FCA Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The FCA Foundation funds community, regional, and national initiatives in support of education, youth development, military families, and multicultural inclusion. The foundation also supports scholarship programs.
IP TAKE: The foundation’s grant application process is not transparent, and it accepts requests for funding by invitation only. Not an accessible funder, its practices are common for corporate funders. However, FCA does match employee giving, so network with an employee of the company to get some minimal funding here. The foundation only awards larger grants to grantees of its choosing, making it a tough nut to crack.
PROFILE: Headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, the FCA Foundation was established by the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Company. It aims to “empower people, build strong, resilient communities and generate meaningful and measurable societal impacts.” Its funding initiatives are youth development, education, veterans, the military and their families and community service.
Grants for K-12 and STEM Education
While the FCA Foundation does not name specific priorities for its education funding, it funds a number of organizations through its education and youth focus areas. The foundation generally seems to prefer giving to education-related nonprofits rather than public school systems or local governments. It supports organizations that promote educational equity for underserved groups, college readiness and access, and youth services and development. Past grantees include Connected Futures, a program that provides Detroit area students with tablets, connectivity and technical support, and Partners in Education, a Toledo, Ohio-based initiative to expand career readiness programs in public schools. Other education grantees include Winning Futures, Michigan College Access Network and Teach for America.
Grants for Work and Opportunity and Racial Equity
While FCA does not specifically prioritize workforce development and economic opportunity, tax filings indicate that it has supported work in this area through its grantmaking in youth development and education. Outside of the FCA Foundation, FCA’s corporate giving includes its Minority-Owned Dealers Programs, a collection of initiatives aimed at increasing the number of Fiat-Chrysler car dealerships owned by minorities in the United States, as well as the Supplier Diversity initiative, which requires that a certain percentage of suppliers be sourced to minority-, women-, veteran-, LGBT-, or disabled-owned businesses.
Grants for Housing, Community Development, and Food
While the FCA Foundation does not name specific priorities, its human services grants tend to support organizations that address homelessness, hunger, child welfare, and emergency aid. Grantees include 1Matters.org, Family Services Association of Howard County, YMCA, Dream Centers of Michigan, Forgotten Harvest, Grace Centers of Hope and Urban Neighborhood Initiatives.
Grants for Military and Veterans
While the FCA Foundation does not state its specific priorities, it does name veterans, active military, and their families as one of its main focus areas. It seems to prioritize organizations that help veterans readjust to civilian life, especially those who have been wounded in action. Grantees include the Wounded Warrior Project, Soldiers Angels, and Mission Continues.
Grants for Disaster Relief
While the FCA Foundation does not name specific priorities, it supports a number of organizations that provide disaster preparedness, relief, and recovery services in the United States, such as First Response Team of America, Team Rubicon, AmeriCares, and All Hands Volunteers.
Other
Like many corporate funders, the FCA Foundation encourages its employees to “donate their time, energy and expertise in the communities where they live and work.” FCA employees in the United States may spend up to 18 hours of paid time off to volunteer for non-profits and company-sponsored programs. It also matches employee donations to select organizations.
Important Grant Details:
Grants may range from $5,000 to $500,000. More than half of the organization’s funding is directed toward organizations that serve the southeastern Michigan area, where FCA is based.
This funder does not accept unsolicited proposals for funding or provide a direct avenue for getting in touch. A mailing address and phone number are provided below.
PEOPLE:
Search for staff contact info and bios in PeopleFinder (paid subscribers only).
LINK:
CONTACT:
FCA Foundation
100 Chrysler Drive, CIMS 485-13-35
Auburn Hills, MI 48326
(248) 512-2500
