Our mission

To provide financial assistance to formal education programs.

Our mission is based on the strong belief that “education has the power to transform lives and provides the foundation for success.”

Areas of Interest

The members of the Executive Committee of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees are dedicated to:

  • Identifying areas in which the foundation can have a direct impact for students through programs that are transformational, replicable, sustainable and unique;
  • Promoting the development of fuller human potential and achievement of self-sufficiency through educational opportunities;
  • Strengthening organizations, educational institutions and their facilities to provide greater access and more effective services in relation to formal education programs;
  • Helping to facilitate continuum of services that would result in the greatest impact for participants and overall organizational results by providing funding for programs and services among various nonprofit organizations with similar missions; promoting a reduction in duplication of services while encouraging working relationships and “partnerships”;
  • Helping to promote collaborative learning and discovery;
  • Providing consideration of support for those causes that inherently espouse a similar mission, as well as related goals, beliefs and values of St. John Properties and the Edward St. John Foundation.

The Foundation will give consideration to:

  • Programs and initiatives that are unique, transformational, sustainable, and replicable;
  • Educational institutions seeking to improve excellence of academic programs and to provide equal access to individuals across all socioeconomic circumstances;
  • Community and service organizations seeking to reach the underserved, disadvantaged and “at-risk” populations in order to help them achieve fuller participation as contributing members of the community and society through formal education programs.

Types of Grants

The Foundation will only make grants to tax-exempt 501(c)3 institutions and organizations and does not award funding to individuals, or for deficit financing, travel or loans. Grant requests related to programmatic support, that comply with the Foundation’s mission, will be considered.

The following types of grant requests are not priorities of the Foundation:

  • Capital needs
  • Annual fund solicitations, annual giving campaigns
  • Ongoing, operating expenses

Evaluation Criteria

The following information will be used as a basis for evaluation of the request for funding:

  • Demonstration of need and clearly-defined objectives;
  • Extent of benefit and impact as a result of the grant/funding;
  • Evidence of strong fiscal management and ongoing operational support;
  • Availability of other sources of financial support, demonstration of potential for stimulating new sources of financial support;
  • Plan for self-sufficiency in relation to funding of the program after a finite period (within 3 years);
  • Capability of organization and personnel to achieve expected goals;
  • Criteria for measuring success of the program or area in which funding is being sought.

In order to stimulate the development of a wider base of support, the Foundation favors requests for challenge grants requiring matching fund contributions.

Request Submission

A one to two-page “letter of inquiry” should be submitted to initiate a request for future funding consideration.  These requests are reviewed quarterly by the Board of Trustees to determine if the request for funding falls within the mission and meets the scope of interest, guidelines and funding availability.  The letter should include the following:

  • Mission of the organization;
  • Funding need/purpose;
  • Population served;
  • Scope of program/activities;
  • Key accomplishments/impact statements;
  • Summary of project including goals and objectives;
  • Plan for tracking and evaluation including measurements that will be used to determine impact, success and sustainability;
  • Partnerships/collaborations;
  • Amount of funding requested;
  • Percentage of contribution going directly for purpose intended (Ex. 96%, 85%, etc.);
  • Grant period.

Guidelines for Proposal Submission

The following information will be required prior to funding/gift-in-kind contribution approval:

  • Current IRS determination letter of tax-exempt status under section 501(c)3 and/or foundation classification under section 509(a);
  • Most recent audit financial statement;
  • Current operating budget;
  • Projected operating budget for each year in which funding is requested;
  • List of current Board and Committee members and their professional affiliations;
  • Pertinent supportive materials.

A site visit may be requested after the full proposal has been received by the Foundation prior to the Board’s request review.

If the Board approved the funding / gift-in-kind contribution, a formal receipt (in compliance with IRS guidelines) will be provided detailing the gift, in-kind services, donations provided.

Funding Status

The Edward St. John Foundation budget allocations are currently fully committed. Therefore, proposals requesting current funding will not be accepted at this time.

The Edward St. John Foundation continues to welcome the opportunity to learn about various non-profit organizations and their related needs that fall within the Foundation’s mission. Contact us for additional information.