Corporations give away billions of dollars annually, but many nonprofits have difficulty figuring out how to access those funds.

According to Nonprofit Source, almost 80% of nonprofits said it is challenging to create corporate partnerships with limited staff and resources. Grant proposals are often very labor-intensive tasks, with many grant proposal advisors suggesting they can take 30 to 50 hours per ask, according to grant writing-advice blog Instrumentl. 

“There’s so many great community organizations doing so much, and we just can’t be all things to all of them,” said Linda Duncombe, chief marketing, digital and data officer at City National Bank. The downtown-based bank places a big emphasis on education and literacy when it comes to giving.

Many firms do provide funds to nonprofits based on grant applications, but social responsibility departments also take referrals or do internal research to find organizations operating in companies’ areas of interest.

“We have people that come to us via our website,” said Duncombe. “And we also have our clients that will reach out who will say, ‘I’m involved in this charity.’” 

Debbie Marshall, PNC Bank’s senior vice president of Client and Community Relations, said it’s a good idea for nonprofit leaders to reach out to her or individuals in similar roles to connect before submitting a grant proposal.

“I always appreciate the opportunity to have a conversation as opposed to having them immediately submit a grant through the system,” said Marshall. “There’s a lot of work that goes into submitting those grants, and I like to have conversations just to ensure that there’s alignment and synergies with their core mission and what we’re looking to accomplish.” 

Wells Fargo & Co.’s program doesn’t have a minimum or maximum for philanthropic donations, but Justine Gonzalez, the company’s vice president of Philanthropy and Community Impact for L.A. and Orange County, noted that it’s important for nonprofits to take the time to research foundations. 

“Look for ways to build relationships with foundation staff and give us the opportunity to really understand your work,” Gonzalez said. “I always counsel nonprofits that this is something that takes time, and it doesn’t always result in funding right away, but building those meaningful connections is really the best starting point for a really good relationship.”