Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the difference between a foundation grant and a corporate sponsorship? 
A: Foundation grants are provided to IRS designated 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations. Grants are charitable donations used to fund programs and/or projects that are large in scope and impact.

Sponsorships are monetary contributions given in support of events or activities in exchange for advertising and/or publicity. Sponsorships provide a direct benefit to ONB.

Q: Does my organization have to be located in an area served by Old National Bank?
A: Foundation Grants and Corporate Sponsorships are limited to organizations that serve the particular communities in which an Old National Bank is located. For a list of branch locations, please click here.

Q: Are nonprofits required to have a 501(c)(3) designation in order to apply?
A: Nonprofits applying for a Foundation Grant must be exempt under Section 501(c)(3) and classified as a public charity under Section 509(a) of the IRS code.

Q: What is the process for applying for a grant?
A: For the Strategic Grants Program, the first step in the application process is to submit an initial application via the Applying for a Grant page on this website.  Staff will review the initial application to determine if the proposal aligns with the mission, vision and funding priorities of the Foundation.  If the proposal meets the minimum criteria, applicants will be invited to submit full proposals for further consideration.  

For the Community Partnership Grants Program, applications may also be accessed via the Applying for a Grant page.  Applicants should expect a waiting period of up to 8 weeks from submission to final decision making.  

Q: How do I submit an application?
A: Applications must be submitted online through the Applying for a Grant page of this site. Proposals are not accepted via email, postal mail or fax.

Q: Are there deadlines for submitting the applications?
A: Yes, initial applications for the Strategic Grants Program must be submitted by one of the following dates: February 1, 2013 and May 31, 2013.  Please note these dates are subject to change without notice.  Always check the website and application form for the most up-to-date information.

Applications for the Community Partnership Grants Program are accepted between January 7, 2013 and September 30, 2013.  Requests will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis.

Q: Can we submit more than one initial application at a time?
A: No. Organizations may only submit one initial application per grant cycle. Additional applications will not be reviewed.

Q: How soon will I be notified of whether or not we are invited to submit a full proposal? 
A: Once you complete and submit your initial application, you will be notified approximately 4 weeks after the deadline date of whether or not your organization is invited to submit a full proposal. For example, organizations submitting initial applications on or before the February 1 deadline will be notified by early March regarding their Stage 1 status.

Q: What is your full proposal review process for Strategic Grants?
A: If an organization is invited to submit a full proposal, they will be contacted with instructions on how to submit the proposal and given a submission deadline date. Foundation staff will evaluate the proposals to determine which projects/programs best meet the Foundation’s funding priorities and review criteria. A recommendation will be made to the Board of Directors, who will then make final funding decisions.

Q: When does the Board of Directors meet to make decisions on Strategic Grants?
A: The Board will meet in early May and mid-September to make final funding decisions for those requests that were invited to the second stage during the February or July grant cycles. Please note - in order to be considered for the May meeting the first proposal must be received by February 1 and to be considered for the September meeting, the first proposal must be received by May 31.

Q: What is an appropriate request amount for Strategic Grants?
A: The amount requested from the Foundation should be proportionate to your organizational budget, project budget and expected income from other sources. Funding is ultimately contingent upon the alignment with the Foundation’s priorities and availability of funds from the Foundation’s annual budget. The average grant amount is $7,500.

Q: How many times per year can an organization apply for a Foundation Grant?
A: In general, only one request per grantee will be funded each year. Exceptions to this will be rare.

Q: My organization is a current grantee. Are we eligible to apply for additional funding?
A: If your organization has been awarded a grant or received a grant payment within the last 12 months, additional requests for funding will not be considered until after the grant period has ended.

Q: Our organization has a bank account, insurance policy, trust account, etc. with Old National. Does this guarantee or help ensure that we will receive grant funding? 
A: We recognize that many organizations applying for grant funding from the Foundation have business relationships with Old National. However, when making charitable donations, account relationships cannot be factored into our decisions. To consider account relationships would be a violation of IRS regulations. All organizations and requests are evaluated using the same criteria, which includes an assessment of the organization and the project’s objectives and community-wide impact. Priority consideration is given to requests that reflect the mission and vision of the Foundation and target our primary focus areas.

Q: Does the Foundation provide funding to daycare or childcare centers to subsidize the cost of tuition, fees or other childcare related costs?
A: Unfortunately, families across our footprint, which includes Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky, and many of our associates, are also facing rising childcare costs, but because of limited resources and a desire to remain fair and equitable, we are unable to fund tuition assistance programs or other childcare related costs.

Q: What email address should be used for the account?
A: When setting up the account user name and password for the application, please be sure to use an email address that is accessible to more than one person at the organization. If you are a contracted grantwriter, please set up different accounts for each organization that you represent using a valid email address accessible by that organization. Please refrain from using your personal email address or the same email address for multiple organizations.

Q: Can I copy and paste information from a Word document into one of the application's text boxes? 
A: Yes. You can copy information from an existing Word document and paste that copy into the appropriate text box in the application.

Q: I do not have all of the required documents in an electronic format. How do I submit them? 
A: Please contact the Foundation staff by email. You will be contacted with instructions on where to forward these documents.

Q: I still have questions. Who do I contact?
A: Contact Danyelle Granger, Foundation Program Officer, at 812-465-7277 or by email,or Janet Heldt Baas, Foundation President, at 812-464-1515.