Eligible schools and organizations can submit a brief letter of inquiry (LOI) to efswanson@ptffoundation.org
Letters of inquiry must be limited to two pages and should be submitted at least two months prior to the proposal deadline for a given grant cycle.

To be eligible for a grant, your organization must:                                

• Be a Chicago public school or provide services to these schools
• Have been operating for at least one year
• Be a 501c3 non profit organization
• Have received two or more grants of at least $2,500 each from private foundations or corporations during the most recent or current fiscal year

• Political activities or attempts to influence action on specific legislation
• Scholarships or tuition assistance for undergraduate, graduate, or postgraduate studies

Please have applications postmarked by:

February 15 (or next business day)
For Spring decision

June 15 (or next business day)
For Fall decision

September 15 (or next business day)
For Winter decision


Please email a copy of any invited proposal to:  
Elizabeth Swanson at efswanson@ptffoundation.org
                                               
and

please send two copies of the completed proposal and attachments to:

The Pritzker Traubert Family Foundation
4050 N. Lincoln Avenue 
Chicago, IL 60618

GRANT GUIDELINES
All prospective applicants should submit a two page letter of inquiry outlining the proposed project and a completed grant proposal with a cover sheet. If you are interested in a management assistance grant for your school, please review the MAS guidelines .  All other grantees should send a letter (LOI) that briefly summarizes:

• the goals of the project
• the target audience and beneficiaries
• the estimated budget and duration
• plans for evaluation and dissemination of findings

The Foundation’s response
We will send you an acknowledgment (e-mail when possible) that your letter of inquiry was received.  If as a result of that review the Foundation concludes that there is no prospect of Foundation funding, we will notify you promptly.  If the Foundation is interest in learning more about your organization and funding request, we will contact you to discuss submitting a formal proposal.  Please note that the Foundation only accepts invited proposals.

Formal Proposals
After reviewing the letter of inquiry, the Foundation may request a formal proposal. If you are interested in a management assistance grant, please review the MAS guidelines as well as the requirements listed below.  All proposals should include the following information:

PROPOSAL CHECKLIST

1. COVER SHEET
   
   
2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (1-2 PAGES)
   
   
3. DESCRIPTION OF THE ORGANIZATION

3.  
   1. Background, purpose, and objectives
   2. Experience in the area for which funds are sought

4. PROPOSED PROJECT

•  
  • Information on the project for which funding is requested including the issue to be addressed and how the proposed project would address it
  • Plans for implementation
  • Measurable outcomes to be achieved and evaluation plans for implementation including timeframes for achieving outcomes
  • List of other funding sources for this request with amounts received, pending, committed, or to be approached
  • How will the project be supported after the termination of the grant?
  • Names and qualifications of people involved in the project

5. REQUIRED ATTACHMENTS (required for all grant applications)
   
   
   1. Full organization budget for previous, current, and next fiscal year
   2. Project budget from previous, current, and next fiscal year
   3. Current audited financial statement or most recent Form 990
   4. List of founders, including amounts received for most recently completed and current fiscal years
   5. List of Board members, their titles, and outside affiliations
   6. Copy of Internal Revenue Service 501(c) (3) letter of tax-determination
   7. If applicable, letter of agreement for your fiscal agent and their 501c3

SPECIFIC GUIDELINES FOR MANAGEMENT ASSISTANCE  FOR INNOVATIVE SCHOOLS (MAS) 
Management Assistance grants are provided to Chicago public charter, contract, or performance schools to strengthen the school’s organizational structure and capacity. Eligible schools must have provided at least one year of educational instruction.        

Grant requests should not exceed $25,000 per project.

 MAS funds are available to help schools to:

• strengthen executive and board leadership
• undertake strategic planning and assessment 
• improve financial management and stability
• improve human resources, compliance and accountability practices
• create a communication, marketing, or evaluation plan

Grantees will be responsible for paying 10% of the total cost of the management assistance project.

Funding for MAS grants is limited and not every request can be funded.

PTFF will consider projects that demonstrate:

• Board and staff consensus that management assistance is needed and identify team members from staff and board that will be responsible for the success of the project
• Clear definition of the challenges being addressed and the specific ways in which the organization will be stronger and more sustainable as a result of the intervention
• Evidence that the grant will contribute to long-term organizational effectiveness and realization of the organization’s mission, rather than a short-term band-aid solution
• Ability and readiness of the organization to implement the recommendations that result from management assistance

• Board and staff do not agree that outside management assistance is needed
• Your real need is the addition of a permanent staff position to resolve a management problem or need
• Your school is in crisis and needs emergency operating funds
• You are seeking support for a fundraising campaign
• You need an audit and have not budgeted for it. An audit is an ongoing operational expense; therefore it is not fundable under MAS