The Elizabeth Morse Charitable Trust

The Elizabeth Morse Charitable Trust is a private foundation practicing values-based grantmaking. The Elizabeth Morse Charitable Trust awards grants to qualifying 501(c)(3) public charities that persuasively demonstrate a strong connection between their missions, programs, and/or projects and one or more of the following values: The Trust's Values Statement: Tenet 1-Promoting "THISS:" promoting, instilling, and/or reflecting the values of individual and/or organizational thrift, humility, industry, self-sacrifice, and/or self-sufficiency; Tenet 2-Relieving Human Suffering: relieving human suffering by: (1) performing research and/or promoting education regarding the treatment of disease; (2) assisting youth who are from disadvantaged backgrounds, have troubled childhoods, have physical or mental disabilities, or experience emotional disorders; (3) addressing the concerns of the elderly; and/or (4) providing succor to humankind during time of natural or human-made disasters; Tenet 3-Developing Individual Self-Esteem and Dignity: developing within individuals, especially youth from underserved and/or under-resourced communities, a sense of self-esteem and dignity; Tenet 4-Encouraging Vigorous Athletic Activity: encouraging vigorous athletic activity, leading to physical health and/or spiritual well-being; Tenet 5-Developing Regional Solutions to Chicago's Regional Challenges: developing regional solutions to Chicago's regional challenges, thereby protecting and/or improving the quality of life for all its citizens. The Elizabeth Morse Charitable Trust welcomes Letters of Inquiry, which is the beginning of The Trust's application process. Prior to submitting a Letter of Inquiry, however, organizations should review the funding parameters of The Trust to ascertain whether they are a qualifying applicant. The Trust adheres to the following funding parameters: The Trust only makes grants to Internal Revenue Code ("the Code") Section 501(c)(3) organizations that are described in Sections 170(c)(2), 509(a), 2055(a), and 2522(a); The Trust only makes grants to such foregoing organizations that primarily serve the residents of Chicago and Cook County, Illinois; The Trust does not fund individuals, endowments, capital campaigns, political activity, or private foundations as defined under Section 509(a) of the Code; while The Trust will support religious or sectarian organizations, The Trust will not fund programs of those organizations that proselytize or are sectarian in purpose; The Trust does not make grants to purchase tickets or tables at fundraising events, regardless of whether it has made past grants to the organization. The application process at The Elizabeth Morse Charitable Trust is rigorous, robust, and comprehensive and can last anywhere from six months to a year or more. Regardless of grant size, it may be necessary, upon request by The Trust, to submit revised application materials. If your organization has an annual budget of $500,000.00 or less, and your request is for $5,000.00 or less, you may wish to consider The Trust's Small Grant Application Process.