American Express Foundation

Overview: Grants are awarded in three program areas: Community Service, Cultural Heritage, and Economic Independence. Most grants are made for projects operating in locations where the company has a major employee or market presence (see below).

Grant making in Community Service involves American Express employees and advisors. In addition to local grant making, each year Amex make several major grants in the Cultural Heritage and Economic Independence theme areas, which serve as national or international models and which have the ability to be replicated in many local communities. The Economic Independence program is also a major theme for the corporate giving program which is much more alligned with the company's business interests.

See the corporate contributions program profile for more information on the company's complete giving program.

NOTE: Recently the corporation spun off its Minnesota-based mutual funds and investor services component. The new company, Ameriprise has it own funding programs and priorities.

NOTE: The foundation recently announced that Tim McClimon has been named the new president and CEO of the American Express Foundation. Most recently, Tim was the CEO of a small New York-based theatre company. However, most people will remember Tim as the past president of the AT&T Foundation where he was heavily involved in the arts and education funding.

• Aging:
• Animals/Wildlife, Welfare:
• Arts & Culture, Cultural Heritage: Funding that protects important natural and man-made cultural or historic sites around the world, and that also supports art and culture unique to countries and regions.
• Arts & Culture, Cultural/Ethnic Awareness:
• Arts & Culture, Culture & Humanities:
• Arts & Culture, Literature:
• Community Service: Funding includes employee volunteer activities, support to local United Ways, and grants to the American Red Cross and other relief agencies.
• Crime/violence prevention:
• Crime/violence prevention, domestic violence:
• Diseases/Disabilities, AIDS/HIV Services & Research:
• Education, Adult Education, Financial Literacy:
• Education, Adult Education, Literacy, Basic Skills, GEDs:
• Employment, Job Training:
• Employment, Vocational education:
• Employment, Workforce Development:
• Environment:
• Family Services:
• Gay/Lesbian Issues and Services:
• Libraries, public:
• Museums, Art:
• Museums, History:
• Performing Arts:
• Race/Intergroup Relations:
• Visual Arts:
• Women & Girls:
• Women & Minority Business Development & Opportunities:
• Women's Economic Empowerment:
• Youth Development, Services:

Sample Grants
$ 25,000 to A Better Chance of New York , New York , NY
$ 20,000 to A+ For Kids Teacher Network , Trenton , NJ
$ 10,000 to African American Heritage Foundation , Stanford , IA
$ 130,000 to Aid to Artisans , Hartford , CT
$ 7,000 to Al-Amal School , Fridley , MN
$ 7,500 to Alzheimer's Association of the National Capital Area , Fairfax , VA
$ 8,000 to American College , Bryn Mawr , PA
$ 10,000 to American Indian College Fund , Denver , CO
$ 5,000 to American Kennel Club Companion Animal Recovery Corporation , New York , NY
$ 25,000 to American Woman's Economic Development Corp , New York , NY
$ 5,000 to Annunciation School , Minneapolis , MN
$ 5,000 to Arizona Equine Rescue Organization , Scottsdale , AZ
$ 41,704 to Associated Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore , Baltimore , MD
$ 10,000 to Atlanta Day Shelter for Women and Children , GA
$ 5,500 to Beaver Creek Arts Foundation , Avon , CO
$ 2,550 to Boston Center for Adult Education , Boston , MA
$ 100,000 to Broad Confidence in Women
$ 20,000 to Broward Partnership for the Homeless , FL
$ 25,000 to Broward Public Library Foundation , Fort Lauderdale , FL
$ 30,000 to Catholic Community Services of Utah , Salt Lake City , UT
$ 10,000 to Center Against Spouse Abuse , Saint Petersburg , FL
$ 5,040 to Chicago Zoological Society , Chicago , IL
$ 5,000 to Clare Housing , St. Paul , MN
$ 10,000 to Coalition for the Homeless , IL
$ 15,000 to Coastal Enterprises , Wiscasset , ME http://www.ceimaine.org/
$ 29,000 to Community Action Committee of Pike County , Piketon , OH
$ 24,900 to Community Services Council of Utah , Salt Lake City , UT
$ 10,000 to Corporate Alliance to End Partner Violence , Bloomington , IL
$ 20,000 to Council of Senior Centers and Services of New York City , NY
$ 10,000 to Cray Youth & Family Services , New Castle , PA
$ 10,000 to FareStart , Seattle , WA
$ 6,000 to Food Bank of Western Massachusetts , Hatfield , MA
$ 5,061 to Friends School of Baltimore , Baltimore , MD
$ 7,200 to Gilmour Academy , Gates Mill , OH
$ 5,000 to Greenbacks Bringing Hope Foundation , Salt Lake City , UT
$ 5,000 to Henry Francis DuPont Winterthur Museum , Winterthur , DE
$ 20,000 to Horticultural Society of New York , New York , NY
$ 10,000 to Houston Food Bank , TX
$ 30,000 to Human Services Program of Carroll County , Westminster , MD
$ 10,000 to Independent Living Resource Center San Francisco , CA
$ 6,100 to Institute for Educational Achievement , New Milford , NJ
$ 10,000 to Jersey Battered Women's Service , Morristown , NJ
$ 8,000 to Jewish Federation of Greater Cleveland , Cleveland , OH
$ 15,000 to Jobs for America's Graduates , Alexandria , VA
$ 5,000 to JumpStart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy , Washington , DC
$ 8,000 to Kindering Center , Bellevue , WA
$ 10,000 to LEAD Program in Business , New York , NY
$ 5,000 to LULAC National Educational Service Centers , Washington , DC
$ 10,000 to Maryland Hospitality Education Foundation , Columbia , MD
$ 10,000 to Massachusetts Association of Council on Aging and Senior Center Directors , MA
$ 30,000 to Mi Casa Resource Center for Women , Denver , CO
$ 5,865 to Mohonk Preserve , New Paltz , NY
$ 4,400 to Mount Holyoke College , South Hadley , MA
$ 5,025 to Nature Conservancy of Minnesota , Minneapolis , MN
$ 30,000 to Neighborhood Housing Services of Connecticut , New Britain , CT
$ 50,000 to New Jersey Family Advocate Management , Trenton , NJ
$ 50,000 to New Jersey Immigration Policy Network , Newark , NJ
$ 15,000 to New York City Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project , New York , NY
$ 25,000 to New York Public Library , New York , NY
$ 100,000 to Northern Virginia Family Service , Falls Church , VA
$ 5,000 to Ogden Weber Applied Technology Center Foundation , Ogden , UT
$ 10,000 to Olive Crest Treatment Centers , Santa Ana , CA
$ 8,000 to Open Water Women's Sailing Organization , Hoboken , NJ
$ 8,000 to Padua Franciscan High School , Parma , OH
$ 6,200 to Pathway Family Center , Southfield , MI
$ 30,000 to Pocatello Neighborhood Housing Services , Pocatello , ID
$ 15,000 to Prevent Child Abuse Georgia , Atlanta , GA
$ 5,000 to Public Education Network (PEN) , Washington , DC
$ 10,000 to Rhode Island Hospitality and Tourism Education Foundation , Warwick , RI
$ 15,000 to Saint Mary Food Bank (AZ) , AZ
$ 5,000 to Seattle Public Schools , Seattle , WA
$ 15,000 to Share Our Strength , Washington , DC
$ 15,000 to Sojourner Center , Phoenix , AZ
$ 10,000 to Southern New Hampshire School-to-Careers Partnership , Nashau , NH
$ 10,000 to Tabor Community Services , Lancaster , PA
$ 15,000 to Tree Utah , Salt Lake City , UT
$ 5,600 to US Catholic Conference , Cranston , RI
$ 3,000 to United Way of Central Massachusetts , Worchester , MA
$ 30,000 to University of Kansas at Kansas City , Kansas City , KS Medical Center Research Institute
$ 30,000 to Warren-Conner Development Coalition , Detroit , MI
$ 10,000 to Wisconsin Women's Business Initiative Corporation , Milwaukee , WI
$ 5,985 to Women Venture , St. Paul , MN
$ 28,000 to Women's Business Development Center of Connecticut , Stamford , CT
$ 15,000 to Women's Housing & Economic Development Corporation , New York , NY
$ 10,000 to Women's Venture Fund , New York , NY
$ 4,902 to World Learning , Brattleboro , VT
$ 25,000 to World Wildlife Fund, Philippines , Philippines
$ 10,000 to Wyoming Lodging and Restaurant Association Education Foundation , Cheyenne , WY
$ 20,000 to Young Women's Christian Association of the City of New York , New York , NY

