Find Funding Faster with Foundation Directory—Only at Cumming Library!

Ask any leader of a local charitable organization and you’ll probably hear that fundraising is one of the most challenging tasks they face. Spreading awareness, seeking donors, and applying for grant funding is time-consuming. However, Forsyth County Public Library provides free access to Candid’s Foundation Directory at the Cumming Library to make it easier for local nonprofits to find and apply for funding opportunities.

Candid’s Foundation Directory has profiles for over 325,000 grantmakers and over 2 million recipients. The database is updated daily and new grants and requests for proposals (RFPs) are added weekly. Not all funders can be found online through a regular web search and RFPs can be especially hard to locate, making Foundation Directory an excellent resource for grantseekers. 

You can easily do a general search in Foundation Directory, but this resource also has a powerful advanced search feature that can help you pinpoint the data you may need. Your search results are broken down into Grantmakers, Grants, Recipients, and 990 Tax Forms. You can download or email lists and detailed profiles to review them later. 

Information Services Supervisor Arlene Melton using Candid's Foundation Directory database on a public access computer at the Cumming Library. Photo credit: Forsyth County Public Library.

"Candid’s Foundation Directory really simplifies the process for local nonprofits looking for funding and serves as a one-stop resource for researching and connecting with potential funders. Stop by the Cumming Library to check out this valuable resource and be sure to keep an eye on our Events page for an upcoming Foundation Directory class in April 2026," said Joan Dudzinski, Cumming Library Branch Manager. 

Foundation Directory is incredibly useful for prospecting and researching grants and grantmakers. Library patrons can access Foundation Directory by logging on to any public computer at the Cumming Library with their library card. Visitors can stop by the Ask Us desk to request a guest pass.

Jen Bell

Information Specialist

Cumming Library

Level Up with Winter Reading!

Only one more day until our Winter Reading Challenge begins! 

Are you ready to accept the challenge?

Registration for Forsyth County Public Library's Winter Reading Challenge begins Friday, December 19, 2025!

Sign up in the Beanstack app anytime between December 19, 2025, and January 19, 2026, then just log your reading to earn points toward motivating prizes. 

This challenge is for ALL AGES!

Earn 1 point for each minute of reading, or 20 points for one book, and receive prizes to keep you going until the end of the challenge on January 19, 2026. 

And speaking of prizes...

Children (Ages 0–Grade 5):

Participating children can earn wearable buttons at 250 and 500 points. This year, we’re debuting special buttons at each library location! All five branches and the Bookmobile have a unique button that children can earn by visiting that location. The branches will have engagement programs for participants to complete to earn their buttons. These activities include the opportunity to vote on finalists from the Bookmark Design Contest! 

Teens & Adults (Grade 6 and up):

Teen and adult participants can earn vinyl stickers at 250 and 500 points. At 500 points, they will get an FCPL Friends and Advocates Bookstore coupon for one free book up to $3.00 in value.

Grand Prizes

All participants will automatically get entered in the Grand Prize Drawing for their age group when they reach 500 points. Each branch has four grand prizes:

• Preschool: Magna-Tiles
• Elementary: Puzzle Night Basket with hot chocolate, a mini Squishmallow, handheld Tetris console, Rubik's Cube, and Kanoodle game
• Teen: Boba Basket with a boba tea kit for 6, sticky notes, and pencil pouch
• Adult: Murder Mystery Basket with Murdle: Volume 1, How to Get Away with Murder, and Body on the Boardwalk game

The Winter Reading Challenge begins on Friday, December 19 and runs through Monday, January 19, 2026, to give participants a full month to log their winter reading. 

Grand prizes will be drawn on Tuesday, January 20, 2026. Grand prize winners will be notified via email to whatever email address is associated with their Beanstack account. 

Picture Books About Letter Writing

Do you enjoy receiving letters from friends and family? In these picture books children exchange letters with their grandmothers. The stories focus on the shared joy of letter writing. 

Little Red and the Big Bad Editor by Rebecca Kraft Rector; Illustrated by Shanda McCloskey

Little Red has a letter to deliver to her Grandmother but the Big Bad Wolf can't let her poor grammar slide, even if that means he has to wait for his tasty treat. 

This cute story introduces young people to the lost art of letter writing and highlights the importance of gratitude and clear communication. Illustrations by Georgia artist and author Shanda McCloskey add extra personality and humor to this cute story. 

