Eligibility Guidelines

Who may apply

• 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations and, on occasion, governmental agencies. 

• Organizations working to obtain their 501(c)(3) may apply for a grant after securing an eligible fiscal sponsor. View the Fiscal Sponsor Agreement for more information. 

• The Foundation is committed to awarding Community Impact grants to applicants promoting racial equity and inclusion in our community. Nonprofit board diversity is the first of many things we will consider. Eligible nonprofits must have at least four unrelated board members and membership that is at least 10 percent people of color. The term "people of color" refers to African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanic/Latino and all other persons who are not categorized as white by the U.S. Census. 

• Organizations that provide programs/projects that support Milwaukee, Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington Counties. 

• An organization will be ineligible if it has an open grant. An organization’s grant is considered open if it has not submitted a final report or completed a final meeting with the grant’s program officer prior to submitting a grant application.

   

Type of funding available 

• Project support 
• General operating support 
• Capital support 

What the Foundation does not fund 

• Individuals 
• Debt reduction or agency endowments 
• Sectarian organizations for religious purposes 
• Partisan political activities 

Evaluation criteria  

Beyond the due diligence that is standard across all grants, proposals are evaluated on the extent they advance our grant investment framework which aims: to ultimately support policies that benefit communities of color; to increase diverse representation (reflective of the racial and ethnic composition of communities served) in the decision-making bodies of institutions; and to change rules of engagement so that power is built, shared, and wielded equitably in order to produce just and sustainable outcomes.