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PLEASE NOTE: The Sons of Italy Foundation (SIF) will not be receiving or approving grants until further notice.
The SIF will, however, continue its ongoing support of several principal charities and causes, including the Cooley's Anemia Foundation (CAF), the Alzheimer's Association, the American Cancer Society's Coaches vs. Cancer, the University of Minnesota Immigration History Research Center, the Garibaldi Meucci Museum, the Rienzi Foundation for Cochlear Implant Research, and annual scholarships to our Italian American students nationwide. SIF Trustees also pledged substantial support for the National 9-11 Memorial & Museum, while considering several other major requests for funding at a recent board meeting.
SIF Current Grant-Making Priorities | What the SIF Does Not Fund | Review and Award Procedures | Funding Level | How to Apply for a Grant
Cultural Preservation and Advancement
Organizations and institutions that preserve, nurture, and promote Italian and Italian American culture.
Projects that increase the understanding and appreciation of Italian Americans and other ethnic and minority groups and their contributions to American society and culture.
Education
Scholarships, research funds, and program support to organizations working directly in Italian American studies, Italian archeology, language, literature, science and architecture, as well as international education
Initiatives that promote the study of Italian language, literature, history and society in American high schools, colleges and universities
Projects that enhance the understanding of international affairs
Special Project Grants
The Foundation occasionally provides limited grants that are not directly related to the previously stated priority areas, but which are national or international in scope
Individuals, except for academic study through the SIF annual scholarship competition.
Government agencies and foreign countries
Political and election campaigns
Advertising campaigns, membership campaigns, propaganda or lobbying to influence legislation
The advancement of religious groups and denominations
Research or other activities designed for the financial benefit of the applicant or individuals employed by the applicant
More than one project from any organization in one calendar year
Endowments
The Sons of Italy Foundation accepts grant applications on an ongoing basis. For consideration by the committee, complete application packets must arrive by mail by the deadline specified above.
Those meeting the criteria are subject to further review by the SIF's Grant Review Committee, which is appointed by the foundation's Board of Trustees. The committee recommends selected applications to the full Board of Trustees for consideration and approval. The Board meets twice per year by trust agreement, generally in the spring (May) and fall (October/November).
Applicants are strongly encouraged to send at least six copies of the application and supplementary materials for the committee.
Personal and telephone contact by applicants with program officers while an application is under consideration is discouraged. Questions specifically dealing with the application process or exact deadlines should be directed to the SIF PRIOR to submitting an application.
Grant recipients will be informed in a letter from the SIF approximately one month after review, and are expected to comply with all the conditions set forth in the formal notice of grant award. These conditions will include the need for timely program reports and detailed explanations of expenditures of grant proceeds. Funds not expended by the grantee in accordance with its grant proposal must be promptly returned to the Foundation.
The Sons of Italy Foundation funds as many proposals as are feasible within budgetary guidelines. Grant sizes generally range from $1,000 to $15,000, but can exceed these amounts. Grants outside this range, if any, are usually from funds provided by a donor and specified for a particular program or project or are a result of SIF-sponsored fund-raising activities for specific organizations or projects.
Please call the SIF at 202-547-2900 or e-mail sif@osia.org to request an application. (Please do not forget to include your mailing address in your email.) Complete the grant application and return with any supporting materials by the appropriate deadline.
Information Required on Application Form:
Brief history of the organization and a description of its goals, objectives, past accomplishments and current projects
Amount requested and a budget detailing how the grant funds will be utilized. Also, indicate if an amount less that that requested will be acceptable and, if so, name the alternative sources from which the balance of the funds needed may be derived.
Detailed listing of other contributors to the project
Description of the problem, how it will be met by the proposal and if the organization will be competing or cooperating with other organizations
Plans for monitoring and evaluation
Plans to secure continuing operating funds if the project is of an ongoing nature
Biographies of key project personnel
Complete financial statements (audited if available) for the organization's past two year fiscal years, or portion thereof if the organization has been in existence less than two years, including separate disclosure of total salaries, fund-raising costs, and other administrative expenses
Federal tax returns, upon request
Current operating statements for the organization and current budget information for the organization or projects as applicable
Salaries of those involved with the project or program
If the request is for project funding, total cost of the project and timetable for its completion