Grantmaking Guidelines

Grantseeker Inquiries

The Brinson Foundation does not accept unsolicited grant applications. Rather, we ask grantseekers to review our mission, vision, beliefs and priorities (accessed from the Who We Are link above) as well as these guidelines. If a grantseeker believes its request matches one or more of our grantmaking priorities, it can make an inquiry by submitting our Grantseeker Information Form. (To save the form to your PC in Microsoft Word format, right click the link and select the Save Target As… option.)

The completed form should be emailed to our mail@brinsonfoundation.org. We will send a confirmation email, usually within 2-3 business days, advising the grantseeker of the anticipated timetable for review of the inquiry.

The Grantseeker Information Form is not an application. It simply provides us preliminary information about the grantseeker’s organization and the proposed grant request. We review the information provided in the form to determine whether the organization and the grant request may qualify for consideration. In all cases, we communicate the outcome of the review to the grantseeker.

If an inquiry qualifies for consideration, the staff will work with the grantseeker to learn more about the organization and the grant request. If there is a match with one or more of the Foundation’s grantmaking priorities, the Foundation will invite the organization to submit a formal grant application using our web-based grant application process.

The Brinson Foundation Board of Directors has sole authority to approve grant requests. The Foundation’s staff is responsible for reviewing, screening, performing due diligence and recommending grants to the Board.

Legal Requirements

The Brinson Foundation will consider inviting grant applications from organizations:

• Located in the Unites States of America that are exempt from tax under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and are described in Section 509(a)(1), (2) or (3) or 170(b)(1)(A) of the Internal Revenue Code. Organizations classified under Section 509(a)(3) may be required to submit additional information.
• Located outside of the United States of America if they can provide a written legal opinion or affidavit stating "charitable equivalency" to a qualifying U.S. organization, or if they are carrying out similar charitable or educational activities.

Grant Limitations and Other Considerations

The Brinson Foundation will not consider grant inquiries from organizations that:

· Discriminate on the basis of race, gender, religion, ethnicity or sexual orientation

· Request funding for:

· Activities that attempt to influence public elections

· Voter registration

· Political activity

· Lobbying efforts

· Promotion of religious faith

· Programs that are limited to members of a specific race, gender, religion or ethnic group

The Brinson Foundation discourages grant inquiries requesting funds for:

· Capital improvements

· Endowments

· Fundraising events

Grantmaking Priorities

The Board of Directors of The Brinson Foundation periodically review and approve the Foundation’s Grantmaking Priorities. The priorities are intended to provide guidance to grantseekers regarding the types of organizations and programs the Foundation is currently considering for funding. It does not represent a complete statement of the types of organizations and programs that are represented in the Foundation’s grant portfolio.

Geographic Considerations

The Foundation’s education and public health grants are generally made in the greater Chicago area, although a limited number are made elsewhere in the United States or internationally (generally to U.S.-based organizations).

The Foundation’s scientific and medical research grants are made to leading organizations across the United States. In this priority area, the location of the program is less critical than the match with the Foundation’s grantmaking priorities.

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