Supporting Your Information & Data Needs

Boost Your Business
Gain a competitive edge with tools from your library.

Nonprofit Success
Build, grow, and sustain your nonprofit.

Request an Appointment
Meet with our Business & Nonprofit Librarian.

Personal Finance & Investing
Explore easy-to-use investment research tools.
Boost Your Business
Request an Appointment
Please fill out the form below to set up a one-on-one appointment with the Business and Nonprofit Librarian.
Aspiring entrepreneurs and experienced business owners alike can gain a competitive edge with tools from your Library. Our Business & Nonprofit Librarian is also available to assist with market and industry research, understanding your competition, and connections to other resource partners. Book your one-on-one appointment today using the form below!
Featured Business Research & Databases
Business Resource Guides
Starting a Business
Quickly search through a catalog of high quality business plan templates for businesses across various industries. Templates are available for download. TIP: Enter business keywords in 'Search within series' search bar for instant browsing.
A comprehensive, up-to-date tool for starting a business in Colorado. Topics you will find include business entry options, legal structure, registration, taxes, creating a business plan and more. Navigate the publication and find live links to other relevant information.
For Fort Collins-based businesses - find the New Business Roadmap PDF guide with information for brick-and mortar, general and home-based businesses.
Sign up for free specialized business consulting services with consultants of various expertise areas. Schedule a personalized consultation or register for online trainings, browse upcoming events and find additional informational resources - all on their website.
Browse NOLO Online Legal Reference books and find information on legal topics such as choosing a business structure and access to downloadable forms and guides for starting and running your business.
Industry Research
Business Source Premier provides full text for thousands of business journals, covering all subject areas related to business, including accounting, management, finances, personnel, and more. Need to research a company or industry? Business Source Premier provides full text Datamonitor reports for companies and industries. Need to keep up with your profession or trends in your industry? Try searching trade journals or business journals by key word.
American Industries provides detailed profiles of more than 1,000 manufacturing and service industries, including agriculture, mining, construction, wholesale and retail: finance, insurance, real estate, service industries, and public administration.
Emerging Industries provides industry overviews, history, and current status of new industries, business segments that are pioneering new technologies and those introducing break-through marketing strategies or implementing innovative means of serving new markets.
Global Industries chronicles the history, development and current status of the world's most high-profile industries; includes approximately 125 detailed profiles of major global industries, such as mining, pharmaceuticals, motor vehicles and many others.
The SBDC National Information Clearinghouse serving the Small Business Development Center Network and America's small business community. Provides market and industry research reports, sample business plans and more.
Investment Tools
A Dow Jones online site. Good portfolio tracker.
Provides fast and easy access to Morningstar Mutual Funds.
The mission of Motley Fool is to educate, amuse and enrich your financial literacy. Good for the beginning investor, also covers personal finance, has discussion boards, publishes investment guides and rates and researches stocks.
A good research site, and a good site for analyzing a stock’s potential (stock scout); use “stock screener” to create your own stock profile.
MunicipalBonds.com is the premier site for municipal bond investors. The site provides individual investors with news, trading data, tools, education, analysis, and state-by-state data to make informed decisions about municipal bond investments.
A free, non-commercial website that tracks the mutual fund world.
Information and advice on approximately 1,700 stocks, more than 90 industries, the stock market, and the economy.
Daily market summary, market news, investment news and ideas, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, general industry information, historic stock prices, personal finance basics; create your own portfolio and track your stocks; has an easy-to-use stock screener.
Demographics
Great site for demographic information on cities and states.
Colorado's open data.
Provides detailed statistics on the EU and candidate countries, along with various statistical publications.
The Compass contains a variety of data about important social, economic and environmental issues in Larimer County. The nine categories below provide measures of community- and county-wide progress and compare local data to Colorado and the United States.
Includes all data and information on the U.S. labor market, including inflation and prices, production and technology, employment figures, Occupational Outlook Handbook.
Easy-to-use, free-access website to give citizens a centralized place to find information from U.S. local, state and federal government agencies. Includes section on business and nonprofits.
Tracks the spending by the U.S. government across the board. Good for checking on how much federal money is coming into Colorado.
DataBank is an analysis and visualisation tool that contains collections of time series data on a variety of topics. You can create your own queries; generate tables, charts, and maps; and easily save, embed, and share them. Product of the World Bank.
Request an Appointment
Set up a time to meet 1 on 1 with our Business & Nonprofit Librarian to find resources and tools fit for your business needs.
Business Newspaper & Magazines
The library has a variety of digital and print newspapers and magazines focused on business, entrepreneurship, and investing including Harvard Business Review, BizWest, Barron’s, Bloomberg Businessweek, Fast Company, and many others.

