Omron Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The Omron Foundation (OFI) supports education, STEM, public health, disease research, disaster relief, housing and arts and culture. Funding prioritizes, but is not limited to the state of Illinois.
IP TAKE: OFI’s largest recipients consist of engineering programs and laboratories at Midwestern universities. The foundation also supports many smaller organizations involved in STEM education, homelessness and disability services with small grants. Another area of interest is Japanese culture and language. OFI prioritizes organizations and schools operating in Illinois.
This funder considers applications on a rolling basis via email. From there, it invites applicants to submit full proposals for funding. While this is an accessible funder, particularly for Illinois nonprofits, most of its grants are awarded in amounts under $20,000.
PROFILE: Established in 1989 in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, the Omron Foundation, Inc. (OFI) is the philanthropic offshoot of the U.S. arm of the Japanese multinational electronics company Omron. The foundation makes grants in the areas of education, STEM, public health, disease research, disaster relief, housing and homelessness and arts and culture.
Grants for Higher Education
Education is OFI’s largest area of giving, and institutions of higher education receive the bulk of this funding, with grants going mainly to engineering programs and laboratories. The foundation recently made a grant to the University of California Chico for the establishment of a mechatronics lab that will bear the company’s name. OFI also funded the Omron Senior Design and Robotics Laboratory at the University of Houston’s Cullen College of Engineering and the Omron Design and Automation Laboratory at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois. Other higher education grantees include San Jose State University, Illinois State University, Augustana College, William Rainey Harper College and the electrical engineering program at Kettering University.
Grants for K-12 Education
OFI’s K-12 grantmaking represents a smaller portion of its education funding and focuses on STEM education and Japanese language programs. STEM area grantees include the Academy of Science and Design in Nashua, New Hampshire, a public charter school for grades 6-12, and Hoover Math and Science Academy, a public school serving grades K-6 in Schaumburg Illinois. Through its Japanese Culture initiative, the foundation has supported Japanese language programs at elementary and high schools. At Streamwood High School in Illinois, the foundation supported an international exchange program with a school in Shimane Prefecture in Japan. Other language programs to receive funding include California’s Elk Grove High School, Glenbrook South High School and Thomas Dooley Elementary School, which are both located in Illinois.
Grants for STEM Education
In addition to its higher education and K-12 grantmaking, OFI has funded educational programs and organizations supporting achievement in STEM disciplines. The American Association of University Women received a grant for its Expanding Your Horizons in Science and Mathematics program in Texas, and in Illinois, the foundation supported a FIRST Robotics Competition and out-of-school educational programs at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.
Grants for Public Health
OFI does not outline specific goals for its health program, but has demonstrated a commitment to public health over the years. The foundation has provided ongoing support to Healthcorps, an organization founded by Dr. Mehmet Oz to “educate young people about mental and physical wellness.” The foundation has also provided funding for awareness, educational and preventative programs of the American Heart Association. Other public health grantees include the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago, the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, Avon Breast Cancer Awareness of Illinois, the Respiratory Health Association and the Narconon Drug Prevention Education Program.
Grants for Disease Research
OFI makes a limited number of grants to organizations that support disease research through its health program. Past grantees include the Alzheimer’s Foundation, the American Cancer Society, the Epilepsy Foundation and Lupus Los Angeles.
Grants for Disaster Relief and Humanitarian Aid
OFI names disaster relief as one of its main funding initiatives and supports “critical support for both emergency aid as well as long term rebuilding efforts.” In addition to its own grantmaking, the program matches employee donations to disaster relief causes. Past grantees in this area include the American Red Cross, the Community Foundation of Sonoma County’s Wildfire Resilience Fund, the Rochelle Area Community Foundation and the Salvation Army Emergency and Disaster Relief Fund. OFI has also supported food banks and community foundations that supply basic needs to people affected by disaster, including the Dekalb Community Foundation, the Midwest Food Bank and the Greater Houston Community Foundation.
Grants for Housing and Homelessness
In the area of housing and homelessness, OFI supports housing development, emergency shelter, homeless services and housing for the disabled through its basic needs and disabilities funding programs. In the area of housing development, the foundation has given to chapters of Habitat for Humanity in Houston, Fox Valley, Illinois and Oakland County, Michigan. Grantees working with homeless populations include Lake County Haven, Lamb’s Fold and Palatine Assisting Through Hope, which are all located in the foundation’s home state of Illinois. Disability housing grantees include Chicago’s Little City Foundation, Helping Restore Ability of Texas and the Marklund Home of Geneva, Illinois.
Grants for Arts and Culture
With its parent corporation’s roots in Japan, OFI maintains a funding initiative to share Japanese language and culture with people in the U.S. In Rockford, Illinois, the foundation supported a restoration project at the Anderson Japanese Gardens, and at Chicago’s Jackson Park, the foundation funded the production of digital content that tells the history of Japanese-American relations.
Important Grant Details:
OFI makes approximately $600,000 in grants a year in amounts up to $100,000. The foundation’s average grant size is about $5,000. This funder supports a broad range of national and local organizations, prioritizing the state of Illinois, where it is based. The foundation posts lists of past grantees on its individual focus area pages.
OFI accepts applications from organizations working in its areas of interest throughout the year via email and posts guidelines on its application page. Applicants will be notified if selected to submit a full funding proposal. General inquiries may be sent to foundation staff via online contact form, email or telephone at 224-520-7650.
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