Guides

How to apply for corporate grants and claim matching gifts on CyberGrants

A plain guide for small nonprofits on getting set up in company giving portals like CyberGrants (Bonterra), applying for company grants, and confirming employee matching gifts so the money actually arrives.

Lots of big companies give money to nonprofits in two ways. They give grants directly, and they match the donations and volunteer hours of their own employees. Many of them run both through a company giving portal, and one of the most common behind-the-scenes systems is CyberGrants, which is now part of a company called Bonterra.

Small nonprofits often miss this money for a simple reason: nobody on the team has set up the account, so when an employee asks for a match, the request sits unconfirmed until it expires. This guide shows you how to get set up once and keep that money coming in.

How it works in plain terms

  • Company grants. A company posts a grant opportunity on its own portal. You sign in, fill out its application and wait for a decision, much like a foundation grant.
  • Matching gifts. An employee gives your nonprofit $100, then asks their employer to match it. The company often needs you to confirm the gift really happened before it pays.
  • Volunteer grants. Some companies also give money when their employees volunteer with you for a set number of hours. You confirm those hours the same way.

Each company sets its own rules: who's eligible, how much it matches, and how long you have to respond. Always read the program details on that company's portal.

Step 1: Get your paperwork ready

Bonterra checks that your organization is real and that you're allowed to speak for it. Have these ready before you start:

  1. Your IRS determination letter, the letter that confirms your 501(c)(3) status.
  2. A bank letter or a voided check for the account where you want the money to go.
  3. Your EIN, your nine-digit federal tax ID.
  4. Your role, such as executive director, treasurer or board chair.

Use a shared work email like info@ or giving@ if you can, so the account doesn't disappear when one person leaves.

Step 2: Claim your nonprofit in the Bonterra Nonprofit Hub

The Nonprofit Hub is the one free account that connects you to the companies using CyberGrants.

  1. Go to connect.bonterra.network and choose Register for free.
  2. Enter your email and a password, then type in the 6-digit code they email you. The code expires, so do this right away.
  3. Open Organizations and choose Add organization.
  4. Search by your legal name or EIN. If you find your nonprofit, select it. If you don't, you can enter its details and send it in for review.
  5. Fill out the ownership application and upload your paperwork.

Bonterra says review can take up to five business days for organizations that aren't verified yet. If they need more from you, they'll reach out. If someone else at your nonprofit already claimed the profile, ask to join it instead, and that person approves you.

US nonprofits register this way. International groups can't register directly in the Nonprofit Hub at this time.

Step 3: Apply for a company grant

Company grants are usually by company, not one big list. Here's how to find them:

  • Start with companies near you. Banks, utilities, grocery chains, hospitals and big local employers often have a "community" or "giving" page. If the apply button sends you to a CyberGrants page, your Nonprofit Hub account is the place to start.
  • Read the guidelines first. Check location, cause, budget size and deadline. Many companies only fund where they have offices or stores.
  • Keep a copy of your answers. Company forms ask the same things over and over: your mission, who you serve, your budget and what the money will do. Save your best answers in a document so the next application takes half the time.
  • Write about your community, not the company. Say plainly what you'll do with the money and what will change. One local number beats a page of big claims.

After you submit, put the decision date and any reporting dates on your calendar.

Step 4: Confirm matching gifts and volunteer hours

This is the step most small nonprofits miss. When an employee asks for a match, the company may send you an email asking you to confirm the gift. Confirming takes a few minutes:

  1. Sign in to the Nonprofit Hub and open FrontDoor from the left menu. FrontDoor is where you see gifts waiting for you.
  2. Go to Donations. Gifts that need your answer show up on their own. You can filter by company name or by money versus hours.
  3. Open a gift, check the donor name, date and amount against your records, then choose Confirm.
  4. Pick your organization and answer the company's questions. These often ask whether the donor got anything of value in return, like event tickets.
  5. Submit. The gift drops off your waiting list and the company handles the payment.

Only the verified owner sees the full list in FrontDoor. Other team members can still confirm gifts, but they do it through each company's own portal.

If you can't find a gift the donor says they submitted, ask the donor which company and program it was. For questions about a specific program, contact that company's program support directly.

Make matching gifts easy for your donors

Most people don't know their employer matches gifts. A few small habits help:

  • Add one line to your thank-you notes: "Does your employer match gifts? It could double your support."
  • Put the same line on your donate page and in your yearly giving statement.
  • When a donor tells you they asked for a match, add a reminder to check FrontDoor that week.

A simple monthly routine

  • Week 1: Sign in to FrontDoor and confirm every waiting gift and volunteer hour.
  • Week 2: Check two or three local company giving pages for new grant openings.
  • Week 3: Work on one company or foundation application.
  • Week 4: Look at your payment history and thank anyone whose match came through.

Fifteen minutes a month in FrontDoor can bring in money you've already earned.

Related tools

  • Grant Finder finds public state grant listings that fit your mission and drafts a first letter of inquiry, so company grants aren't your only option. Free for 5 searches and 1 letter a month.
  • Donor Thank-You helps you write warm thank-you notes, which is a great place to mention matching gifts.
  • Read next: How to find grants for a small nonprofit.

Updated October 20, 2026.