The Grantee List Is Talking. Are You Listening?

How to research past grantees for prospect insights that actually move your grant pipeline forward

Let’s talk about the most underused spreadsheet in fundraising. It’s not your donor database. It’s not your gift range chart. It’s that little IRS filing called the Form 990-PF — and buried inside it is a list of every organization a foundation paid out to last year. Past grantees. Names, amounts, sometimes even the project.

[Note that a few funders hide this information even further, and it’s not in the 990. Those cases are annoying!]

I’ve been raising grant funding for more than 25 years. And that grantee list is basically a treasure map. You just have to know how to read it.

Jamaica’s Nari Ward, “Still Livin,’ Viral,” 2025, Art Basel Miami Beach © Tonya Hennessey

Start With the 990-PF: Your Free Foundation Intelligence Report

Every private foundation in the U.S. files a Form 990-PF with the IRS. That form is public record, and it lists every grant the foundation made that year — grantee name, amount, and purpose. You can pull most of them for free through ProPublica’s Nonprofit Explorer…