Frequently Asked Questions
About Our Grantmaking and
Current Transition Period
1What are Polk Bros. Foundation’s new goals?
In fall 2024, Polk Bros. Foundation announced three new goals that will guide our work in the years to come:
● Building Community Wealth Across Generations to create pathways out of poverty and toward economic opportunity for residents of Chicago’s historically disinvested communities, which are largely Black and Latine, through more equitable housing, education, and income.
● Closing the Life Expectancy Gap to address the root causes of stark disparities in health equity and personal and community safety across different neighborhoods in Chicago.
● Fostering Participatory, Multiracial Democracy to ensure that the diverse voices of our city are heard and can influence the decisions that affect their lives.
● Building Community Wealth Across Generations to create pathways out of poverty and toward economic opportunity for residents of Chicago’s historically disinvested communities, which are largely Black and Latine, through more equitable housing, education, and income.
● Closing the Life Expectancy Gap to address the root causes of stark disparities in health equity and personal and community safety across different neighborhoods in Chicago.
● Fostering Participatory, Multiracial Democracy to ensure that the diverse voices of our city are heard and can influence the decisions that affect their lives.
2Why is Polk Bros. Foundation adopting new goals and shifting its grantmaking focus and process?
Polk Bros. Foundation has been committed to addressing poverty and inequity in Chicago for 35 years. That commitment continues, fully. But severe and entrenched racial inequities remain for nearly every critical aspect of everyday life. Even with the relentless commitment of our grantees and the many lives they’ve changed, these long-standing inequities have so far proven intractable.
Polk Bros. Foundation has been engaged in extensive racial equity work and strategic planning to answer a big question: What more can we do to create real, lasting change in Chicago?
Through deep exploration of racial disparities in Chicago, listening intently to what our grantee partners and other community leaders are telling us, and a thorough look at our own ways of working and partnering, we see we need to commit to the hard work of change. Our extensive racial equity work and strategic planning — which engaged all Foundation staff and Board and drew on lessons learned from grantee partners, conversations with other community leaders, and research — has led us to transform our grantmaking strategy in a way we believe will bring us closer to the change we all seek.
Polk Bros. Foundation has been engaged in extensive racial equity work and strategic planning to answer a big question: What more can we do to create real, lasting change in Chicago?
Through deep exploration of racial disparities in Chicago, listening intently to what our grantee partners and other community leaders are telling us, and a thorough look at our own ways of working and partnering, we see we need to commit to the hard work of change. Our extensive racial equity work and strategic planning — which engaged all Foundation staff and Board and drew on lessons learned from grantee partners, conversations with other community leaders, and research — has led us to transform our grantmaking strategy in a way we believe will bring us closer to the change we all seek.
3When will Polk Bros. Foundation begin grantmaking toward its new goals? When can my organization apply for funding?
Before we begin to put any Polk Bros. Foundation resources toward our new goals, we will first enter a two-year transition period to provide grantee partners with time and resources to enable them to plan for upcoming changes.
During the transition period, we will continue conversations with our partners and other community leaders, so we can further refine our new grantmaking strategies and ensure the efforts we will support are responsive to community visions and needs.
Polk Bros. Foundation will share full strategies in support of its new goals, and begin grantmaking toward these goals at the end of our two-year transition period, in late 2026. Please watch our website and subscribe to our newsletter to receive updates and other important updates about our process.
During the transition period, we will continue conversations with our partners and other community leaders, so we can further refine our new grantmaking strategies and ensure the efforts we will support are responsive to community visions and needs.
Polk Bros. Foundation will share full strategies in support of its new goals, and begin grantmaking toward these goals at the end of our two-year transition period, in late 2026. Please watch our website and subscribe to our newsletter to receive updates and other important updates about our process.
4What is Polk Bros. Foundation’s Transition Period, and why is the Foundation taking this approach?
We are profoundly aware that the changes we make will have real consequences for you, our grantee partners, and we don’t take this responsibility lightly.
Refining our grantmaking goals and strategies to better confront systemic racism in Chicago means we cannot continue to financially support many organizations that we hold dear, but we remain committed to positioning you to continue your vital work.
So, before we begin to put any of the Foundation’s resources toward our new goals, we will first enter a two-year transition period to provide you with time and resources to enable you to plan for upcoming changes.
All current grantee partners will receive two years of substantive funding, with minimal paperwork or requirements. The transition period for our grantee partners in the arts will be extended for a third year, recognizing the extreme vulnerability and change occurring in the sector.
Polk Bros. Foundation’s transition period began in fall 2024 and will last through fall 2026.
During this time, the Foundation will:
Refining our grantmaking goals and strategies to better confront systemic racism in Chicago means we cannot continue to financially support many organizations that we hold dear, but we remain committed to positioning you to continue your vital work.
So, before we begin to put any of the Foundation’s resources toward our new goals, we will first enter a two-year transition period to provide you with time and resources to enable you to plan for upcoming changes.
