Weekly Funding Opportunity: PNC Foundation

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Each week, Neighborhood Networks provides funding sources to help centers develop and improve programs and services. Featured this week is the PNC Foundation.

With more than $93 billion in assets, PNC is one of the largest financial services companies in the country. PNC and the PNC Foundation have long histories of strengthening and enriching the lives of neighbors in communities in which they live and work. For decades, PNC has provided resources to promote ideas, foster development initiatives, and encourage leadership in nonprofit organizations where imagination and determination enhance people's lives everyday.

Program Areas: The PNC Foundation's priority is to form partnerships with community-based nonprofit organizations within the markets PNC serves. PNC's main concern is to enhance educational opportunities for children, particularly underserved pre-K children, and to promote the growth of targeted communities through economic development initiatives. To build on this commitment, PNC developed PNC Grow Up Great, a 10-year, $100 million investment to help improve the school readiness of millions of children from birth to age five. As part of this initiative, the PNC Foundation has earmarked funds for grants to nonprofit organizations that work to directly improve children's school readiness by providing support in one of the following key areas: social and emotional development, teacher training, and arts and culture. By focusing its support in these critical areas, the foundation hopes to achieve greater results in school readiness, which will yield stronger, smarter, and healthier children, families, and communities.

Targeted Area: Mid-Atlantic and Midwest.

Eligibility: Organizations applying for support from the PNC Foundation must have a current Internal Revenue Service 501(c)(3) tax-exempt designation and be eligible to receive charitable contributions. In addition, the proposed activity must occur in a community where PNC has a meaningful presence (Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and the District of Columbia).

Award Amount: Award amounts vary.

Application Process: Organizations must submit a proposal outlining the project for which they are requesting funding. This proposal should include a one-page summary. The full proposal should contain:

1. A brief description of the organization and its purpose.

2. A statement of how the organization addresses either of the PNC Foundation's funding priorities:

	Educational and developmental opportunities that improve the school readiness of underserved children, by providing support in one or more of the following critical areas:   Social and emotional development.   Teacher training.   Arts and culture.
	Economic development, particularly that which enhances the overall quality of life for the region.

3. A statement of the problem or the need to be addressed, in particular:

	School readiness (please clarify the specific need within school readiness that will be addressed: social and emotional development, teacher training, and/or arts and culture).
	Community revitalization.
	Broad-based human services.

Priority will be given to those organizations submitting proposals to fund services in any of the above categories. Applications for funding outside those areas will be occasionally considered, as is appropriate and feasible for the PNC Foundation.

4. Description of the specific project or activity that is the focus of grant request, e.g., number of people to be served, recruitment/outreach, management structure.

5. Statement of expected accomplishment and method to evaluate results.

Attachments In addition, proposals should be accompanied by the following (grant requests for less than $1,000 need not include the items marked with an asterisk):

	Project schedule, including projected budget.*
	Plans to sustain project.*
	Track record of working with community organizations and civic leadership.*
	List of board of directors, identifying each by occupation and organization.
	Statement from the IRS confirming the organization's 501(c)3 or other tax-exempt status.
	List of recent contributions and amounts.*
	Fundraising plan for this project or activity.
	Board-approved organization budget for the current year.
	Audited financial statements for prior year.
	Résumés of key staff members.*
	Organizational brochure, pamphlets, or other descriptive material if available.
	Strategic or long-range plan for the organization.*

Deadlines: Ongoing.

Contact: For general information on the PNC Foundation, contact:

Mia Hallett Bernard
Executive Director PNC Foundation
One PNC Plaza 249 Fifth Avenue, P1-POPP-20-1
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
Phone: (412) 762-7076
Fax: (412) 705-3584

For information about PNC Foundation giving in the local community, contact the local PNC representative.