Eligibility Requirements

Please Note: As of January 2013, all applications are considered on an invitation-only basis.  To see if you are eligible to apply, please contact your Community Relations Manager

As a matter of policy, the Verizon Foundation does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, age, religion, national or ethnic origin or physical disability.  As a company with a highly diverse workforce serving an equally diverse set of customers, Verizon through its Foundation, supports a wide range of programs through direct and matching grants that benefit diverse communities, including minorities, veterans, gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender and others.  The Verizon Foundation expects all of its grant recipients to comply with all applicable laws, including those governing tax-exempt status and non-discrimination laws. 

Furthermore, all organizations must:

• Not duplicate or significantly overlap the work of public agencies on the federal, state or local level.
• Keep books available for regular independent outside audit and make the results available to all potential contributors.
• Comply with applicable laws regarding registration and reporting.
• Observe the highest standards of business conduct in its relationships with the public.

To be considered for an invitation, an organization must be:

• Classified by the Internal Revenue Service as a tax-exempt charity under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code AND are further classified as a public charity under section 509(a)(1)-509(a)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, as follows:
  • Section 509(a)(1) – Organizations described in section 170(b)(1)(A) clauses (i) – (vi):
    • 170(b)(1)(A)(i) - Church, provided that the grant will benefit a large portion of a community without regard to religious affiliation and does not duplicate the work of other agencies in the community.
    • 170(b)(1)(A)(ii) – School.
    • 170(b)(1)(A)(iii) - Hospital or medical research organization.
    • 170(b)(1)(A)(iv) - Organization which operates for benefit of college or university and is owned or operated by a governmental unit.
    • 170(b)(1)(A)(v) - Governmental unit.
    • 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) - Organization which receives a substantial part of its support from a governmental unit or the general public.
  • Section 509(a)(2) - Organizations that normally receives no more than one-third of its support from gross investment income and unrelated business income and at the same time more than one-third of its support from contributions, fees, and gross receipts related to exempt purposes.
  • Section 509(a)(3) - Organizations operated solely for the benefit of and in conjunction with organizations described in the previous seven items.
• An elementary or secondary school (public or private) registered with the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), providing that the grant is not for the sponsorship of a field trip.

Application Guidelines:

Applications submitted to the Verizon Foundation for consideration should abide by the following guidelines:

• Grant funds may not be used for real property or plant capital purchases.
• At least 85% of the total grant funds must be comprised of direct costs (costs that are directly attributable to the project.)
  • Accordingly, indirect costs must be no more than 10-15% of the total grant funds.
    (See grant application for further details on classifying direct vs. indirect costs.)
• IT-related purchases (Hardware and Software) should total no more than 20% of the grant’s total direct costs.

Any applications that do not meet these guidelines will require detailed justification and involve an exception approval to be considered.

The Verizon Foundation does not provide funding for any of the following:

• Individuals.
• Private charity or foundation.
• Organizations not exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and not eligible for tax-deductible support.
• Religious organizations, unless the particular program will benefit a large portion of a community without regard to religious affiliation and does not duplicate the work of other agencies in the community.
• Political causes, candidates, organizations or campaigns.
• Organizations whose primary purpose is to influence legislation.
• Endowments or capital campaigns.
• Sports sponsorships.
• Performing arts tours.
• Association memberships.
• Organizations that have received a grant from the Verizon Foundation in the last three consecutive years - organization may reapply after a one-year hiatus.

Due to federal regulations we cannot give cash grants intended for the payment of Verizon Products or Services.