CAPITAL MAP
$3,500
For a nonprofit with one main program and one service area.
- — All six steps
- — Ten funders, each with a full profile and proof
- — Ruled Out, and Why
- — Live strategy meeting
Service 02 · The Capital Map Protocol™
Funder Research from Public Tax Records
Before you spend a year pursuing a funder, see what it actually did.
Every private foundation files a public tax return each year. It shows who received money, how much, and how often. Sometimes a single checked box shows the foundation doesn't accept applications at all. We read those returns for you and show you the ten funders whose own records say they're a real fit.
For nonprofits, family offices, and corporate foundations that want proof before spending time or money.
Where Funding Plans Go Wrong
Most funder lists are built from what funders say. The real answers are in what funders file.
Grant databases and funder websites are a fine place to start, and a costly place to stop. Three gaps account for most of the time organizations lose chasing a “no” that was already on record.
THE PRESELECTED RECIPIENTS TRAP
The website says “apply.” The tax return says the door was never open.
On its yearly tax return (Form 990-PF), a foundation can state that it only gives to groups it has already chosen and doesn't accept applications. That statement often sits next to a website that looks welcoming. We check every funder for this before anything else.
The most they might give vs. what they usually give
A website shows the largest grant a funder might make. The tax return shows what it usually gives to organizations your size, which is the better number to plan around.
Stated priorities vs. real habits
Priorities describe what a funder hopes to do. Several years of grants show what it really does: which places, which kinds of programs, and whether it funds new groups or the same ones every year.
Who It's For
The same research answers a different question depending on whether you give money or receive it.
Nonprofits
“Where should we focus for the next one to two years?”
Ten funders whose giving history supports your request, with the proof, a realistic grant amount, and a recommended approach for each.
Family offices
“Where are others giving, and what's being overlooked?”
For families who manage their wealth and giving through a private office: who already funds your cause and area, how much, and where the gaps are, before you start or change a giving program.
Corporate foundations
“Who could we partner with, and how do we compare?”
For a company's charitable arm: how your giving compares to similar funders, and a short list of funders you could fund projects with together.
The Process
Six steps, from a long list of possibilities to ten funders you can stand behind.
Every Capital Map follows the same steps, so every recommendation can be traced back to the tax return it came from.
01
Your Goals & Grant Size
Your mission, programs, the area you serve, and the smallest grant worth your time to apply for. For funders: the giving question you want answered.
02
Gathering the Tax Returns
Several years of public tax returns (Forms 990 and 990-PF) for a wide list of possible funders, from Candid and IRS public records.
03
The Five Tests
Every funder is checked on grant size, area served, eligibility, past giving, and the kind of money it gives, plus whether it accepts applications at all. Fail one test, and it's off the list.
04
Checking Real Grant Sizes
What each remaining funder actually gave to organizations like yours, grant by grant, rather than the range on its website.
05
Mapping Board Connections
Which of the funder's board members and officers are connected to your board, your partners, or your community.
06
Your Report & Strategy Meeting
Your Capital Map, delivered and walked through in a live meeting with your leadership, including which funders to approach first and when.
What You Receive
The Capital Map.
A visual report on ten funders matched to you by their own records. Each entry shows its proof, so your board can see why a funder is on the list, not just that it is.
- — Ten funders, each with a full profile and its proof
- — What each one really gives, and a suggested request amount
- — Board connections across all ten
- — Which funders to approach first, and when
- — Ruled Out, and Why: funders that looked right, and what in their records ruled them out
Plans & Pricing
One process. Three sizes. Flat fees.
A one-time project. No monthly commitment.
EXPANDED CAPITAL MAP
$4,500
For organizations with more than one program, or that serve more than one state, preparing for a bigger fundraising push.
- — Everything in the Capital Map
- — Up to two programs or service areas
- — Board connections for your whole board
- — A twelve-month plan for who to approach and when
FOR FAMILY OFFICES & FOUNDATIONS
$5,000
For those who give: a clear look at a cause or region before you commit your own funding.
- — Who else funds this cause and area, from their tax returns
- — Where money is concentrated, and where it's missing
- — Ten funders you could partner with
- — A briefing with your family or committee
Paid through Stripe after your free consultation: half to begin, half when your Capital Map is delivered.
From Research to Applications
A map tells you where to go. Someone still has to make the trip, every month.
Nonprofit clients can hand their Capital Map straight to the Unsealed Intelligence™ Grant Team, who write to those funders using the same standard that found them.
Is This Right for You?
Who this isn't for
- You want the longest list possible. A Capital Map is ten funders you can stand behind, not two hundred you'll never get to.
- You want a guarantee of funding. The map shows where the evidence points. The decision is always the funder's.
- You won't act on it within the next year. Funders' habits change. A map left on a shelf loses its value.
- You can't share a real budget and grant amount. Several of the five tests depend on honest numbers.
Questions
Before you book
Where does the information come from?
From the yearly tax returns nonprofits and foundations must file with the IRS (Forms 990 and 990-PF). They're public. We access them through Candid, a nonprofit research database, and IRS records, and we read the returns themselves, not summaries.
Isn't this the same as searching a grant database?
A database search tells you who might fund your work. We check each one against years of what it actually funded, remove the ones its own records rule out, and show you the proof for the ones that remain.
Why ten funders?
Because ten well-researched funders is a list a real team can work through in a year. A longer list is usually a shallower one.
Do you write the grant applications?
Not as part of the Capital Map. Writing is done by the Unsealed Intelligence™ Grant Team, which many clients hire once their map is done.
Do you share client names or findings?
Never. Your map, your funders, and your plans stay yours.
Know where the money is before you go after it.
Request a free consultation. Bring your latest Form 990 or budget summary, the area you serve, and the funders already on your list. We'll tell you which plan fits.
Request a free consultation
We read every request personally and reply within 2 business days with a time to talk.
Thank you. Your request is in.
We'll reply within 2 business days at the email you gave us, with a time to talk.