Foundation Giving Focus
The Macy's Foundation focuses giving primarily in the areas of education, arts/culture, women's issues, HIV/AIDS, and programs to assist youth and minorities. Applicants seeking funding for programs or projects that directly benefit one or more of these areas of strategic focus should make that clear on their applications.

The Macy's Foundation is among the nation's largest givers to the United Way. This is the principal conduit for contributions from Federated to health and human services initiatives, particularly those unrelated to the Foundation's areas of strategic focus (e.g., breast cancer, ovarian/cervical cancers, domestic violence, HIV/AIDS). As a general rule, health and human services organizations that receive United Way funding will not receive additional separate funding from the Macy's Foundation.

Additionally, the Macy's Foundation does not fund the following:

• Individuals;
• Private foundations;
• Fraternal organizations;
• Political or advocacy groups;
• Requests for event or program sponsorships;
• Non-profit agencies operating primarily in communities where Federated does not do business;
• Non-profit entities not located and operating primarily in the U.S.;
• Charities whose focus and operations are primarily international;
• Religious organizations when funding is to be used for primarily religious purposes;
• Salary for non-profit staffing;
• Fiscal agents and other "umbrella" organizations that provide funding to non-profits.

Application Process

• To begin the application process, your organization must be invited to apply to the online process by a contributions contact of the company. We are unable to accept "unsolicited" applications. Organizations should contact the division that operates a store in their geographic area. If you are unsure of which division is appropriate for your funding request -- or if you have not had the opportunity to speak to the contributions contact in your market area, please submit a brief e-mail giving us your address, your organization's mission, and a brief description of the request for funding to Foundationapps@fds.com. Your e-mail will be forwarded to the appropriate division for review. You will then be invited to apply online or you will be notified that your request does not match the strategic focus of the Foundation. We do ask that no requests are submitted by mail.

• Requests for funding through the Macy's Foundation must be from a non-profit with current 501(c)(3) tax status.

• Trustees of the Macy's Foundation meet on an average of four times a year. Funding is semi-annual. Applications approved in the January-June timeframe generally are funded in August-September; applications approved in the July-December timeframe generally are funded the following February-March.

The Macy's Foundation has completely automated its contributions process. As of May 4, 2005, the only way to submit an application to the Macys Foundation is electronically via the www.macys.com website. All communications regarding your application also will be handled electronically. To complete a grant application now, click here.