Comcast Foundation

OVERVIEW: The Comcast Foundation is the philanthropic arm of American mass media company Comcast. It makes grants to support education, veterans, science research, and the greater Philadelphia area.  

IP TAKE: Grant seekers may find it difficult to get Comcast’s attention.  This funder does not accept applications for funding; however, you can increase your chances of getting on their radar by networking with a local Comcast operation, which might argue for funding on your behalf, but it’s a long shot unless your organization is bigger.

PROFILE: The Comcast Foundation was established in 1999 by the Comcast Corporation, a leading media and telecommunications company in the U.S. It donates approximately $20 million per year to nonprofits in the geographic areas it serves. The foundation seeks to use its “voice, resources, and reach to create positive and substantive change in people’s lives in our communities.” Comcast’s main funding areas are digital inclusion, volunteerism and service, innovation and entrepreneurship and skills for the digital economy.

Grants for Education
Comcast’s grants for education fund organizations and programs that address the needs students in K-12 and that help those students get into college.

Grants for K-12 Education
While this foundation does not fund education directly, many of its grantees serve K-12 populations. Some Comcast’s recently funded projects include My.future, an online platform used at Boys and Girls Clubs across the U.S. that teaches children to “learn play and socialize,” online, and the Arc of Southern Maryland, which uses technology to enable increased independence for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Comcast also runs the Internet Essentials program, which brings affordable internet access to eligible low-income households in the U.S., and Project UP, a “comprehensive initiative to advance digital equity and help build a future of unlimited possibilities.”

Grants for College Readiness
Though Comcast does not specifically prioritize college readiness, many of its funded programs are dedicated to helping children and teens succeed academically and develop the skills they will need to thrive in jobs of the future. The foundation prioritizes diversity, technology skills, bilingual education and mentoring and leadership programs for teens and young adults. Comcast grants tend to be modest, with most grants awarded in amounts under $25,000. Many grantees are organizations that operate nationally. Past grantees include City Year, Boys and Girls Clubs and the Big Brothers and Big Sisters program. 

Grants for Science Research
The Comcast Innovation Fund launched in 2013 and “[o]ffers funding for researchers at leading academic institutions and elsewhere to support research that is of mutual interest to Comcast and the research community.” The fund also provides grants to open source software development projects.

The fund’s Research Grant program offers general and targeted grants. General grants offer unrestricted funding to investigations related to the broadband industry and those relevant to Comcast specifically. Comcast awards targeted research grants to investigators studying specific issues. Although Comcast supports a wide range of research topics, grant seekers can explore some of their specific topics of interest here.

Comcast’s Open Source Development Grants support the new or continued development of open source software. Open Source grants go to support general operating costs as well as specific projects. The Comcast Innovation Fund awards grants to investigators studying a wide variety of topics relevant to the broadband industry. Organizations, academic institutions and individuals are eligible for Comcast Innovation Fund grants.

The fund awards Innovation grants on a rolling basis and accepts grant applications and requests for funding throughout the year.

Grants for Veterans
Comcast was founded by Navy vet Ralph Roberts in 1963. Since then, the company has sustained its commitment to supporting the military community through its Military Engagement initiative. Since 2011, Comcast has donated over $95 million and made grants to over 265 veterans' organizations. It supports national nonprofits like Bunker Labs, which helps vets realize their entrepreneurial spirit by starting and growing businesses—a goal of 25 percent of transitioning service people.

Grants for Philadelphia
Local grantmaking is focused on expanding digital literacy, promoting community service and building tomorrow’s leaders. In recent years, the Comcast Foundation has been a noted supporter of Latino causes in Philadelphia and elsewhere. Overall, the foundation’s top priority is diversity-oriented programs that address its three key giving areas. For example, Comcast has worked recently with local Latino groups like Aspira, Esperanza and Congreso. 

Comcast also supports local leadership development programs for women and girls, especially ones who come from underserved inner-city communities. To this end, Comcast has been supporting multi-generational mentoring efforts in the state. Specifically in the city of Philadelphia, Comcast has been particularly interested in supporting workforce development, giving grants to groups like Congreso de Latinos Unidos' Education and Workforce program, an organization that provides youth and adult programs to increase academic and workplace success.

Other Philadelphia grants have recently gone to the Arts and Business Council of Greater Philadelphia, the Barnes Foundation of Philadelphia, ASPIRA Inc., Committee Seventy, Council of Spanish Speaking Organizations, and the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia. Philadelphia groups definitely come out on top in terms of Comcast’s Pennsylvania giving.

Philadelphia groups can reach out to the Comcast Corporation at Comcast Center, 1701 JKF Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA, 19103. 

Important Grant Details:
Grant amounts typically range from $3,000 to $100,000. Comcast typically pays out grants all at once; however, the fund may pay out larger grants in increments or based on the meeting of stated milestones.

The Comcast Foundation accepts unsolicited letters of inquiry (LOIs) which are not to exceed two pages. It does not appear to have LOI deadlines and submissions are accepted on a rolling basis. Grantseekers with projects that are local in nature should address their LOIs to their local Comcast office.

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