Deluxe Corporation Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The Deluxe Corporation Foundation supports financial literacy, community development, education, entrepreneurship and economic opportunity in the communities where its parent company maintains facilities.
IP TAKE: This is an accessible funder for smaller organizations working in communities where the Deluxe Corporation operates. It runs two yearly grant cycles and accepts applications via its online system. Grantmaking is limited to areas of geographic priority, however, so make sure your organization qualifies before submitting materials.
PROFILE: Based in St. Paul, Minnesota, the Deluxe Corporation Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the Deluxe Corporation, a financial services company. Established in 1954, the foundation aims to “bring meaningful, lasting change to communities across the country.” The foundation’s stated areas of grantmaking are financial literacy; education, entrepreneurship and empowerment; and community. Grantmaking is limited to communities where Deluxe maintains corporate facilities. The foundation’s home state of Minnesota receives a significant portion of its funding.
Grants for K-12 Education
The Deluxe Corporation Foundation makes grants for education in the areas of financial literacy and academic success. Grants tend to support out-of-school learning opportunities and youth development programs. The foundation provides ongoing support to numerous local chapters of Boys and Girls Clubs, Big Brothers and Big Sisters and YMCA organizations. After school tutoring programs that have received funding include Minnesota’s BestPrep, the Children’s Literacy Center of Colorado and Youth Opportunities Unlimited in Ohio. The Foundation has also demonstrated a strong interest in youth financial literacy by supporting regional Junior Achievement programs and the Young Americans Center for Financial Education, which offers classes and camps that teach basic economics and financial literacy to elementary and secondary students in Colorado.
Grants for Women and Girls
The Deluxe Corporation Foundation names women’s entrepreneurship and work opportunity as areas of interest for its grantmaking. One past grantee, Women Venture, provides guidance and low interest loans to women entrepreneurs in the Minneapolis area. The foundation has provided ongoing support to the Women’s Business Development Center of Minneapolis, which supports women-owned businesses in Minnesota and neighboring states. Another grantee, the Jeremiah Program, helps young mothers attain the education and job skills they need to support their families. On the national level, the foundation has given to Girls. Inc., which provides leadership, advocacy and service-learning experiences for girls through a network of organizations across the U.S.
Grants for Arts and Culture
While this funder does not name arts and culture as an area of interest, it regularly supports many small, community-based performing arts organizations. Past grantees include the Chicago Human Rhythm Project, the Children’s Theater Company of Minnesota, the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra, the Kansas City Ballet, Minneapolis’s Guthrie Theater and Indian Hill Music, a music school and concert venue in Massachusetts. Funding has also supported public radio and television outlets including Minnesota Public Radio, Twin Cities Public Television and Pennsylvania’s PBS39.
Grants for Housing and Community Development
Community development is the foundation’s largest area of grantmaking and emphasizes shelter for homeless and at-risk families and hunger alleviation. One past grantee is the Atlanta Center for Self Sufficiency, which helps homeless individuals and families acquire skills and knowledge for financial and housing security. Another grantee, the Barnabas Network, provides material support and counseling to individuals and families who are homeless, recently homeless or fleeing abuse. And in Texas, Safe Haven of Tarrant County provides emergency housing, prevention services and legal support to domestic violence victims. This funder also supports numerous food banks and hunger initiatives. Grantees in this area include the Merrimack Valley Food Bank, Loaves and Fishes, Harvesters Community Food Network and CommonWealth Kitchen.
Grants for Mental Health
This foundation has supported several organizations that offer free or low-cost mental health services and counseling to veterans, at-risk youth and families in crisis. In Chicago, the Erie Neighborhood House works to support immigrant communities with counseling services, and Minnesota’s Bridge for Youth provides emergency services and family counseling for children and teens who have run away from home.
Grants for Disaster Relief
The foundation supports disaster relief via donations to the American Red Cross. The foundation gives $100,000 each year and made additional donations after Hurricanes Irma and Harvey in 2017.
Important Grant Details:
The Deluxe Corporation Foundation’s grantmaking totals about $2 million a year. Grants range from a few thousand to $500,000, with an average grant size of about $10,000. This funder tends to support communities where its parent company maintains facilities. For a list of recent grantees and their locations, see the foundation’s grants page.
This funder runs an open application system via its website. The foundation runs two yearly grant cycles, accepting applications in February and March for its spring cycle and July and August for its fall cycle. General inquiries should be directed to foundation staff at 651-483-7111.
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