Guidelines

Chicago is a global city that benefits from interaction between its citizens and organizations and their counterparts outside of the United States .  To encourage greater sharing of experiences and international learning, the MacArthur Foundation established a $1 million fund for the purpose of making grants to eligible nonprofit organizations to further their work by making connections with organizations and individuals outside of the United States .

The following are the guidelines for the Fund and address eligibility, application, information required, reporting and expense rules.  For further information regarding the Fund, please direct your inquiry to Ms. Deepa Gupta, Program Officer.

Eligibility:

The following organizations are eligible to apply for funding from the Foundation under this initiative:

• A nonprofit organization* in the Chicago area that has received a grant payment from the Foundation within the past three years, or
• A nonprofit organization* in the Chicago area that has received a grant payment within the past three years from the MacArthur Funds established at the Driehaus and Prince Foundations (including the Small Dance and Theater Fund) or grantees under the New Communities Program directed by the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (“LISC”).

*Eligible nonprofit organizations are those with 501(c)(3) designations that are not private foundations.

Process of Application:

Eligible organizations seeking support from this Fund should submit an application to the Foundation to the attention of Stephen Richards at srichard@macfound.org. Applications submitted via email should also cc: Erica Twyman at etwyman@macfound.org during submission. Applications should be no more than five pages and contain the following information:

• Identification of grantee and purpose of grant.
• Specific activities to be supported by the grant funds.
• Why the activities will meet the goals of providing international connections.
• What the grantee hopes to learn or accomplish by the grant.

Applications that make connections to any country will be considered. Preference will be given to new projects and projects that will involve one or more of the Foundation’s focus countries: India, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia and China.

Additional Information Required:

The applicant should also submit the following:

• Current letter from the Internal Revenue Service showing the organization has current 501(c)(3) status. 
• For grantees from the Prince Foundation, the Driehaus Foundation or LISC, the most recent audited financial statements of the organization (as part of its due diligence, the Foundation will also obtain a letter of reference from Driehaus, Prince or LISC showing the proposed grantee is in “good standing” and has performed well under the terms of the relevant grant).

Process of Approval:

The Foundation will evaluate applications on a quarterly basis and expects to award total grants up to $250,000 each quarter.  Individual grants will range from $5,000 to $50,000. The first grants will be awarded in June 2008, with applications due to the Foundation on or before May 1, 2008. For subsequent quarters, applications should be filed on August 1, 2008, November 1, 2008, and February 1, 2009, respectively.

Evidence of Grant:

Successful applicants will be expected to sign a grant agreement.

Reporting:

At the conclusion of grant period, a successful applicant will be expected to submit a one to three page written report and any accompanying audio and visual materials describing the activities funded by the grant and what was learned or accomplished through the use of the grant funds.

Restrictions on Use of Funds:

Grant funds must be used in accordance with applicable law.

Any travel or expenses associated with the grant including hotels and other accommodations, must be reasonable and necessary to accomplish the grant purposes. Additional expense guidelines will be made available to successful applicants.

FAQ

1. Does the funding have to be used within 1 year of disbursement?

Yes; as part of the grant’s requirements, we ask for a report 12 months after the grant is provided to understand how the grant was used to support international exchange.


2. Can grantees apply more than once to the fund (e.g., once in May and again in November)?

Grantees may receive only one grant from the Chicago International Connections Fund. If an application for a project is not approved in one round, the same organization may re-apply with an application for a different project in a subsequent round.


3. Will proposals to support existing international exchanges be considered?

The primary goal of the International Connections Fund is to establish new kinds of exchanges with Chicago. W e will consider proposals that would expand or strengthen an existing exchange.


4. Will applications that propose to use the funding to support the planning of an exchange (rather than immediately supporting an exchange) be viewed less favorably?

Yes, the grants are intended to support actual exchange in the next year; therefore the proposal should include more than planning.


5. Are US territories included in international definition?

Yes.


6. Can the funds be used to support travel of international groups across the U.S.?

No, the grant is intended to promote exchange between Chicago and other international destinations. The grant may support the Chicago portion of a larger initiative.


7. Can the funds be used to bring collaborators from around the world to support a Chicago organization’s international project?

Yes, if the collaborators are brought to Chicago to accomplish the work or if the collaborators are invited by a Chicago-based group to work with them on a project for the Chicago-based group in an international location.


8. Do we need to include a budget for how the funds will be used in our proposal?

Yes; you may include this as an attachment or in the body of the proposal with an explanation of each item, as needed.


9. Will the fund be renewed next year?

The Foundation has announced this as a one-time initiative to last one year.