The Trust makes grants only to tax-exempt organizations whose purposes are described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code that are either (1) public charities described in Sections 509(a) or (2) private operating foundations described in Section 4942(j)(3).

The Trust accepts requests from only charitable organizations located in and serving the metropolitan areas of Indianapolis, Indiana and Phoenix, Arizona, with the exception of environmental requests. For environmental requests, the Trust will consider proposals from charitable organizations throughout Arizona and Indiana, if the project has statewide impact.

Requests for funding are limited to one request per organization per calendar year. This includes the Summer Youth Program Fund in Indiana and Arizona.

Generally, the Trust prefers to disburse funds as a one-year grant but not for a period longer than three years. For these purposes, an "organization" generally refers to that entity to which the IRS has issued a Section 501(c)(3) determination letter. For more detailed information and examples, please refer to our Question and Answer page.

If an organization received a previous grant, a final evaluation report must be submitted and reviewed by Trust staff prior to requesting another grant.

The Trust will not consider grants for international activities, academic research, sectarian purposes, programs that promote religious doctrine and/or political campaigns. Also, the Trust does not make grants to individuals.

The Trust will not accept unsolicited proposals from colleges and universities for operating or capital requests. (The latter includes endowments for professorial chairs, faculty training and research or scholarships and building campaigns.) However, the Trust will continue to accept proposals through its regular grant cycles for support of projects that link higher education institutions to their communities through service learning opportunities. From time-to-time, the Trust may consider circulating requests for proposals on a case-by-case basis.