Valley Ski/Snowboard Club Executive Director Aspen, Colorado

"As the executive director of a non-profit organization, I am frugal when it comes to spending money. But I don't have to think at all when it comes to renewing our subscription to Foundation Search/BIG Online. This tool pays for itself many times over.

Its utility for foundation giving is obvious: I can quickly see what foundations support organizations like us as well as what foundations support other organizations in our locale. But it is also helpful when meeting with individual donors, so many of whom direct their support from foundations. I am much more confident about an ask amount when I can first see the gifts of an individual's foundation over recent years.

Finally, the folks at Metasoft are fantastic: they are so eager to help I kick myself for not reaching out to them sooner." Social & Human Services Life of Mississippi Director of Resource Development Jackson, Mississippi

"In just three short months upon using Foundation Search, our organization obtained a grant for $34,110.32 from a foundation that we had never contacted previously and knew nothing about us. This grant will make a significant difference in the lives of individuals with disabilities - as it will allow them to maintain their independence and remain active in their communities

We are thrilled with Foundation Search and look forward to the next grant we are able to obtain to make a difference" Health Gaylord Hospital Planned Giving Officer Wallingford, Connecticut

"Foundation fundraising is no different from asking for gifts from individuals: you need to identify a foundation with an interest in your type of organization and your specific project, and which makes grants in the amount you need. It also helps a lot if a person with the foundation has a connection to your organization.

FoundationSearch lets me look for and compile all of that information easily and efficiently. The comprehensive search form allows me to narrow the field as much as I need to. Once matches are identified, I can just click on a summary profile and find the data to decide whether to choose this foundation as a prospect. I can then organize and save my prospects into folders for each different project- so that I can easily go back to it when I need to.

The Director Connection is also a great tool. Quickly identifying directors, and finding out what other organizations they might be affiliated with, is an easy way to identify a critical personal connection to a new funder. I now also use it to learn more about our existing donor organizations.

I think FoundationSearch is a valuable resource for raising funds from foundations." Education Crown College VP of Advancement St. Bonifacius, Minnesota

"I worked with a non-profit organization for five years, and we used FoundationSearch for our foundation research. We found it especially helpful to look up 990s of the foundations we have been soliciting to see what their giving priority was. This enabled us to better focus our appeal to their main interests, resulting in larger gifts and better presentations.

I just accepted the Vice President of Advancement role at a Christian college, and immediately checked to see what tools they were using for foundation research. Not being satisfied with what I found, I immediately called and ordered FoundationSearch. It is reasonably priced, great information, web-based so I can access it from anywhere, and I like the varied search criteria available for identifying foundations. I plan to use it to identify foundations in our area that fund educational institutions.

Thank you for making it so easy to get back online with FoundationSearch" Social & Human Services Old Colony YMCA VP, Marketing & Grants Development Brockton, Massachusetts

"We were approached in 2005 by Metasoft Systems to preview their Foundation Search online grant research product, and I must admit that at first I was skeptical. I had always used other products for conducting research, and had grown comfortable with the abilities and limitations of those products. However, once I took a tour of Foundation Search, I was sold. Not only could I get the information available to me through the other products, but I could get even more detailed search responses and access it all in one place

Foundation Search uncovers the prospect information we need to make informed decisions, and has increased our ability to target grant requests in ways that were not possible before. We have received more funding, uncovered new grants, and had great success with this product" Education Michigan Technological University Assistant Director, Research Development Houghton, Michigan

"Foundation Search provides quick access to trends and data, saving approximately 1-2 hrs of staff time per project compared to Foundation Directory. Plus Prospect Manager allows for data management and sharing of data results in a format that resonates." Social & Human Services Veterans Assistance Dogs of Texas Director of Development Kerrville, Texas

"Because of the use of the resources in FoundationSearch, we were able to find foundations that were not on our radar. As a result, we obtained additional funding in the amount of $40,000. The training provided, along with the tutorials, helped to provide us with the necessary tools needed in the very competitive world of grant funding.

Thanks Metasoft for making our grant writing efforts a great success" Education Oklahoma Baptist University Director of Prospect Research Shawnee, Oklahoma

"I have been working in the field of securing foundation grants for 20 years. Initially, my university used large foundation directories - usually several in a set, bulky, and quite costly. It took hours to look through the directories trying to find foundations that might fund a project. When a new directory set was ordered, it was already outdated by the time it arrived.

Ten years ago we subscribed to FoundationSearch. I checked out other resources but was drawn to FoundationSearch because of its ease of use and its thoroughness in providing the specific information I was seeking. I like the ability to manage and coordinate my prospects and projects with 'Prospect Manager', and currently, my favorite feature is the 'My Best Prospects' module, especially with the addition of a suggested ask.

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