Quick Summary
Name: CME Group Foundation Status: Active Grant Maker
Key Facts
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual Giving | $6,353,901 (2023) |
| Grant Range | $1,000 - $750,000 |
| Average Grant | $25,000 (median) |
| Application Method | Invitation Only |
Contact Details
Website: https://www.cmegroupfoundation.org
Address: 20 South Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL 60606
Geographic Focus
- Chicago metropolitan area (primary focus)
- Illinois (statewide for education programs)
Funding Priorities
- Early Childhood Education: Preparing at-risk young children for kindergarten, with emphasis on math education and improving KIDS assessment scores for Black, Latinx, and low-income children
- K-12 Education: Supporting effective education that prepares disadvantaged students for college and career success
- College and Career Success: Preparing university students for careers in financial services and risk management; supporting students from low-income and historically disadvantaged communities underrepresented in finance and technology
- Mental Health: Launched $2 million initiative in 2023 to support mental health of young women and girls impacted by trauma and violence in Chicago
- Academic Research: Advancing derivatives knowledge and best practices
Approximately 90% of grants fit into the three education-level categories above.
What They Don't Fund
- Grants to individuals
- More than one active grant from an organization or its affiliates at a time
- General operating support (rarely funded)
- Capital or endowment grants (rarely funded)
- Benefit events and advertising for fundraising purposes
- Organizations that discriminate based on disabilities, age, gender, race, ethnic origin, religion, or sexual orientation
- Organizations that devote substantial activities to influencing legislation or political campaigns
- Organizations that don't comply with anti-terrorist financing laws
Application Method
Invitation Only - The foundation does not accept unsolicited grant proposals due to limited resources and focused priorities. Organizations must be invited to submit a proposal, at which point they receive details regarding deadlines. The foundation focuses on specific projects with measurable results and makes large multi-year commitments.
References
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