For Immediate Release: November 25, 2008

Oakland Public Library Provides New Resources for Grant Seekers
Library Joins Foundation Center ’s National Network

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( Oakland, CA)— East Bay nonprofit organizations and other grant seekers looking for funding opportunities now have access to a powerful new collection of resources at the Oakland Public Library, which has become a Cooperating Collection of the Foundation Center of New York. This collection is available at the Oakland Main Library, located at 125 14 th Street, between Oak and Madison Streets.

Cooperating Collections provide underserved populations in need of vital information and training with tools they can use to become successful grant seekers. Online resources include The Foundation Directory Online, containing profiles of over 91,000 United States grantmakers, and Foundation Grants to Individuals Online, a one-of-a-kind database of more than 6,500 foundation and public charity programs that provide support for students, artists, researchers, and other individual grant seekers. These electronic databases can be accessed at the Main Library on any catalog or Internet computer workstation.

In addition, the collection includes print directories, annual research reports on U.S. foundations and their giving trends, and proposal writing guides. Staff members are also available to assist users with the collection during regular library hours.

Established in 1956, the Foundation Center is the nation’s leading authority on organized philanthropy, serving grant seekers, grantmakers, researchers, policymakers, the media, and the general public. Thousands of people visit the Center’s Web site each day and are served in its five regional learning centers and its national network of Cooperating Collections. For more information about Foundation Center resources, visit foundationcenter.org.

The Oakland Public Library, established in 1878, is the second oldest public library in the state of California. The current Main Library opened in 1951 and is one of the largest public library facilities in the Bay Area. Besides over 350,000 reference and circulating materials, the Main Library serves as a federal, state, and local government depository. For more information, call (510) 238-3138 or visit the library’s Web site at www.oaklandlibrary.org.

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