For Nonprofits
For Nonprofits
How it works
Schnitzer Cares is a youth-led program. All decisions are made by students who work together in independent groups to identify funding priorities and evaluate nonprofit applicants. This program is designed to maximize student learning while providing a responsive source of funding to Oregon communities.
Steps & Timeline
STEP 1
MISSION STATEMENTS
STEP 2
APPLICATIONS
STEP 3
INTERVIEWS
STEP 4
DECISIONS
STEP 5
CELEBRATIONS
All 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations whose work directly benefits the residents of the State of Oregon are eligible to apply. If your organization is located outside of Oregon, you may only apply for program funding that would be used in Oregon. Please keep in mind that the student mission statements will often identify specific geographic areas they would like to serve.
If your organization is located in Oregon but your programming benefits people outside of Oregon, you are not eligible for a Schnitzer Cares grant.
Yes, you can apply for a Schnitzer Cares grant. When final grants are awarded, the funds will go directly to your fiscal sponsor and will be earmarked for your program/group. Please keep us updated if there are any changes to your fiscal sponsorship.
Yes. Organizations can apply every year.
The average Schnitzer Cares grant is $3,000-$5,000.
The Public Submission Window is open from November 15th to December 31st. If your organization is invited by a student group to apply and the application window has closed, please send your materials directly to the group’s contact person and defer to the deadline set by the group.
Please send all materials through our web portal.
A representative from your organization (employee, board member, volunteer, or friend of the organization) must attend the Grant Awards Ceremony in May to receive the grant. If your organization receives multiple grants, you may need to attend multiple ceremonies to receive each grant.
The CARE Foundation does not require any follow-up reporting from Schnitzer Cares recipients. However, the students who awarded the grant may ask for a report or letter if they choose.
Fundraising is an important part of the Schnitzer Cares student experience. Each group has been guaranteed $7,500 from The CARE Foundation for grantmaking. We ask each group to try to raise $750 to add to this amount. Every dollar the students raise up to that goal is matched with $10 by The CARE Foundation.
If your organization receives a grant from a school, it already reflects The CARE Foundation’s match. That amount is the final amount for the grant.
Yes! You are welcome to apply to any group whose mission statement aligns with your organization’s work.
Option 1: Create a general cover letter that speaks to all the mission statements you are applying to. Submit a single Grant Application form and check all the mission statement boxes that align. (Students don’t see that page. We take it out when we organize all the materials.)
Option 2: Create tailored cover letters that highlight specific aspects of your organization to meet the unique concerns of different mission statements. Groups will receive the cover letter specifically designed for them. Submit a single Grant Application Form and check all the boxes that align.
Please do not submit tailored cover letters if you are only making minor changes to the letter (such as including a mission statement # or customizing the salutation – please use “Dear Schnitzer Cares Grantmakers” instead). This makes the admin on the back-end much more difficult.
Option 3: Create tailored cover letters and tailored Grant Application Forms. Orgs that choose this option usually have a variety of different programs and want to match a request for program support to a specific cover letter. This option requires multiple uploads.
No. Organizations are allowed one submission per mission statement.
If an organization makes multiple submissions to a single mission statement, we will only show one set of materials to the group.
Yes.
To make it easier for applicants to identify which mission statements align with their work, we have numbered the statements and divided them into general service areas. Please note: mission statements will appear in multiple categories if students have more than one focus or their issue is intersectional.
The CARE Foundation asks students to award minimum grant amounts of $1,000, but we do not restrict the number of organizations that students can select. When asking for a dollar amount, keep in mind that students often try to increase their impact by spreading their funds around the community. A very large request may discourage students if they feel they cannot meet your needs.
High school students are your primary audience. You can address them directly as “Dear Students” or “Schnitzer Cares Grantmakers.” Please use a standard greeting, unless you are heavily tailoring your cover letter to a specific mission statement.
You are welcome to use The Schnitzer CARE Foundation address in lieu of a school address:
1121 SW Salmon St.
Portland, OR 97205
All application materials are made available to students in mid-January, but each group completes the evaluation steps at their own pace. You may hear directly from a group as early as January about an interview, but this is the exception. Most groups have their interview short lists by mid to late-February.
You will receive an email from our Program Director in late February or early March, detailing the status of your application(s).
If you need to make changes to your submission before the Public Submission Window closes on December 31, please re-submit the entire application through the web portal and indicate in the message box that you will be replacing your earlier submission.
After you download the Grant Application Form, open it up using an application from your desktop. If you complete the PDF in a web browser, it may not save your information.
Submission materials will be made available to students in mid-January. You will hear directly from the students or The CARE Foundation in February or early March. Once a student group has contacted you, you can engage with them directly.
We are strongly encouraging all groups to schedule and conduct their interviews before Spring Break, which takes place at the end of March. Many groups will likely need the first two weeks of April to complete interviews, as well. Their final decisions are due April 10th.
If you have not heard from a group by the end of March, please contact the Program Director at kristen@schnitzercare.org for more information. They may need additional support from our team in order to complete our process.
Congratulations on your interview! Students are still developing their professional communication skills and sometimes they leave out important details. Don’t be afraid to ask clarifying questions and to ‘cc a Schnitzer Cares staff member.
If you have received communication from a student but need additional support, please email the Program Director at kristen@schnitzercare.org. You will be connected to the Schnitzer Cares team member who works directly with that student group.
The Grant Awards Ceremonies are held in May, and the schedule is set based on school availability. You should know your exact date(s) by late April. Most events take place during evening hours. Your attendance is extremely meaningful for the students. Thank you in advance for finding a staff member or trusted friend of your organization to attend.
PLEASE NOTE: organizations who are consistently unable to attend Grant Award Ceremonies will, unfortunately, become ineligible for Schnitzer Cares grants in the future.