Elizabeth Morse Genius Charitable Trust
/OVERVIEW: The Elizabeth Morse Genius Charitable Trust supports arts, culture, humanities, education, health and human services in Chicago and Cook County, Illinois.
IP TAKE: This funder offers sizable grants to Chicago-based groups in a wide variety of fields and is accessible to local groups throughout the year.
PROFILE: Established in 1992, the Elizabeth Morse Genius Charitable Trust is a private foundation that practices value-based grantmaking to local public charities. Among the many values outlined on its website, the foundation names self-sufficiency, relieving human suffering and developing regional solutions to Chicago’s problems as central to its grantmaking practice. This foundation is managed by Bank of America’s Illinois office, and its grantmaking has supported the arts, culture, humanities, education, health and human services.
This funder prioritizes programs that serve underserved youth and focuses on promoting the dignity and self-esteem of at-risk populations. Measurable goals and outcomes are also important to this funder. Past Chicago area grantees include the Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana, the Chicago Urban League, Women Employed, the Chicago College of Performing Arts, ReVive Center for Housing and Healing and Catholic Charities of Chicago.
Foundation grants are often between $50,000 and $500,000, although some grants have exceeded $1 million. Grantmaking is focused on the city of Chicago and other communities in Cook County, Illinois. A majority of grants are for one-year periods, but the funder sometimes considers multi-year support. The trust does not provide capital project or campaign support. Learn more about this funder’s local giving on the foundation’s grantee page of its website and in its recent tax records.
This foundation accepts unsolicited letters of inquiry of no more than three pages in length from nonprofits at any time. Applicants will usually be notified with a funding decision within three to four months after submission of a letter of inquiry. Submit letters of inquiry by mail or personal delivery, not electronically, to U.S. Trust/Bank of America, the trustee for this foundation. Direct general questions to the staff at 312-828-8166 or Srilatha.Lakkaraju@ustrust.com.
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