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This article focuses on the information tools and services developed by the Foundation Center to help librarians empower their efforts to obtain pluralistic funding in the U.S. Most librarians are familiar with the outstanding work of the Foundation Center. It is common to see libraries make Foundation Center resources available to patrons as part of a library's collection. With the coming of the Web, the Foundation Center has developed a much larger range of tools and services, print and online, free and fee-based. Fee-based resources of the Foundation Center include over 40 print titles including the National Guide to Funding for Libraries and Information Services, CD-ROM, and online databases. The premier electronic offering of the Foundation Center is The Foundation Directory Online. In addition, the center offers a variety of training and support options, including an Associates Program. The Foundation Center was established in 1956 with this mission statement: To strengthen the nonprofit sector by advancing knowledge about U.S. philanthropy. Headquartered in New York City, the Foundation Center has offices and libraries in San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Cleveland, and Atlanta. Physical access to Foundation Center resources expands via its Cooperating Collections Network members, which are either libraries or non-profit information centers. There are 241 such centers in all 50 states plus Puerto Rico.

This article reports that a consortium of libraries at five New York State independent colleges and universities have been awarded a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to support development of a resource-sharing system for academic libraries throughout the state. The project, called the ConnectNY, allows the institutions to share library holdings, making the collections of all five readily available to students, faculty and staff.