All current grantee partners will receive two years of substantive funding, with minimal paperwork or requirements. The transition period for our grantee partners in the arts will be extended for a third year, recognizing the extreme vulnerability and change occurring in the sector.
Polk Bros. Foundation’s transition period began in fall 2024 and will last through fall 2026.
During this time, the Foundation will:
- Prioritize transition support for our grantee partner by providing them with time and transition period grant funding with minimal paperwork to plan for changes in their Polk Bros. Foundation funding
- Seek opportunities to talk with partners and other community leaders about our new goals, listen to community needs, and gain insights that can help us refine our new grantmaking strategies as well as our approach to how we make grants
- Not be able to accept unsolicited requests for funding because the Foundation’s resources will be committed to prioritizing prioritize transition grants for our grantee partners during this time
5Is Polk Bros. Foundation currently accepting unsolicited applications?
Not at this time. For Polk Bros. Foundation to prioritize making transition period grants and providing stability for our grantees during this transition period, we will not be able to accept unsolicited requests for funding.
Please watch our website and subscribe to our newsletter to receive updates and other important information.
Please watch our website and subscribe to our newsletter to receive updates and other important information.
6What types of work will Polk Bros. Foundation support?
You can find details about our new goals and future grantmaking here. We will use the transition period to further refine our future grantmaking strategies by listening and learning. Polk Bros. Foundation will share full strategies in support of the following three goals, and begin grantmaking toward these goals at the end of our two-year transition period, in late 2026.
7Who is eligible for a Transition Period grant?
All current grantees – those who have been awarded a grant by the Polk Bros. Foundation Board in either of our past two fiscal years – are eligible for a transition period grant. We have emailed grantee partners directly to notify them of their transition period grant, including next steps for accessing that funding and any associated deadlines.
The Foundation will provide transition period grant funding for grantee partners whose organization:
The Foundation will provide transition period grant funding for grantee partners whose organization:
- Was awarded a grant by the Polk Bros. Foundation Board between September 1, 2022 and August 31, 2024.
- Continues to be a recognized tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code
- Continues doing work in Chicago
8How were Transition Period grant recipients and amounts determined?
We are profoundly aware that the changes we make will have real consequences for our grantee partners, and we don’t take this responsibility lightly.
Refining our grantmaking goals and strategies to better confront systemic racism in Chicago means we cannot continue to financially support many organizations that we hold dear, but we remain committed to positioning our grantee partners to continue their vital work.
So, before we begin to put any of the Foundation’s resources toward our new goals, we will first enter a two-year transition period to provide our grantee partners with time and resources to enable them to plan for upcoming changes.
We determined transition grant recipients and amounts based on the Foundation’s available funding and with these goals in mind: providing two years of funding to as many organizations as possible; ensuring grantees receiving awards of $25,000 or less are initially kept whole during this transition; and giving an additional year of transition period funding for Arts Access and Learning grantee partners, as this is an especially vulnerable sector.
The number of grantee partners receiving transition grants is greater than the number of grantee partners we have in any single year, so our full grantmaking budget will allow us to award grants over $25,000 at 80% of their most recent grant during the first year of our transition period.
Transition Grant Amounts as a Percentage of a Grantee’s Most Recent Board Grant Amount
Refining our grantmaking goals and strategies to better confront systemic racism in Chicago means we cannot continue to financially support many organizations that we hold dear, but we remain committed to positioning our grantee partners to continue their vital work.
So, before we begin to put any of the Foundation’s resources toward our new goals, we will first enter a two-year transition period to provide our grantee partners with time and resources to enable them to plan for upcoming changes.
We determined transition grant recipients and amounts based on the Foundation’s available funding and with these goals in mind: providing two years of funding to as many organizations as possible; ensuring grantees receiving awards of $25,000 or less are initially kept whole during this transition; and giving an additional year of transition period funding for Arts Access and Learning grantee partners, as this is an especially vulnerable sector.
The number of grantee partners receiving transition grants is greater than the number of grantee partners we have in any single year, so our full grantmaking budget will allow us to award grants over $25,000 at 80% of their most recent grant during the first year of our transition period.
Transition Grant Amounts as a Percentage of a Grantee’s Most Recent Board Grant Amount
2025 Grant Amount |
2026 Grant Amount |
2027 Grant Amount |
|
---|---|---|---|
Eligible grantees whose most recent grant was $25,000 or less | 100% | 60% | -- |
Eligible grantees whose most recent grant was greater than $25,000 | 80% | 60% | -- |
Eligible Arts Access and Learning grantees | ≤ $25,000: 100% > $25,000: 80% |
60% | 60% |
9How and when can eligible grantee partners apply for a Transition Period grant?
Polk Bros. Foundation has emailed eligible grantee partners directly to notify them of their transition period grant process, including next steps for accessing that funding, any associated deadlines and a timeline for an optional meeting with their program officer.
If you have not received an email with those details and would like to inquire about your organization’s eligibility for transition period support, please contact [email protected].
Eligible grantee partners should submit their transition period grant application according to the following timeline. You can preview the simplified grant application questions, and log in to the Grants Portal to complete it.
