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Boeing Company Charitable Trust

Annual Giving
$3.2M
Grant Range
$50K - $1.6M

Boeing Company Charitable Trust

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $3,183,000 (2023)
  • Success Rate: Not publicly available (invitation-only grantmaking)
  • Decision Time: Not publicly disclosed
  • Grant Range: $50,000 - $1,600,000
  • Geographic Focus: National (U.S. communities where Boeing employees live and work)
  • Application Method: Invitation only

Contact Details

Address: 100 N Riverside Plaza MC-5002-8450, Chicago, Illinois 60606

Phone: 312-544-2071

Contact: Bridget Sweeney (Chicago office)

Website: Boeing Community Engagement

Regional Contacts: Vary by location - Texas: michael.s.lawson@Boeing.com or richard.delgado7@boeing.com; Greater Philadelphia: cgcphiladelphia@exchange.boeing.com

Overview

The Boeing Company Charitable Trust was established in 1964 in Washington as successor to the Boeing Airplane Company Charitable Trust, which was founded in 1952. The trust is a private foundation based in Chicago, Illinois, with assets totaling approximately $85 million. In 2023, the trust distributed $3,183,000 across 8 grants, making it one of Boeing's more selective philanthropic vehicles with typical grant sizes averaging nearly $400,000. The trust operates with Northern Trust Company as its trustee and focuses on education, human services, arts and culture, civic and environmental initiatives in areas where Boeing employees live and work. The trust's grantmaking is by invitation only, distinguishing it from Boeing's other giving programs such as the Employee Community Fund.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The Boeing Company Charitable Trust does not have separate named grant programs. Instead, it makes a limited number of strategic grants annually (typically fewer than 10) ranging from $50,000 to $1,600,000.

Application Method: Invitation only - organizations must be invited to submit proposals.

Priority Areas

Boeing organizes its charitable giving around three main pillars:

Our Future: Education & STEM

  • Professional development for teachers and school leadership
  • Early education development for formal and informal caregivers
  • Globally competitive STEM learning in underserved and underrepresented communities
  • Workforce skills development and technical training

Our Heroes: Veterans & Military Families

  • Quality of life improvements for transitioning service members
  • Support for veterans and their families
  • Communities typically underserved in the military-veteran ecosystem

Our Homes: Dynamic Communities

  • Environmental stewardship programs
  • Economic mobility for underserved groups
  • Community well-being initiatives
  • Active civic engagement
  • Programs that help break the cycle of incarceration
  • Disaster relief and recovery efforts

What They Don't Fund

Based on Boeing's broader philanthropic exclusions:

  • Local community events and general nonprofit fundraisers
  • Requests benefiting individual persons or families
  • Religious activities for furthering religious doctrine
  • School-affiliated orchestras, bands, choirs, drama groups, yearbooks, class parties, or class/team projects
  • U.S. hospitals or medical research (under sponsorship guidelines)
  • Tax-supported institutions (police and fire departments, city parks, libraries)

Governance and Leadership

Trustee: Northern Trust Company (receives compensation of approximately $275,309 for 40 hours of work annually)

The trust operates under the oversight of Boeing's broader corporate citizenship structure. Detailed information about specific officers and directors is available in the organization's Form 990-PF filings, which are accessible through ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer, GuideStar, or the IRS.

Boeing believes that "every community is uniquely positioned to solve its own individual problems," and their role is to "support those solutions by leveraging Boeing's global objectives in five focus areas to achieve the greatest impact in the communities where they live and work."

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This funder does not have a public application process. Boeing grantmaking is by invitation only, and all organizations must be invited to submit a proposal.

Organizations cannot apply directly to the Boeing Company Charitable Trust. Grants are awarded through trustee discretion and Boeing's internal selection process. The trust makes strategic grants to organizations that align with Boeing's corporate citizenship priorities and operate in communities where Boeing has a significant employee presence.