Nonprofit Success
Build, grow, and sustain your nonprofit. Whether you’re just starting your nonprofit or are looking to enhance an existing one, the Library offers a wide range of resources and one-on-one assistance with our Business & Nonprofit Librarian.
Featured Nonprofit Research & Databases
Nonprofit Resource Guides
Grantwriting
The Foundation Center is the most authoritative source of information on private philanthropy in the United States. The Foundation Center helps grantseekers, grantmakers, researchers, policymakers, the media, and the general public better understand the funding process.
Foundation Directory Online (FDO) is a comprehensive database that provides information on U.S. Grantmakers, their grants and giving history. You can search based on organizational mission & subject areas, geographic location, type of support and more. *NEW: FDO is now home to Grants to Individuals Online, use additional filters to find scholarship and fellowship opportunities for students and researchers. Library use only
FGI is a database of nearly 10,000 foundation and public charity programs that fund students, artists, researchers, and other individual grantseekers. Available on-site at Harmony Library and Old Town Library. Library use only
Grants.gov is the clearinghouse for information about government grants. If you are applying for ANY federal government grant, you must register and file through Grants.gov.
For private and public nonprofits, offers training and publications to help organizations plan solid programs, write logical, compelling grant proposals and create earned income opportunities. Membership organization.
Funders
Candid has merged Grants to Individuals with Foundation Directory Online. Find your next scholarship, fellowship, or grant on Foundation Directory Online, (available through the library!) which contains 10,000+ sources of funding for students, artists and researchers. Library use only
This searchable online database allows grant-seekers to research funders that support a specific area of interest, geographic location or type of grant such as general operating support or capital campaigns.
The objective of Fort Fund is to provide grants to local organizations for events that foster, encourage, and promote cultural activities, tourism, and other events. Events may be artistic, ethnic, historic, educational or recreational in nature.
Foundation Directory Online (FDO) is a comprehensive database that provides information on U.S. Grantmakers, their grants and giving history. You can search based on organizational mission & subject areas, geographic location, type of support and more. *NEW: FDO is now home to Grants to Individuals Online, use additional filters to find scholarship and fellowship opportunities for students and researchers. Library use only
This database is a tool provided by Larimer County, to offer information about grant opportunities for projects and needs in our area.
Grants.gov is the clearing house for information about government grants. If you are applying for ANY federal government grant, you must register and file through Grants.gov.
Colorado Resources for Nonprofits
Colorado Attorneys (CAFTA) is a new program of the Colorado Business Committee (CBCA). CAFTA supports the growth of Colorado's vibrant creative sector by matching qualifies artists with volunteer attorneys ready to address discrete legal matters.
This is the premier site for grants and programs in the arts across Colorado.
This tool is a comprehensive grants database containing hundreds of profiles of funders that support Colorado nonprofit organizations. The database allows grant-seekers to research funders that support a specific area of interest, geographic location or or type of grant.
This site gives a step-by-step guide to starting a nonprofit. Also provides addresses and websites for Colorado nonprofit information.
Assists emerging charitable groups by providing them with management services, fiscal sponsorship, and guidance in developing best practices.
Contact the Secretary of State’s office to determine the process for incorporation as a nonprofit organization, as well as for general reporting procedures.
The Community Resource Center offers programs to help explore the issues involved in starting a nonprofit. One-on-one consulting and technical assistance is available on a fee basis to guide you through the process. CRC offers grantwriting and other courses.
The objective of Fort Fund is to provide grants to local organizations for events that foster, encourage, and promote cultural activities, tourism, and other events. Events may be artistic, ethnic, historic, educational or recreational in nature.
Starting and Running a Nonprofit
Candid Learning is the Foundation Center's learning community for the social/nonprofit sector. GrantSpace offers information and resources on all aspects of nonprofit management, grantseeking, fundraising, board development, and more. Also offers free training.
Note:please create your own free account in order to login and create your assessment. This assessment is for people who are either considering or are already in the early stages of starting a nonprofit. Questions will assess background knowledge and more.
Access this free 1.5 hour training video. In this session, you’ll learn the legal and logistical elements necessary to start a successful nonprofit. You’ll also learn about possible alternatives to starting your own nonprofit that you may not have considered.
This website provides information about points of intersection between organizations and the IRS. The content includes explanatory information, and links to forms that an organization may need to file with the IRS.
A membership organization for nonprofit directors and board members. Offers educational opportunities, enrichment series, measurement/outcomes-based evaluation courses, GrantStation access, fundraising guides, magazines and reports, how to start a nonprofit, and more.
Additional Resources
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