The Lloyd A. Fry Foundation makes grants in the following program areas: Arts Learning, Education, and Employment.

The Lloyd A. Fry Foundation supports organizations with the strength and commitment to address persistent problems of urban Chicago resulting from poverty, violence, ignorance, and despair. We seek to build the capacity of individuals and the systems that serve them. Our vision is a Chicago that offers education, opportunity, health, and hope for all.

The Foundation focuses on programs that improve conditions for low-income, underserved communities in Chicago, and we are especially interested in efforts that will foster learning and innovation.

Across all three program areas, we give priority to:

• Programs with a demonstrated record of high-quality, effective services

• Efforts to improve the quality and effectiveness of programs and services (these might include program design, evaluation or staff development efforts, among others)

• The development of innovative approaches that will contribute valuable examples, information, and knowledge to others working in the field

• The Foundation also considers policy advocacy efforts that help ensure low-income communities and individuals in Chicago are treated fairly and have access to the services they need and deserve.

Proposal Deadlines:

June 1: For Arts Learning, Education, & Employment grants; reviewed in August.

September 1: For Arts Learning & Employment grants; reviewed in November.

December 1: For Education & Employment grants; reviewed in February.

March 1: For Arts Learning & Education grants; reviewed in May.

Letter of Inquiry Procedures

If you are seeking support for the first time or if you are a returning grantee seeking support for a new project, we highly recommend that you send us a letter of inquiry before you submit a full proposal. While a letter of inquiry is not required prior to submission of a proposal, it will allow us to give you preliminary feedback concerning your request and its potential fit within our funding priorities. 

Letters of inquiry should include a brief description of the proposed project, a project budget, and other projected sources of support. Typically, a letter of two to three pages is sufficient to help us understand your program.

Unlike formal proposals, there are no deadlines for submitting letters of inquiry. Please allow our program officers 30 days to respond to your request. If you do not receive a response within that time, please contact the Foundation at 312-580-0310 to confirm that your letter was received by us.