Foundation Guidelines

The Charles Hayden Foundation makes contributions only to institutions that serve children and youth ages 5 to 18 from the metropolitan areas of New York and the city of Boston. Priority is given to applicants from New York City and the city of Boston. Metropolitan New York is defined as all of New York City, the portion of Westchester County that is south of the line roughly delineated by the Cross County Parkway, and, in New Jersey, primarily the cities of Newark, Jersey City and Paterson. Grants are also made to institutions that support youth activities outside these areas when a substantial majority of the youth served comes from within the Foundation's defined geographic catchment areas.

The Foundation's Grantmaking Focus

Our Mission Statement details our grantmaking criteria and should be read in conjunction with these Guidelines. We concentrate support on youth development and education programs that present: (1) evidence of program impact on young people and (2) plans for making measurable progress toward well-defined goals in a specific time frame.

Program support is generally for program expansion and creation. Multi-year funding is awarded when appropriate, according to each program's specific needs and potential.

Capital support is awarded for these purposes:

  • Renovation to existing buildings.
  • Construction of new buildings and additions or the purchase of existing structures.
  • Purchase of non-expendable equipment (generally excluding computers).

Attributes That The Foundation
Seeks In Funded Programs

For youth development programs:

  • Long-term, caring relationships with youth agency staff.
  • Engaging, enriching and safe activities during the non-school hours.
  • Activities and counseling that help youth prepare for post-secondary education, work and citizenship.

For school programs (including (1) charter schools and (2) independent and parochial schools that charge a maximum of $10,000/year for tuition):

  • High expectations for student's mental development, reflected in a challenging course of study that emphasizes reading, writing, mathematics and other core skill and content areas.
  • Active learning within varied learning environments supportive of each child.
  • Active engagement of parents in their children's education at home and in schools.
  • Outreach to collaboration with other organizations and programs that can contribute to student's learning.
  • Activities and counseling that help youth prepare for post-secondary education, work and citizenship.
  • Track record of increased student academic achievement.

We Encourage Applicants To Use The New York Area Or Agm (Boston Area) Common Application Forms.

Applications Must Include:

  1. The Foundation recommends using the common proposal form:
    The New York/New Jersey form
    The Massachusetts form.
  2. A concise description of the proposed project and its goals.
  3. The number and ages of the youth to be served.
  4. Program budget, or total costs, based on professional estimates for capital projects.
  5. An indication of what will be done if not all of the needed funds are raised. Similarly, if the request is for partial funding of the total amount of a project, the plans for raising the balance of those costs should be indicated.
  6. The sources, if needed, for additional operating funds once a capital project is completed.
  7. A copy of the most recent audited financial report and an operating budget, including a breakdown on revenue sources and amounts, for the current and previous fiscal years.
  8. A copy of the Internal Revenue Service letter determining tax-exempt status.
  9. The project's expected outcomes and criteria the applicant prefers that the Foundation apply in evaluating the completed project.
  10. Other printed material concerning the activities and history of the institution.
  11. Interviews, if required or requested, are not arranged until the written grant application has been submitted and the preliminary review is completed.

Current Board-Approved Policy
Guidelines Preclude Grants For:

  1. Individuals.
  2. Endowments.
  3. Institutions that have recently received a capital grant from the Charles Hayden Foundation. Such organizations must wait two years from the date of their award letter before seeking additional capital assistance. Special rules apply to institutions with a number of distinctly separate facilities at various locations.
  4. Religious organizations and theological institutions, unless programs are oriented toward community youth.
  5. Institutions of higher education - except to support work on pre-collegiate programs (other than recruitment programs for a particular college).
  6. Hospitals, hospices and projects that are essentially medical in nature.
  7. Arts exposure programs.

Requests Should Be Sent To:

Kenneth D. Merin
President and CEO
Charles Hayden Foundation
140 Broadway
51st Floor
New York, NY 10005

Copies of Proposals and All Related Follow-up Correspondence From Boston Area Agencies Must Also Be Sent To:

Mary Phillips
Boston Program Officer
Charles Hayden Foundation
c/o Grants Management Associates
77 Summer St., 8th Floor
Boston, MA 02110-1006
 

School Application Form

To be completed only upon invitation. Uninvited responses will be discarded upon receipt.

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