Alphawood Foundation Grants

The Alphawood Foundation, a private grant-making organization based in Chicago, focuses on supporting initiatives that promote equity, justice, and human rights. They award grants to non-profits in areas such as arts education, LGBTQ+ health and rights, and community empowerment, particularly for marginalized groups. Their funding emphasizes unrestricted operational support, prioritizing organizations aligned with their mission and that primarily serve the Chicago metropolitan area and Northwest Indiana.

Note: The Alphawood Foundation does not accept unsolicited grant applications. Interested parties are invited to review the following guidelines that describe their current areas of interest. If you believe that your organization or mission matches one or more of their grantmaking priorities, you may provide your information using the form at the bottom of this page.
Alphawood Foundation is a Chicago-based, grant-making private foundation working for an equitable, just, and humane society. Each year we award grants to organizations, primarily in the areas of advocacy, architecture and preservation, the arts and arts education, promotion and protection of the rights of LGBT persons and people living with HIV/AIDS, and other human and civil rights.
Areas of Interest
Funding is focused in the following areas:

• Arts Empowerment

Alphawood Foundation Chicago funds organizations using the arts as a way of overcoming barriers to access and advancement; and those empowering communities through artistic development and expression.
LGBTQ+ Health and HIV Prevention
Alphawood Foundation Chicago funds organizations expanding and improving LGBTQ+ affirming health care and those working to treat and prevent the transmission of HIV/AIDS.
LGBTQ+ Rights and Education
Alphawood Foundation Chicago funds organizations working to secure the rights and well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer communities; and organizations enhancing the visibility of the LGBTQ+ community.
Empowering Communities of Color
Alphawood Foundation Chicago funds organizations founded by, for, and with communities of color using effective mechanisms—including advocacy, organizing, and the arts—to lift up and empower traditionally marginalized groups.
Legal Services & Advocacy
Alphawood Foundation Chicago funds legal services organizations working to provide access to justice, alleviate poverty, expand the rights of immigrants, and promote social change; and organizations whose advocacy activities advance responsive and accountable policies and institutions.
Preserving the Built Environment
Alphawood Foundation Chicago funds organizations whose primary mission honors, promotes, and sustains the built environment, including those promoting the preservation and protection of historic resources through advocacy, education, fund raising, and/or stewardship.
General Interest
Alphawood Foundation Chicago values a safe, just, and equitable society; equal access and opportunity; healthy and sustainable communities; and a vibrant creative arts sector. Our funding supports organizations furthering these values.
Our General Interest funding includes support for an extensive Southeast Asian art history program at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London, including scholarship funding for over 100 students from Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia to pursue diploma studies and masters degrees at SOAS.
Archaeology
Alphawood Foundation Chicago supports Maya archeological research with a primary focus on fieldwork in Belize, Guatemala, and Mexico.

Eligibility

To be eligible to receive a grant from Alphawood Foundation, an organization must be a public charity exempt from taxation under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.Alphawood Foundation’s funding generally provides unrestricted, general operating support to non-profit organizations that operate with a clear mission and demonstrate both programmatic and managerial effectiveness.Prospective new applicants for funding must demonstrate a very strong match between their work and the Foundation’s priorities and guidelines, and even then, we are only able to invite a limited number of new grantees each year.

Ineligibility

Alphawood Foundation does not provide grants to individuals; film, television or radio production; underwriting or tables for special events; religious or fraternal purposes; or political campaigns. Proposals from organizations not currently funded by the Alphawood Foundation are accepted by invitation only.