Foundation Directors:
Craig S. Donohue
Terrence A. Duffy
Bryan T. Durkin
Phupinder S. Gill
Anita S. Liskey
James E. Parisi
Hilda Harris Piell
Kristin K. Wood

Foundation Officers:
President: Craig S. Donohue
Treasurer: James E. Parisi
Secretary: Kathleen M. Cronin

The CME Foundation considers grant and donation requests related to the following three areas of concern: children in need, education, and health and human services. Organizations should provide services within the communities where we live and do business.

Grant/Donation Guidelines:

• All organizations requesting support must be tax-exempt under Section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
• The organization’s activities must relate to one or more of the following areas: children in need, education, and health and human services.
• Preference will be given to organizations requesting financial support that are concentrated in the Chicago area and other locations in which CME Group and its constituencies live and work.
• Preference will be given to project-specific requests that directly address community needs. 

Excluded Organizations and Purposes:
The CME Foundation generally does not fund the following:

• Organizations without tax-exempt status
• Exclusionary organizations
• Private foundations
• Operating or capital expenses
• Individuals
• Political candidates and lobbying organizations
• Religious, fraternal, social or other membership organizations providing services to their own constituencies
• Memorials, endowments or multi-year pledges
• Fundraising efforts to benefit other organizations
• Fundraising activities related to individual sponsorships (e.g., walk-athons, marathons)
• Seed money for new organizations
• Special events such as conferences, symposia and sports tournaments
• Athletic teams
• Video/film production

General Procedures:

• All contribution requests related to one or more of the CME Foundation’s areas of concern will be reviewed and decided upon by the Board of Directors of the CME Foundation. Requests will be evaluated on the basis of programs and services offered, populations served, quality of management and management practices, other corporate support and financial status.
• Formal grant proposals or donation requests must be submitted in writing and addressed to:
            Greg Carroll
            Coordinator, Community Relations
            CME Foundation
            20 S. Wacker Drive
            Chicago, Illinois 60606-7499
• The Coordinator, Community Relations is responsible for communicating with organizations requesting financial support, informing organizations when requests are granted, ensuring that payments are sent in a timely manner, keeping records of all contributions and monitoring use of funds as necessary.
• All requests for donations/grants are generally reviewed within 10–12 weeks of receipt.

Requests should contain the following:

• No more than five pages of narrative including:
  • Name, address and telephone of project contact person
  • Brief history and description of the organization requesting support
  • Geographical breakdown of the communities served
  • Specific project summary, including:
    • the amount requested and intended use
    • target populations and number served
    • time schedule for implementation
    • description of intended results
    • evaluation and measurement criteria
  • Proposed project budget and details of fundraising plan, including:
    • a list of amounts requested from other organizations
    • any existing commitments

• Supporting Documentation (not counted towards the five page limit) including:
  • Copy of the organization’s most recent IRS determination letter stating 501(c)(3) status
  • Annual report (if applicable)
  • Financial statements
  • Board roster, including outside affiliations for the most current year
  • Form W9: Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification