Events & Education

Organizations must be registered 501(c)3 nonprofit, charitable organizations which directly benefit children.

The grant application should be completed by the nonprofit organization requesting the grant. The sponsoring Funeral Home must be listed on the grant application where indicated, including contact information.

Participating Funeral Homes may solicit local children’s-focused nonprofits in its community to apply for grants. By including its contact information and other required information (see next question) where indicated, the Funeral Home acts as the sponsoring organization for the charity’s application.

Sponsoring a charity’s grant application is simple. The Funeral Home must provide a letter on the Funeral Home’s letterhead stating (1) why this organization deserves the grant; and (2) how this organization helps kids in the community.

The grants may be requested for any purpose related to providing benefits for children, but preference will be given to requests seeking to fund programming which directly benefits children. For example, a grant application requesting funds to create a reading program will be given preference over an application to purchase furniture or fund operational expenses.

A Funeral Home can sponsor as many charities as it would like, provided that the charities are 501(c)3 charitable organizations directly benefitting children.

A grant application can be obtained from a participating Funeral Home or via Matthews’ website http://matw.com/memorialization/our-company/matthews-childrens-foundation. Participating Funeral Homes may also obtain grant applications via the website or from its Funeral Sales Consultant.

As stated in the ‘Grant Application’ form the organization must be tax-exempt. They must provide: (1) a copy of the 501(c)3 letter from the IRS stating that the organization has been approved as a 501(c)3 organization; and (2) a completed IRS Form 990 or 990EZ. In addition, the grant application must be completed in full. Incomplete applications will be rejected, and the organization may reapply during the next grant period. Matthews Children’s Foundation’s goal is to provide grants to small, community-based children’s nonprofit organizations that are often overlooked in the distribution of federal funding and large corporate contributions.

No. If the application is incomplete, it will be rejected and the charity may reapply with a complete application during the next grant period.

Only the information requested on the grant application is necessary. Please include a thorough explanation regarding the intended use for the requested funds where indicated on the application.

A charity may apply every grant period if it chooses. However, only one application per organization per grant period will be considered. A new application must be submitted for each grant period.

Your organization may qualify if its primary purpose is to benefit children. Additionally, MCF does not provide grants to organizations that influence legislation, support political candidates, or intervene in political activities.

April 30, 2016

August 30, 2016

December 31, 2016

Effective January 1, 2016, all grants are awarded in the set amount of $1,000 per grant.

The check is distributed to the Matthews Aurora Funeral Sales Consultant, who will contact the sponsoring Funeral Home to advise it of the award. The FSC will work with the Funeral Home to schedule a check presentation with the winning charitable organization. The charitable organization is also notified by mail of its award so it may follow up with the sponsoring Funeral Home. The sponsoring Funeral Home receives a copy of this letter.

Charities not receiving grants will also receive a letter notifying them they were not selected. The sponsoring Funeral Home receives a copy of this letter.

Matthews provides a free media relations tool kit to its participating Funeral Home customers. Request one from your Funeral Sales Consultant today.