The Mission 

The mission of the Edward A. St. John Foundation is to provide financial assistance to formal education programs through the high school level that primarily supports children from financially disadvantaged backgrounds.  The Foundation is rooted in the belief that education has the power to transform lives and strengthen communities.

Types of Grants 

The following types of grant requests that comply with the Foundation’s mission will be considered:

• Programmatic support
• Scholarships
• Capital grants
• Endowment (only in certain circumstances such as an endowed scholarship)

The following types of grant requests are not priorities of the Foundation:

• Annual fund solicitations, annual giving campaigns
• Ongoing, operating expenses

The Foundation will only make grants to tax-exempt 501(c)3 institutions and organizations and does not award grants to individuals, or for deficit financing, travel or loans.

 Areas of Interest & Priority

The members of the Contributions Committee are dedicated to:

• Promoting the development of fuller human potential and achievement of self-sufficiency through educational opportunities
• Strengthening organizations, educational institutions and their facilities to provide greater access and more effective services in relation to formal education programs;
• Helping to facilitate continuum of services that would result in the greatest impact for participants and overall organizational results by providing funding for programs and services among various nonprofit organizations with similar missions; promoting a reduction in duplication of services while encouraging working relationships and “partnerships”; and
• Providing consideration of support for those causes that inherently espouse a similar mission, as well as related goals, beliefs and values of St. John Properties and the Edward A. St. John Foundation.

The Foundation will give consideration to:

• Public and private educational institutions seeking to improve excellence of academic programs and to provide access for the less affluent to pursue educational opportunities; and
• Community and service organizations seeking to reach the underserved, disadvantaged and “at-risk” populations in order to help them achieve fuller participation as contributing members of the community and society through formal education program;

Guidelines

Each applicant is requested to fill out an application form as well as to submit one copy of the following information:

• Current IRS determination letter of tax-exempt status under section 501(c)3 and/or foundation classification under section 509(a);
• Most recent audit financial statement;
• Current operating budget;
• Projected operating budget for each year in which funding is requested;
• List of current Board and Committee members and their professional affiliations; and
• Pertinent supportive materials.

All requests for support must be submitted through the Edward A. St. John Foundation.  Incomplete requests will be returned.

A site visit may be requested after the full proposal has been received by the Foundation prior to Contributions Committee request review.

The Contributions Committee reviews grant applications quarterly to determine if the request for funding falls within the mission and meets the scope of interest and Guidelines.  Proposal submission deadlines are one month prior to each Committee meeting as follows:

If for any reason, the meeting must be postponed, it will be rescheduled as close to the original schedule as possible.  Applicants will be notified of any action that the Contributions Committee may take, usually within two weeks of the Contributions Committee meeting.

In order to stimulate the development of a wider base of support, the Foundation encourages requests for challenge grants requiring matching fund contributions.

Funding approval depends on the strength of the request, the nature of other requests, compliance with the mission, current commitments, and available funds of the Foundation for that fiscal year.  Grants are usually awarded on a one-time basis.  In certain circumstances, however, the Foundation may consider multiple-year funding.  Grantees should not assume that approval of a grant implies commitment for ongoing future support.

Once approved, the Committee and the applicant will agree on the term of the payment of the grant.  Most grants will be made through incremental payments during the year and be tied to the progress and impact of the program.  The Foundation reserves the right to monitor the status of the project during the grant period and to withhold payments of the grant should the grantee not comply with or fall short of the specified goals and objectives as set forth in the grant request.

Periodic site visits may be requested by the Foundation during the year to access the program status as it relates to the funding.

If a grant is awarded, the recipient will be required to submit periodic update reports, as deemed appropriate, in relation to the status of the program and progress that is being made as a result of the funding received.  A final report is required and must be received prior to the last payment on the grant.  The synopsis should include a narrative progress report, full accounting of expenditures and evaluation of the impact, results and effectiveness of the grant in relation to the program, its participants and overall operations, as well as other pertinent information. 

If a request is either funded or denied, the Foundation will not accept additional requests by the same organization or its affiliates for a minimum of one year.

The Foundation reserves the right to review all materials, press releases, announcements, etc. in relation to the grant prior to any release or publication.

Criteria for Selection

The following information will be used as a basis for evaluation of the request for funding:

Demonstration of need and clearly-defined objectives;

• Evidence of strong fiscal management and ongoing operational support;
• Extent of benefit and impact as a result of the grant/funding;
• Capability of organization and personnel to achieve expected goals;
• Determination that project is non-duplicative;
• Plan for self-sufficiency in relation to funding of the program after a finite period (within 3 years);
• Criteria for measuring success of the program or area in which funding is being sought;
• Availability of other sources of financial support, demonstration of potential for stimulating new sources of financial support; and
• Demonstration of working relationships / “partnerships” with other organizations for continuum of services (as applicable).

The Contributions Committee regrets that, although it would like to support many of the worthy requests submitted before it, the Foundation is bound by a fiscal year budget within which it complies.

History

St. John Properties, Inc., formerly MIE Properties, was founded in 1971 by Edward A. St. John.  Under his leadership, St. John Properties has grown substantially into a full-service real estate company that owns, manages and has developed nearly 13 million square feet of commercial real estate throughout the country, including research and development / flex, warehouse, office, retail space, as well as a number of mixed-use communities.

As the Company continued to grow, so did Mr. St. John’s commitment and dedication to giving back to the community.  In 1998, he established a charitable committee within the Company to focus on educational enrichment for children and other worthwhile causes.

To date, more than $41 million has been pledged and donated through out-right contributions and gifts-in-kind to over 300 educational, medical, philanthropic, and other nonprofit organizations throughout the Baltimore/Washington region. The Foundation is proud to have provided support to organizations such as: American Heart Association, Baltimore Reads, Bowie State University, Casey Cares Foundation, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Hospice of Baltimore, House of Ruth, Howard Community College, Johns Hopkins University, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Kennedy Krieger, Little Sisters of the Poor, Living Classrooms, Loyola High School, Marine Corp Toys for Tots, Maryland Science Center, McDonogh School, Mount St. Joseph High School, My Brothers Keeper, Notre Dame Preparatory School, Operation Warm, Opportunity Builders, Pride of Baltimore, Ronald McDonald House, Severn School, Southwest Emergency Services, Special Olympics Maryland, The Family Tree, Towson University, University of Maryland Medical Systems, and many other worthy organizations.

St. John Properties, Mr. St. John and the Contributions Committee will continue to work hand in hand to help build local communities and advance the company’s corporate citizenship, thereby illustrating an important company credo: Doing Well By Doing Good.

Request Submission

Guidelines that have been developed to assist in the preparation of your request for support. Please read the instructions carefully and submit the completed application to:

Edward A. St. John Foundation, Inc.
Attention: Sharon L. Akers, Executive Director
2560 Lord Baltimore Drive
Baltimore, MD  21244

Click here for an Application for Funding.

Questions?

For more information, please contact Sharon Akers at 410.788.0100, Ext. 273.