Capital One Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The Capital One Foundation funds a range of community initiatives related to education, workforce development and homelessness.
IP TAKE: Grantmaking has declined in recent years; however, Capital One still supports its key focus areas. The Capital One Foundation does not have a transparent grant application process, but you can inquire about how to get a grant through one of its branches or employees. This is a tough nut to crack, requiring networking with an employee who’s higher up.
PROFILE: The Capital One Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Capital One, a financial services company founded by Richard Fairbank in 1988. The foundation partners with local nonprofits that work in its areas of grantmaking focus, which include skills for the 21st century, financial well-being, small business development and affordable housing. The foundation partners with local nonprofits “with missions that complement” its areas of grantmaking focus, which include Skills for the 21st Century, Financial Well-Being, Small Business Development, and Affordable Housing.
Grants for STEM, Early Childhood Education, College Readiness, and Higher Education
Capital One makes grants for education through its FutureEdge program which seeks to help people thrive in the emerging digital economy, and to this end it has invested in coding and engineering education programs for middle and high school students. Since 104, it has invested over $150 million in the project and taught 11,000 aspiring software engineers to code. Across the board, the foundation appears to fund a broad range of grantees rather than commit to targeted education grantmaking strategy.
Past education grantees include the College Success Foundation, which received support for its work improving access to college and related services for low-income students in the Washington, D.C. area. Asian Americans for Equality also received financial support for its financial aid assistance and college readiness programs.
Grants for Work and Opportunity
Capital One’s Skills for the 21st Century program is aimed at “helping people develop skills for the jobs of today and tomorrow.” One of its initiatives is HEART Empowers, a “pro bono event where Capital One human resources associates and leadership provide professional development training.” Other grantees and partners include Year Up, Future Founders, and Easter Seals Veteran Staffing Network.
Grants for Housing, Homelessness and Urban Development
Capital One’s Affordable Housing grants support organizations whose mission is to provide affordable housing for homeless veterans, intergenerational families and other underserved populations. Funding supports adaptive-reuse projects and retrofitting, renovations for public housing developments such as College Creek Terrace in Annapolis, affordable housing development, sustainable communities, building reclamation, homeless shelters such as Project HOME, and even artist’s “colonies” like ArtSpace in East Harlem.
Important Grant Details:
Grants may range anywhere from $10,000 to over $6 million, but most fall between $10,000 and $200,000. Grant seekers should note that while the foundation supports national initiatives in the United States, it prioritizes the states of Louisiana, New Jersey, New York, Texas, Virginia, and Washington D.C. The Capital One Foundation does not accept unsolicited grant applications or requests for funding.
Grant seekers should contact local branch offices of Capital One Bank.
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