If you have not received an email with those details and would like to inquire about your organization’s eligibility for transition period support, please contact [email protected].
Eligible grantee partners should submit their transition period grant application according to the following timeline. You can preview the simplified grant application questions, and log in to the Grants Portal to complete it.
Board Meeting | Optional Meeting with Your Program Officer | Transition Period Grant Application Deadline |
---|---|---|
02/12/2025 | November - December 2024 | 1/02/2025 |
04/02/2025 | January - February 2025 | 03/01/2025 |
05/14/2025 | January - February 2025 | 04/02/2025 |
08/06/2025 | March - April 2025 | 06/25/2025 |
09/17/2025 | May - June 2025 | 08/06/2025 |
11/12/2025 | May - June 2025 | 10/01/2025 |
10How can we apply for a grant? We have never been funded by Polk Bros. Foundation.
Polk Bros. Foundation is not able to accept unsolicited requests for funding at this time.
In fall 2024, Polk Bros. Foundation announced three new goals that will guide our work in the years to come. We look forward to sharing our full strategies and beginning grantmaking toward these new goals at the end of our two-year transition period, in late 2026. Please watch our website and subscribe to our newsletter to receive updates and other important updates about our process.
In fall 2024, Polk Bros. Foundation announced three new goals that will guide our work in the years to come. We look forward to sharing our full strategies and beginning grantmaking toward these new goals at the end of our two-year transition period, in late 2026. Please watch our website and subscribe to our newsletter to receive updates and other important updates about our process.
11How can we apply for a grant? We have previously received grants from Polk Bros. Foundation.
Polk Bros. Foundation is not able to accept unsolicited requests for funding at this time.
In fall 2024, Polk Bros. Foundation announced three new goals that will guide our work in the years to come. We look forward to sharing our full strategies and beginning grantmaking toward these new goals at the end of our two-year transition period, in late 2026.
Please watch our website and subscribe to our newsletter to receive updates and other important updates about our process.
Polk Bros. Foundation has emailed eligible grantee partners directly to notify them of their transition period grant, including next steps for accessing that funding and any associated deadlines. If you have not received an email with those details and would like to inquire about your organization’s eligibility, please contact [email protected].
In fall 2024, Polk Bros. Foundation announced three new goals that will guide our work in the years to come. We look forward to sharing our full strategies and beginning grantmaking toward these new goals at the end of our two-year transition period, in late 2026.
Please watch our website and subscribe to our newsletter to receive updates and other important updates about our process.
Polk Bros. Foundation has emailed eligible grantee partners directly to notify them of their transition period grant, including next steps for accessing that funding and any associated deadlines. If you have not received an email with those details and would like to inquire about your organization’s eligibility, please contact [email protected].
12Where does Polk Bros. Foundation make grants?
Polk Bros. Foundation only funds organizations located within and doing work within the city of Chicago. Rare exceptions are made.
13Where can I direct feedback or a question about Polk Bros. Foundation’s new goals?
We want to hear from you! Please send us an email at [email protected].
14How can I stay up to date about Polk Bros. Foundation’s Transition Period and future grantmaking?
Please watch our website and subscribe to our newsletter to receive updates and other important updates about our process.
About Polk Bros. Foundation
1Is it Polk Bros. Foundation, Polk Bros Foundation or Polk Brothers Foundation?
Polk Bros. Foundation is accurate. Please note that Bros. is intentionally abbreviated, and includes a period. The stores (Polk Bros) and the park at Navy Pier (Polk Bros Park) are also both intentionally abbreviated, but do not include a period. Reach out to us at [email protected] with any questions you may have.
2What does Polk Bros. Foundation do?
Polk Bros. Foundation is a private independent foundation which focuses its work at the intersection of Chicago's most pressing issues to address the complex roots and devastating effects of poverty, challenge inequity, and ensure that all Chicagoans have the opportunity to reach their full potential. Since its founding in 1988, the Foundation has partnered with more than 3,000 Chicago nonprofits to build strong communities and families, increase access to quality education and the arts, improve health, and strengthen organizations and the sectors in which they work.
In fall 2024, Polk Bros. Foundation announced new goals focused on making more progress toward racial equity and justice in Chicago, as well as a two-year transition period to provide grantee partners with time and resources to enable them to plan for upcoming changes.
In fall 2024, Polk Bros. Foundation announced new goals focused on making more progress toward racial equity and justice in Chicago, as well as a two-year transition period to provide grantee partners with time and resources to enable them to plan for upcoming changes.
3How can I contact Polk Bros. Foundation?
Polk Bros. Foundation is located at 20 West Kinzie Street, Suite 1110, Chicago, IL 60654-5815. You can reach us at [email protected] or 312.527.4684.
For Polk Bros. Foundation to prioritize making transition period grants and providing stability for our grantees through the end of its transition period in late 2026, we will not be able to accept unsolicited requests for funding.
For Polk Bros. Foundation to prioritize making transition period grants and providing stability for our grantees through the end of its transition period in late 2026, we will not be able to accept unsolicited requests for funding.