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Frequently Asked Questions

The following are answers to questions the McGowan Charitable Fund has received over the recent past.

Grant Application Deadlines

Q. Are there deadlines for the filing of grant applications?

A. Yes. The Board of Directors considers grant requests at three Board sessions each year - March, July and November. Deadlines for those sessions are January 2, May 1, and September 1, of each year. While grant applications must be received in the Fund office by those deadlines, we encourage you to send them in advance of those dates.

Q. Does the grant application have to be postmarked on deadline date or received by the McGowan Fund on the deadline date?

A. The grant application and supporting material (2 copies) must arrive at the McGowan Fund office by the deadline date. The deadline dates are available within this web site as well as on page 2 of the grant application. Grants received after those dates will be held over for consideration at the next Board meeting.


Q.We are late in preparing our grant application and need to overnight it. Can we send it by FedEx, UPS, etc?

A. Yes, you may overnight your package. We are able to receive overnight deliveries during normal business hours.~ back to top ~

General Questions

Q.Can we file a grant application via the Internet?

A.No. Grant applications require the addition of supporting information that the Board needs to make its judgements. Applications should be mailed along with the completed and signed grant application to the Fund's address:

The McGowan Charitable Fund
212 North Sangamon Suite 1A
Chicago, IL 60607.

Q.Are there any non-profit activities that the Board of the McGowan Fund does not fund.

A. Yes, the Fund will only make grants to those activities covered in our grant guidelines. For instance, it generally does not entertain requests for funding of arts, theatrical activities, building funds, church renovation campaigns.


Q. Is a McGowan Charitable Fund grant application necessary?

A. Yes, the McGowan Fund requires that every request for a contribution be made through the Fund's formal grant application. The application also indicates the supporting material that must accompany a request. Applications should be downloaded at this web site. Should you need a hard copy mailed to you, please contact our office.


Q. Do you have any preferences for the style of grant application submissions?

A. The material needed to judge grants is specified on the application. Be certain that two copies of the supporting material required in Item 9, are included in the submission. The McGowan Fund prefers not to receive bound or extravagant submissions.


Q. Can interested observers attend your board meetings?

A. The Board of Directors prefers to discuss grant considerations among its own members and since such discussion often involve policy considerations and decisions, it does not encourage outside attendance.


Q. Our organization is trying to build up an endowment to fund its future needs. Can we apply to the McGowan Fund for such support.

A.No, the McGowan Fund does not make grants to endowment funds of organizations or educational institutions.


Q. How often can an organization apply to the McGowan Fund for grants.

A. The Fund will give only one grant per year to any organization and generally prefers giving for only three consecutive years to a single organization.


Q. Does the McGowan Charitable Fund give grants to individuals?

A. No, the Fund cannot give grants to individuals. Its by-laws limit contributions to non- profit organizations with 501( c) 3 status from the Internal Revenue Service.


Q. We need funds to build a site to house our early learning center for inner-city disabled children. Are building funds included in your guidelines for grants?

A. The McGowan Charitable Fund does not generally provide building funds for inner-city programs.


Q. We have completed our grant application and will send by your deadline. However, our accountants won't have the financial report until next month. Will our grant still be considered at your meeting?

A.Yes, if the grant application is submitted by the deadline, the grant will be considered at the next meeting of the Board of Directors. A letter explaining the delay in availability of the financial statement should be included with the application.


Q. We would like someone from your organization to visit our site to see first-hand what we are doing; can you arrange for someone to visit?

A.If you would like someone to visit your site, you may make such a request. However, please bear in mind that our foundation makes grants throughout the country and it is impossible to visit every program. We attempt to make as many site visits as possible, but cannot guarantee that we will be able to accommodate every request.


Q. Can you provide the name & phone number of your board member living in our area?

A. Members of our Board have busy schedules in their communities and we prefer that they not receive direct inquiries from those seeking grants. Visits can be arranged through the foundation office.