Application Procedures:: To apply for funding, please prepare a hard-copy proposal in the form of a letter, no more than one to three pages in length, which clearly states the following information:

Name and address of organization.

Contact person, title, phone and fax numbers, and e-mail address.
Funds requested.

Geographic area served by organization or proposed project.

A description of the project, including goals, beneficiaries, implementation plan, expected outcomes and timeline.

A detailed project budget.

Plans for evaluating results.

History of any previous support from the American Express Company.

Please note: Only proposals typed, signed and in hard-copy format will be reviewed. Please do not submit electronic requests for grants.

Attachments

U.S. organizations must include the following:

A valid, current copy of the Internal Revenue Service Federal tax-exempt letter showing 501(c)(3) and 509(a)(1), (2) or (3) status.

Latest audited financial statement.

Members of the board of directors or similar governing body, including their business affiliations.

Latest annual report. If not available, provide background information on the organization, its mission, track record and accomplishments.

Current funding sources, including a list of contributors (for organization and project).

Non-U.S. organizations will be asked to provide documentation that they are charitable institutions.

Submitting a Grant Application

All applications must be submitted in hard-copy format in order to be considered for a grant.

Contact Information

If your organization is located in one of the 6 locations listed below, and your grant funds a project that specifically benefits only the members of that community, please send your proposal to one of the contacts listed here.

Phoenix, Arizona
Jo Ellen L. Lynn
Manager, Community Affairs
American Express Company
20022 N. 31st Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85027
Deadline Dates: March 1, May 1 and August 1

South Florida (Ft. Lauderdale & Miami)
Stacey L. Orange
Director, Corporate Affairs & Communications
American Express Company
777 American Expressway
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33337
Deadline Dates: January 15, April 15 and August 15

New York, New York
Cheryl P. Green – Cultural Heritage
Manager, Philanthropic Program
American Express Tower
World Financial Center
New York, NY 10285-4804

Terry Savage – Economic Independence
Director, Philanthropic Program
American Express Tower
World Financial Center
New York, NY 10285-4804

Angela C. Woods – Community Service
Director, Philanthropic Program
American Express Tower
World Financial Center
New York, NY 10285-4804
Deadline Dates: March 31 and August 31

Greensboro, North Carolina
Laura T. Rhodes
Sr. Community Affairs Specialist
American Express Cards
7701 Airport Center Drive
Greensboro, NC 27409-9047
Deadline Dates: January 15 and July 15

Salt Lake City, Utah
Dorothy Anderson
Public Affairs
American Express Company
4315 South 2700 West
Salt Lake City, UT 84184
Deadline Dates: February 28 and July 31

Grants Paid

1999 ($27,800,000 )

2000 ($29,700,000 )

2001 ($29,800,000 )

2002 ($32,000,000 )

2003 ($28,109,000 )

2005 ($19,693,910 )

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