How to Send a Hug by Hayley Rocco and John Rocco

Artie misses her grandmother who lives far away. Even though they regularly talk on the phone and communicate on their computers, she wants to find a way to send a hug. So with some paper and art supplies, Artie creates a colorful hug using simple words and pictures that she can mail to her grandmother  

This colorful picture book shows children how to address envelopes, add postage, and mail letters. It also illustrates some interesting ways postal carriers deliver mail including hand delivering, biking, riding snowmobiles, and delivering mail on boats.

Last month, Sharon Forks Library patrons composed letters to express appreciation to United States veterans. The BRAVE organization which stands for Building Relations with American Veterans Everywhere distributed the letters. 

You can send handwritten letters for veterans to BRAVE Organization anytime at:

BRAVE Organization

P.O. Box 821

Boystown, NE  68010

Or share messages or words of cheer thru their website at Bravemission.org.

Alicia Cavitt

Information Specialist

 

Unreadable Podcast Transcript - December 2025

In this episode, Ross speaks with Programming Manager Sarah Brubaker about the upcoming our Winter Reading program. Listen for more information on this year’s theme (HINT: Get ready to press the A button!), incremental prizes, and grand prizes. 

Winter Reading runs from December 19, 2025 to January 19, 2026. To learn more about signing up for the challenge, please visit our website.

STEM Books by North Georgia Authors

I recently had the pleasure of attending the Paths to Publishing KidLit panel by the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) Southern Breeze Chapter at Sharon Forks Library. It was a real treat to hear what inspired each of the seven authors at the event to write and publish their books. Here are three books written by authors featured at the program. 

Earth Rover by Taylor Woolley

Rover is eager to join his human on NASA’s Artemis Moon mission and he makes some persuasive arguments for adding a canine companion to the space program. Earth Rover presents information about aerospace technology, humans in space, and dogs in a cute way and includes information on the logistics of moon exploration. I love the way Taylor Woolley humanizes the men and women who work on our NASA space programs.  

Doll-E 1.0 by Shanda McCloskey

As a budding engineer, Charlotte isn't sure what to do with the human-shaped pillow she receives as a gift. Unlike her games and gadgets, it doesn't to do anything. Doll-E 1.0 highlights individuality, STEM skills, and creative problem solving. 

Award-winning author and illustrator Shanda McCloskey didn’t intend to be an author at all—she started out as an illustrator and then began writing her own stories. McCloskey lives in Ball Ground, Georgia, and is a former high school art teacher.

There's No Ham in Hamburgers by Kim Zachman

Kim Zachman writes engaging nonfiction books that combine history, science and fun facts to explain why chips get stale and chocolate chips don't melt when baked into cookies. Young people will love learning the history of hamburgers, hotdogs, pizza, ice cream, chocolate, and other favorite foods. 

Zachman's book There's No Cream in Cream Soda explains the facts and folklore about our favorite beverages. Both books are part of FCPL's juvenile nonfiction collection.  

Taylor Woolley, Author
Image Credit: Forsyth County Public Library

SCBWI KidLit Panel
Image Credit: Forsyth County Public Library

Alicia Cavitt

Information Specialist

Teen Fiction by North Georgia Authors

I recently had the pleasure of attending the Paths to Publishing KidLit panel by the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) Southern Breeze Chapter at Sharon Forks Library. It was a real treat to hear what inspired each of the seven authors at the event to write and publish their books. Here are two books for teens written by authors featured at the program. 

Peony Watercolor's Wish for Sun and Moon by Robyn Field

Worried about her family’s finances, twelve-year-old Peony Watercolor hopes to win a thousand dollar grand prize in her middle school’s talent show. This charming story combines real-world issues with whimsical elements, including a school librarian who fills the role of fairy godmother. 

In 2024 Peony Watercolor’s Wish for Sun and Moon received a Gold Medal in the Pre-Teen Fantasy category at the 2024 Moonbeam Children's Book Awards which celebrate youthful curiosity, discovery, and learning through books and reading. 

Ranger Nader & the Sunstruck Phantom by Kam Karem

An ordinary ninth grader receives a relic from the battle of Gilgamesh in Mesopotamia and is called to defend Lebanon's famous Cedar Forest and the Phoenician way of life against the demi-god determined to destroy both. This exciting teen novel by T.K. Read, published under the pen name Kam Karem, combines legends, futuristic technology and adventures in space. 

Ranger Nader is the first book in the Guardian Chronicles series. It was a finalist in the Indie Excellence Award and the IAN and won its category in the Global Book Awards and the International Book Awards.

Robyn Field
Image Credit Forsyth County Public Library

SCBWI KidLit Panel
Image Credit Forsyth County Public Library

Alicia Cavitt

Information Specialist