Grantseekers
The Foundation's Journalism Program provides grants in several priority areas: news leadership,
youth voices, free speech and journalism education. For a detailed description of
the Foundation's priorities, along with descriptions of the grants McCormick Foundation has made
in these areas recently, see
Areas of Support.
For guidelines on submitting a letter of inquiry for a McCormick Foundation Specialized Reporting Institute, please click here
Application Process
The McCormick Foundation welcomes requests for funding from nonprofit 501(c)(3)
organizations and educational institutions for initiatives that support the Journalism
Program’s mission.
Before submitting a proposal, an organization should send a letter of inquiry that
describes, in no more than two pages, the nature, purpose and cost of the proposed
program. The letter should also outline the need for the program and the qualifications
of the organization. Foundation staff will then contact the organization and help
them determine whether to submit a formal proposal.
The McCormick Foundation will consider grant requests at any time during
the year. However, most journalism grants are awarded by the Board of Directors
in September of each year.
To be considered for approval at the September meeting, grant seekers should
submit
letters of inquiry no later than May 1 of the previous year. Consideration of grant
requests normally takes several months.
Mail Letters of Inquiry to:
McCormick Foundation
Journalism Program
Attn: Aaron Smith
435 N. Michigan Avenue
Suite 790
Chicago, IL 60611
Or e-mail inquiries to: asmith@McCormickFoundation.org
What We Do Not Fund
- Production or distribution of TV or radio programming or documentaries
- Scholarships for university studies
- Grants to individuals
- Personal research