Established with the goal of creating a positive, long-lasting impact on the communities BJ’s serves, the mission of BJ’s Charitable Foundation is to enhance and enrich community programs that primarily benefit children and families. Since its first grant in 2005, BJ’s Charitable Foundation has allocated funds on a quarterly basis, giving more than $5,250,000 to over 500 deserving organizations in the 16 states where BJ’s Clubs are located. The majority of BJ’s Charitable Foundation giving is focused on organizations that:

• Promote the safety, security and well-being of children and families
• Support education and health programs
• Provide community service opportunities
• Aid in hunger and disaster relief

BJ’s Charitable Foundation Grant Recipients

Guidelines for Submitting a Proposal
BJ’s Charitable Foundation welcomes funding proposals that are compatible with our core mission. If you are interested in submitting a grant proposal, please follow the guidelines below:

1. Eligibility
All funding requests must meet the following criteria:

• The proposal must be from an organization that is tax-exempt under 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and recognized as a “public charity” by the IRS.
• The program must align with BJ’s Charitable Foundation’s mission of supporting children and families in the specific areas of safety, security and well-being, education, health, community service, hunger/homelessness and disaster relief.
• The program must positively impact communities where BJ’s Clubs are located.

2. Application Procedure
To be considered at the next scheduled foundation meeting, all required materials must be received by the deadline for that meeting as indicated below. Grant proposals received after this submission deadline will be put on the agenda for the following meeting.

Plase Note: To expedite processing, all organizations are limited to one (1) application per 12-month period. Additional applications will not be considered.

3. Restrictions and Limitations
BJ’s Charitable Foundation does not provide funding for:

• Organizations that discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, national or ethnic origin or physical disability
• Political organizations, fraternal groups or social clubs that engage in any kind of political activity
• Religious organizations, unless they serve the general public in a significant non-denominational way
• Programs that have been in place for less than one (1) year
• Individuals
• Organizations located outside BJ’s markets
• Capital campaigns
• Private foundations
• Sponsorships for music, film and art festivals
• Business expositions/conferences
• Journal or program advertisements

How to Apply

To be considered for funding, all proposals must contain the following information:

1. Contact name, address, phone and fax numbers, and email
2. A brief description (no longer than two (2) pages) of your funding request that includes:
1. The amount of money being requested.
2. An indication for the program for which funding is being requested of:
1. The percentage of funding that will be used toward program expenses
2. The percentage of funding that will be used toward operational expenses
3. Total income from all sources (grants, donations and fundraising) with an indication of percentages used for operational expenses and program expenses
3. Your organization’s history and mission statement
4. A description of the clients who will benefit from your program or service
5. The number of clients who will be impacted
6. A description of what the funds will be used for
7. A description of the community needs your organization or program serves
8. An indication of the success rate of program participants
3. A list of your board of directors, including names, titles and affiliations
4. A copy of your organization’s 501(c)(3) determination letter from the IRS
5. Your organization’s current annual operating budget with income and expenses
6. A project or program budget detailing expenses and anticipated income sources
7. A current list of business and foundation donors and their contribution levels
8. A copy of your organization’s most recent audited financial statement (preferred but not required)
9. For organizations previously awarded funding from BJ’s Charitable Foundation, a report containing the following information is also required:
1. An explanation of the type of program funded
2. A description of the benefiting clients
3. The number of clients impacted
4. The success rate of program participants

Submission Address

Please mail the completed grant application package to:

           BJ’s Charitable Foundation
           P.O. Box 9614
           One Mercer Rd.
           Natick, MA 01760

Due to the high volume of funding requests we receive, we must ask that applicants refrain from calling for status updates as this may delay proposal processing. All complete proposals submitted by the deadline indicated above will receive a written response from BJ’s Charitable Foundation after the grant decision date.

BJ’s Charitable Foundation receives far more contribution requests than can possibly be honored and, as a result, cannot support every qualified grant application. Please accept the Foundation’s best wishes for success in your fundraising efforts.

BJ’s Charitable Foundation reserves the right to change relevant dates and other descriptive material without notice.

The BJ’s Charitable Foundation is a donor advised fund at a national public charity. All contributions to the BJ’s Charitable Foundation go directly to the public charity which sponsors the donor advised fund and all grants from the donor advised fund are made at the recommendation of the BJ’s Charitable Foundation and its delegates and at the discretion of the sponsoring charity.

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