Ensign-Bickford Foundation Grant

The Ensign-Bickford Foundation Grant supports diverse community initiatives, emphasizing education and environmental sustainability. The Foundation prioritizes support for 501(c)(3) organizations and local projects that enhance community welfare. With a history of impactful giving, it plays a vital role in fostering societal well-being and innovation across various sectors.

The EBI Foundation believes that the company's success is interwoven with the health, education and prosperity of the community. Significant gifts have been made in the areas of education and scholarships, environmental preservation, natural disaster response, medical institutions, scientific innovation, the arts organizations and community improvement. In 1988, EBI was honored as a recipient of the Governor's Laurel Award for Responsible Social Involvement.
EBI also encourages individual employees to contribute their time and talent to community projects. The EBI Foundation matches employee contributions to educational and cultural organizations.
The EBI Foundation has a proud history of supporting programs and charities. The Foundation awards grants to qualifying organizations, and offers monetary matches for individual employees to serve the community.
The following are the six areas in which a Foundation grant may be awarded. Note that Education and Environment are considered priority areas:

• Funding Areas
• Education

Accredited educational institutions, special interests programs or scholarships for underprivileged students, programs using new creative approaches and methods, University programs promoting fields of interest to the Company, and programs encouraging continuing education (e.g., adult literacy programs).
Environment
Organizations concerned with the stability and improvement of ecological systems, organizations that provide relief from the effects of both natural or human caused imbalances and disasters.
Health & Welfare
In geographical areas where we operate: public service organizations such as community funds, social welfare organizations, health organizations such as hospitals or other health groups which provide medical services.
Of special interest are local hospitals and health care groups that provide services to Company employees and their dependents, and those that promote safety, preventive health care and cost containment.
Organizations that operate to improve living conditions for the homeless, jobless, aging and handicapped communities, organizations that work to enhance the motivational levels of traditionally excluded groups in our society, and programs that target the causes rather than the symptoms of societal problems.
Economics & Humanities
Agencies and organizations that support and promote the free enterprise system, organizations that contribute to greater citizen awareness of history, and institutions that provide for the basics of our culture and society.
Arts & Culture
Organizations that support the production, promotion and financing for music, art, theater and dance in geographic proximity to our operations.
Other community-oriented activities
Although it is the principal conduit for community outreach, there are programs and organizations which for various legal or policy reasons are not handled by the Foundation. Examples of these are organization dinners or public service program advertising. Other Company funds are budgeted and allocated annually for these purposes.
Matching Gifts
Matching gifts: gifts by directors, officers, employees, and retiree's to organizations meeting eligibility criteria will be matched up to $2,000 per year/per donor ($100 per gift minimum). In special situations where employees sit on the Board of Directors of qualifying organizations, the Board may decide to provide matches up to $5,000. These matches must be applied for and will be reviewed by the Board.
Volunteer Opportunities
Ensign-Bickford Industries has always encouraged its employees to be actively involved in community activities. The Foundation gives special attention to requests from eligible organizations where company employees are volunteers. The Foundation will also consider providing monetary matching gifts where employees donate significant amounts of time. As a general rule, we will consider donations following the matching gift guidelines where a significant impact has been made by an employee or group of employees to a 501 (c) (3) organization.

Eligibility

The Ensign-Bickford Foundation will consider requests for contributions to organizations designated as 501(c)(3) by the Internal Revenue Service.

Ineligibility

The Foundation will not consider grants to or for:

Individuals, religious organizations whose programs benefit members of one religious group only. Non-religious programs, open to all, may receive consideration even though they are sponsored by a religious organization.
Political organizations or organizations that are primarily political in nature or whose purpose is, or may be, to influence legislation at any level. Organizations which violate equal opportunity, environment or other regulations or laws.
“Unrestricted” purposes. It is difficult to establish a series of guidelines covering all cases in the complex field of corporate philanthropic gifts. Hence, a particular request may occasionally receive favorable consideration for special reasons even though it may not appear to conform to the normal eligibility criteria.