Q. We need $500,000 for our program but, of course, would be happy with whatever amount you can give. Should we list the entire $500,000 on the application as the amount requested or should we list a lesser amount in the hope that it will get a more favorable consideration?

A.The Fund would prefer that you indicate a sum you are requesting from our foundation. The Board will consider the request and make a determination of whether to fulfill that need or any portion of it.


Q. We are waiting for the IRS to send our 501(c)3 documentation. Should we send our grant application now or wait until we get the IRS documentation?

A.You are welcome to file a grant application, accompanied by a letter indicating you are awaiting IRS approval of your 501(c)3 status. However, no grant will be paid until the exemption certification is received by the Fund.


Q. Where can I look at a copy of your IRS filings?

A. A copy of our 990-PF is available at the McGowan Charitable Fund office. It also is available through a number of organizations that service non-profit organizations with online information such as The Foundation 1000, The Foundation Directory, FC Search, The Foundation Center or Guidestar.


Q. What are our reporting responsibilities after we have been awarded a grant?

A. The only formal reporting requirement is a final report, due for completion on the first anniversary of the grant. The final report form is generally included with the grant award. If you do not have a form, it is easily obtainable at the Fund office.

Geographic Guidelines

Q. Our organization is not headquartered within your geographic guidelines but we do have offices in areas in which you give. Would we be eligible for grant funds? 

A. No, you would not be eligible. The McGowan Fund currently receives more grant requests from organization headquarters within our approved areas than it has resources to fulfill. Therefore, we cannot give to outside groups. Local offices are free to request funds for local purposes.

Q. Are all grant requests subject to the Fund's geographic restrictions?

A. Applications for assistance to youth and disability programs and for medical research are subject to those restrictions. However, The McGowan Scholars applications, open to accredited college or university business schools, are not covered by the geographic restrictions.


Q. Why do you confine your grants to 10 specific areas of the country?

A. The McGowan Fund is governed by a Board of Directors whose members live in those geographic areas. Unlike many foundations, we do not have program officers who weigh grant requests. Members of our Board of Directors make the evaluation of which programs to fund and they follow those programs during the grant period. Since these directors are volunteers, the Fund can only ask them to overview projects in their areas of the country.


Q. Our organization is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, but our program is in Venezuela -- are we considered in your geographic region?

A. No, your program would not be considered as being within our geographic area. The McGowan Fund does not make grants for programs in any foreign countries regardless of where the sponsoring organization is headquartered.


Q. Our organization is headquartered in Utah, but our programs affect people in California, Illinois, Washington, DC, as well as Utah. Are we considered within your geographic region?

A. No, we are sorry but only organization headquarters within our geographic guidelines are eligible for grants. We received more requests from groups within those areas than we can support so we must maintain these limitations. In addition to this final report, members of the foundation's Board of Director may call on you for an interim report.

McGowan Scholars

Q. What funding does the McGowan Charitable Fund have available at the college level?

A. The only college level program available through the Fund is the McGowan Scholars program for tuition assistance for students at colleges and universities with accredited business schools. The schools themselves select the scholarship students and administer these scholarships.


Q. May individuals apply for the McGowan Scholar financial aid?

A. No, individuals may not apply. McGowan Scholar awards are made only to colleges and universities that are accredited by the AACSB or the ACBSP. These are awarded once a year at the Board's January meeting; deadline for receipt of applications from schools is September 15.


Q. Are McGowan Scholar applications subject to the Fund's geographic guidelines.

A. No, there are no geographic restrictions on McGowan Scholars applications.

Q. What are the school accreditation requirements?

A. Schools accepted in the McGowan Scholars program ust be accredited (or in the process of being accredited) by either the AACSB (American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business), or the ACBSP (Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs).


Q. Is there a special grant application form for the McGowan Scholars program?

A. Yes, there is a specific application for the McGowan Scholars. Please download the McGowan Scholars Guidelines and Application from this website.

Building Funds

Q. Does the McGowan Charitable Fund contribute to building funds?

A. The McGowan Fund generally does not give to building funds. On rare occasions it will do so when the Board chooses to make an exception for a specific project.