FUNDING PRIORITIES

Each community has unique needs and opportunities.  We designate the majority of our philanthropic dollars to addressing these needs.  Community Needs Grants are considered for organizations that meet the criteria described below.

Requirements

To be considered for grant funding, organizations must:

• Have a non-profit tax-exempt classification under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code
• Have broad community support and address specific community needs
• Demonstrate fiscal and administrative stability
• Align with one or more of the Foundation’s focus areas: Education, Community Development, Health/Human Services, and Arts/Culture

Priorities

The Wachovia Foundation will provide priority consideration to requests that best reflect the organizational characteristics and focus area targets detailed below.

Organizational Characteristics

The organization should:

• Exhibit significant support (through the contribution of time or financial resources) from a Wachovia employee(s)
• Target individuals or communities with low- to moderate-income
• Help build inclusive and diverse communities
• Foster collaborative efforts that leverage our community investments

Primary Focus Areas

Education:

• Eliminate the pre-K - 12 "achievement gap" in education through public school sponsored or facilitated curriculum-based programs
• Advance teaching through recruitment, professional development, support, and retention of teachers
• Facilitate merit-based access to higher education for under represented groups

Community Development:

• Create and sustain affordable housing
• Revitalize low- to moderate-income neighborhoods
• Facilitate job creation, work force development, and financial literacy/empowerment
• Provide economic development for minority and underserved groups and/or low- to moderate-income areas

Secondary Focus Areas

Health/Human Services:

• Enable and sustain independence for individuals and families
• Ensure access to health education programs
• Ensure access to quality health care

Arts and Culture:

• Facilitate access to and participation in cultural experiences for persons with low- to moderate-income
• Ensure the availability of a broad array of artistic opportunities/venues that reflect the diversity of the community

Limitations

The Wachovia Foundation will not ordinarily make contributions to support certain types of requests.  These include, but may not be limited to, the following:

• Individuals
• Programs of national scope that do not specifically benefit our markets
• International organizations
• Travel or conferences for employees of non-profit organizations
• Political Action Committees, political causes, or candidates
• Books, research papers or articles in professional journals
• Veteran, fraternal and alumni organizations
• Religious organizations, unless they are engaged in a significant project that is nonsectarian and benefits a broad base in the community
• Private foundations
• General operating expenses for organizations that already receive substantial support through United Way or united arts drives in which Wachovia participates
• Sponsorships, events, or projects for which Wachovia and/or its employees receive tangible benefits or privileges
• Individual pre-college schools - private, parochial, charter or home schools*
• Individual schools in public school systems (other than through efforts to benefit system-wide programs and initiatives or as a part of a Wachovia-sponsored partnership program)*

*Wachovia actively supports individual schools through volunteerism, the donation of books and other in-kind services, and through the Foundation’s Matching Gifts Program.

Email This Page     Printer Friendly Version