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Our Grantmaking

Open Application

At Polk Bros. Foundation, we are dedicated to making Chicago a place where all people have the opportunity to reach their full potential.

We invite organizations whose work aligns with Polk Bros. Foundation’s goals and outcomes to introduce us to their work through our Open Application process.

Our Application Process

In this first year of launching our new goals, we are learning from and connecting with the many organizations working toward these goals across Chicago. We expect strong interest and are taking care to understand as much of the field as possible while making thoughtful funding decisions.

We know it takes real time and effort to apply for funding, so we try to keep early steps as simple as possible to help us learn about your work before inviting a full proposal.

Before applying, please review our website and related resources to understand our goals, priorities and the types of work we support.

Our Goals Grantmaking Guidelines FAQs

If you believe your organization’s work aligns well with our goals, please move on to Step 2.

Next, visit our Grants Portal and complete a brief eligibility checklist to confirm your organization meets baseline requirements for funding and to request login credentials to our Grants Portal.

To be eligible, organizations must:

  • Be recognized by the IRS as eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions through Section 501(c)(3) status or use a Section 501(c)(3)-recognized fiscal sponsor  
  • Operate in/serve Chicago  
  • Have been in operation for at least one year  
  • Have filed an IRS Form 990 for one of the two most recent fiscal years  
  • Be at least 12 months past the most recent Polk Bros. Foundation grant award date

Once you complete the eligibility checklist, you can expect an emailed response regarding login credentials within five business days.

If you have already received login credentials for our Grants Portal because you have received previous funding from the Foundation, you may skip to step three (Introduce Us to Your Work).

Complete Eligibility Checklist FAQs

Open to all eligible organizations

Once you have received access to the Grants Portal, we welcome you to introduce your work to us.

We ask all organizations seeking funding through our Open Application to complete an Introduction, including organizations we have supported in the past. This is an open invitation for you to help us understand how your efforts connect to our goals, and for us to make thoughtful funding decisions.

You can expect to hear from us via email within approximately one month after the application deadlines listed below. In that email, we will share one of the following next steps:

  • An invitation to submit a full proposal for consideration, 
  • A note that we will keep your information on file for later consideration, or  
  • A note that your work is not currently aligned with our funding priorities

Introduction submission deadline

We accept Introductions year-round and review them in alignment with quarterly Board meetings in February, May, August and November.

Submit your Introduction by the deadline listed below to have it reviewed for alignment as part of the associated Board meeting cycle. Introductions received after a deadline will be reviewed and considered in connection with the following Board meeting.

Introduction deadline:

For potential consideration at:

October 2

February Board Meeting

December 4

May Board Meeting

March 5

August Board Meeting

June 4

November Board Meeting

Previously-funded organizations

Organizations must wait at least 12 months from the date of their most recent Polk Bros. Foundation grant before receiving another grant. Because our application and review process can take up to four months, organizations may begin a new application process as early as eight months after their most recent grant was issued.

Introduce Us to Your Work FAQs Preview Application Questions

By invitation

If your work is strongly aligned with Polk Bros. Foundation’s goals and priorities, we will ask you to log in to our Grants Portal to submit a full proposal. In this step, you will be asked to complete an additional set of questions and provide supporting documents that will help us consider your application.

Grants Portal FAQs Preview Application Questions

Questions?
For questions about our grantmaking process, contact [email protected].
For technical support with the Grants Portal, contact [email protected].

Start Here

Ready to get started? Visit our grants portal to apply today.

Apply Now