The application process and eligibility for Boeing funding varies by state or region. Organizations interested in Boeing support should visit the Community Engagement page and use the drop-down menus for place-based giving in the Seeking Support section to identify regional contacts and guidelines.

Getting on Their Radar

Geographic Alignment: Boeing primarily invests in organizations located in specific communities where their employees live and work. Key locations include Washington state, the D.C. metro area, the St. Louis metro area, South Carolina, California, Texas, Illinois, and other states with significant Boeing operations.

Demonstrate Strategic Alignment: Boeing supports organizations that are "leaders in what they do, demonstrate innovation, and align and collaborate with others to achieve workable solutions to community issues." Organizations should ensure their work clearly aligns with one of Boeing's three pillars: education/STEM, veterans/military families, or community development.

Regional Contact: Before attempting outreach, determine your eligibility and review Boeing's exclusion guidelines. If there is strong alignment, contact the appropriate regional Boeing community engagement representative for your area. Regional contacts and guidelines are available on Boeing's website and vary by location.

Boeing Employee Connections: Organizations may benefit from connections with Boeing employees, particularly through the separate Employee Community Fund (ECF) program, where "to be considered for an ECF grant, an organization must be or have been suggested by a member" of the regional ECF.

Decision Timeline

The Boeing Company Charitable Trust does not publicly disclose decision timelines. Given the invitation-only nature and the limited number of grants made annually (typically fewer than 10), the process appears to operate on Boeing's internal strategic planning cycle rather than fixed application deadlines.

Success Rates

Specific success rates are not available. However, with only 8 grants awarded in 2023 from a trust operating on an invitation-only basis, the grantmaking is highly selective and strategic rather than competitive in the traditional sense.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable, as there is no public application process. Organizations are invited to submit proposals at the discretion of the trust.

Application Success Factors

Given the invitation-only nature of this funder, traditional application success factors do not apply. However, organizations seeking to align with Boeing's philanthropic priorities should note:

Geographic Connection: The trust is "limited to education, human services, arts and culture, civic and environmental initiatives in areas where Boeing employees live or work." Organizations outside Boeing's operational footprint are unlikely to be considered.

Scale and Impact: With grant sizes ranging from $50,000 to $1.6 million and an average grant of approximately $400,000, the trust appears to favor substantial, high-impact initiatives rather than small-scale projects.

Strategic Alignment: Boeing's giving philosophy emphasizes supporting communities to solve their own problems. Organizations should demonstrate how they are "leaders in what they do, demonstrate innovation, and align and collaborate with others to achieve workable solutions."

Recent Grant Examples:

  • American Red Cross: $400,000 for disaster relief (emergency shelters, food, emotional support, health services)
  • Southeast Asian community organizations: $1.25 million for projects in Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, and Cambodia
  • Los Angeles Food Bank, Hawaii Community Foundation, and Community Foundation of Southern New Mexico (specific amounts not disclosed)

Focus on Professional Development: In education, Boeing focuses "exclusively on professional development for teachers and improving school leadership, and for early education they focus that development on formal and informal caregivers" - not direct student programming.

Disaster Response: The trust has demonstrated responsiveness to disaster relief needs, including $100,000 to the American Red Cross for tornado recovery in Oklahoma (2024) and support for wildfire recovery efforts.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Invitation-only grantmaking: You cannot apply directly - focus on building awareness through regional Boeing contacts and demonstrating alignment with priorities
  • Geographic requirement: Must operate in communities where Boeing employees live and work - no exceptions
  • Large grant sizes: With grants ranging $50,000-$1.6 million, this funder targets substantial initiatives, not small projects
  • Three clear pillars: All grants must align with education/STEM, veterans/military families, or community development
  • Highly selective: Only 8 grants awarded in 2023 from a trust with $85 million in assets - extremely competitive
  • Professional focus in education: For education grants, focus on teacher/caregiver professional development and school leadership, not direct student services
  • Innovation and collaboration valued: Boeing explicitly seeks organizations that "demonstrate innovation and align and collaborate with others to achieve workable solutions"

References

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