Guidelines

The Polk Bros. Foundation was established by members of the Polk family who owned and operated the Polk Bros. chain of retail stores. The primary focus of the Foundation is on programs that work with populations of need – particularly public school children, youth, and families – in underserved Chicago communities. Very few awards are made to organizations located outside the city of Chicago. Grants are made for both new and ongoing initiatives in four program areas: social service, education, cultural programs and health care. In all areas, proposals should address increased access to services and improvement in the quality of life for area residents. 

Areas of particular interest to the Foundation include efforts to preserve and create affordable rental housing; professional development for teachers and efforts to reduce barriers to learning and increase parent engagement in Chicago public schools; and health initiatives that make services available to children and families in their communities. We also place priority on programs that provide long-term support for clients, such as permanent supportive housing and job-training programs with comprehensive post-placement tracking and interaction.

There are no deadlines for the submission of proposals to the Polk Bros. Foundation. Applications are accepted year-round, scheduled in the order in which they are received, and considered at quarterly board meetings. Proposals for health-related services are reviewed at the spring and fall board meetings only.

The Foundation also has a small grants program that makes grants of up to $25,000 to organizations with limited funding histories and annual expenses of $75,000-$500,000. Organizations may receive up to five consecutive grants through the small grants program.

Applicants to the Polk Bros. Foundation must have received a 501(c)(3) ruling from the Internal Revenue Service. The Foundation will not consider more than one request from an organization or its affiliates in a 12-month period, nor will it generally fund more than eight percent of an organization’s operating budget.

The Polk Bros. Foundation will not support:

• » Organizations that devote a substantial portion of their activities to attempting to influence legislation or to participating in campaigns on behalf of candidates for public office;
• » Religious institutions seeking support for programs whose participants are restricted by religious affiliation or whose services promote a particular creed;
• » Purchase of dinner or raffle tickets or advertising in dinner programs;
• » Medical, scientific, or academic research;
• » Grants to individuals;
• » Tax-generating entities (municipalities, school districts, etc.) for services within their normal responsibilities.

An organization that has not previously received a grant from the Foundation should first call our office or submit a pre-application form. The Foundation will then mail an application form or contact the organization with further questions.

The application form, together with the supporting materials it requests, constitutes the application for a grant. A site visit or interview may be scheduled by a program officer as part of the review process.