Our Guidelines for Grant Applications

GUIDELINES FOR GRANT APPLICATIONS

I. Areas of funding:

Grants will be considered in the following fields: 

• research in medicine 
• medical education 
• physical, emotional and social assistance, primarily for the benefit of underprivileged youth and seniors. 

Grant awards are generally limited to the following geographic areas:

• Illinois - primarily in the Chicago metropolitan area.
• Rochester, Minnesota

II. Limited areas of support:

In general, the Foundation does not support: 

• Charities outside the Chicago metro area or Rochester, Minnesota
• specific individuals
• endowment funds
• advertising in charitable publications
• purchase of tickets for fundraising
• public colleges or universities unless relating to medical care
• churches or religious education
• secondary or elementary schools

The Foundation will not engage in, nor make any distributions for, any political activities, including lobbying.

III. Guidelines for submitting a Grant Application:

Starting in 2021, ALL Grant submissions will be required to be submitted electronically. 

The link for the online grant form is: 

https://gmefoundationforcharities.formstack.com/forms/grant_request

Revenue Code Sections 509(a)(1), 509(a)(2) or 509(a)(3)-Type I or II ONLY. 

(No contributions can be made to 509(a)(3)-Type III organizations.)

Please note that the Board will only consider complete applications containing all information requested. Any omissions will result in a delay in reviewing the grant or automatic denial. 

IV. Application Processing:

1. Grant submissions are due by April 30th for consideration for funding during that year. Applications submitted after the April      30th deadline will be considered for funding in the following year.
2. The Foundation’s Board reviews grant submissions on a continuing basis throughout the year. Selection of grant recipients are based on the Foundation’s Guidelines, the merits of the proposal and the urgent need of the charity.
3. Grant awards are generally made in one payment in December as a one-year award. In exceptional cases, some multi-year      grants may be awarded. As such, applicants must resubmit a grant application annually.
4. The recipient of a grant award is required to submit, to the foundation’s office, a brief report the following year describing specifically how the grant funds were used. 

Please note: Due to the large volume of grants received, we regret that no communications will be made to organizations that will not receive funding. You can change a child's life by sponsoring their education, medical care, and basic needs. Our partnership with local schools ensures that your support makes a lasting impact.