Eleanor Foundation | Grantmaking Frequently Asked Questions

Forging relationships with service providers, employers, and the community

Our Grantmaking Program

During 2012, the Eleanor Foundation will continue its grantmaking program to build The Eleanor Network in Chicago. A research-driven public grantmaker, the Eleanor Foundation seeks to leverage our financial resources and program experience with direct service providers who want to launch initiatives that support our target population: single working female heads of households who earn between $10,000 and $40,000.

The Eleanor Foundation is seeking grant proposals from direct service organizations that want to partner with us to create programs and deliver services that promote sustained economic self-sufficiency for single working female heads-of-households—especially those with children.

Our grant awards focus on funding and building market-driven programs that provide working women with practical, skills-based job training and access to career-track jobs that pay living wages. It further focuses on building Hub programs on the northwest and southwest sides of the City of Chicago.

The Foundation accepts proposals once a year, and releases its annual grant guidelines in the spring.

Grantmaking Frequently Asked Questions

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What is the total amount in grants you will be making in your next application round?
We have not set an overall amount at this time.

How large will your grants be?
We are not capping the amount of each grant at this time, but expect proposals to be realistic. Organizations may wish to review our past grants to determine how we allocate funds and to what types of programs. Single and multi-year requests will be accepted.

Can we submit a narrative longer than seven pages if we have more to say?
No. Any narrative portion in excess of seven pages will be rejected.

I am a working woman in need of housing or other help. Can I apply for a grant? 
The Eleanor Foundation only make grants to organizations, not individual households. Please seek the assistance of an organization that can help address your needs. Click here for a complete list of service organizations we work with.

Does my organization have to be located in Chicago to be eligible to apply?
No. Organizations do not need to be located in Chicago. However, all of the women that you plan to serve under your proposal must either live or work within Chicago's city limits.

Your grant guidelines specify that the women to be served must earn between $10,000 and $40,000 a year. Can we count public assistance (e.g., TANF, Homeless Prevention Funds, Housing Choice Vouchers, Food Stamps) received by these households toward that amount?
Receipt of public assistance does not disqualify a household from a program funded by the Eleanor Foundation, and any amounts received from such programs are not included in a woman's income for the purposes of our grants program. Nevertheless, program participants are expected to be employed and earning within our income range through wages or other earned income.

Your grant guidelines specify that the women to be served must earn between $10,000 and $40,000 a year. Does this apply only to women with children? We also serve women without children. How will this affect us?
Programs that become part of the Eleanor Network under our grant-funded programs may serve single female heads-of-households with or without children. We recognize that female heads-of-households responsible for caring of children need to earn more than $40,000 to make ends meet and that those without children will generally have lower income needs. We do not have a sliding scale for income based on family size, but we expect that the women without children served by our grantees will be at the lower end of the income range of $10,000 - $40,000.

My organization would like to submit a proposal to help women in your target market through advocacy and/or public awareness programming. Can we apply?
The Eleanor Foundation does not make grants for lobbying or other advocacy work.

You emphasize funding applications that address workforce development. Our core expertise is housing. Can we still apply?
Our experience over the past few years has indicated that it is very important for women to have living wage jobs in order to become self-sufficient. Therefore, we are placing emphasis on workforce development. However, research and focus groups indicate that it is also important to provide other services that help the women in our target population to overcome the primary barriers to their success at work. This includes access to services such as housing, childcare and credit cleanup. Therefore, the Eleanor Foundation continues to review and fund suitable applications that offer these services.

My organization would like to submit a proposal involving employment training or day care, but you have identified comprehensive self-sufficiency as a central focus of your work. Does my organization's proposal have to provide all four services (housing, childcare, employment training and financial management) to women to qualify?
No. You may apply for a resource grant if your organization has the capacity to serve the Foundation's grantees in any one of the areas. You may qualify for a hub grant if your organization offers two or more. However, if you are applying as a hub grantee, you must indicate how your organization will be able to provide all four of the comprehensive services through a single point of service—through partnerships with other organizations or by applying jointly with another organization. Please note that this year, we are placing particular emphasis on employment training and placement.

You have expressed a preference for new initiatives. What do you mean by "new initiative"? 
"New initiative" can mean a new idea or program that meets the needs of the women in our target population. However, a new initiative can also mean expanding an existing program to reach the Foundation's target market, or it can mean an expansion into a new geographic area for your organization. The Foundation has also chosen to provide continuing funding to established programs in the Eleanor Network, where our funding means the expansion of a program to a larger group of women in this population.

What elements are you looking for in workforce development?
The key elements that applicants must address in terms of workforce development are (a) job skills training that will provide a living wage; and, (b) job placement through employer relationships.

Should workforce development strategies be restricted to any one sector?
No. However, we favor initiatives that are responsive to employers and industries that are growing and offer stable career opportunities. Applicants should have employer relationships (either directly or through an intermediary) in the sectors in which the women are trained.

Foundation staff are available to answer questions. Please call us (312) 337-7766 during office hours. You may also .