Hitachi Funds Low-Income Job Training Efforts

Foundation: Hitachi Foundation;
Opportunity: Business & Work Program;
Funding Focus: Education, job training, low-income families;
Funding: Grants of varying sizes;
Deadline: Online inquiries are accepted at any time.

Purpose: Through its Business & Work Program, Hitachi seeks to discover and expand business practices that create tangible and enduring economic opportunities for low-income Americans, their families and their communities. The program seeks to advance the fields of corporate social responsibility and corporate citizenship by discovering sustainable business practices that strengthen the bottom line and create pathways out of poverty for low-income workers.

Insider's tip: Beginning in 2009, the foundation began a letter of inquiry process, instead of releasing formal requests for proposals. Under the new process, which is in place through 2013, a potential grantee completes an electronic form detailing its project ideas and receives a response from the foundation as to whether the project meets its criteria for further consideration. If the idea corresponds with the priorities of the Business & Work Program, the organization may be invited to submit a concept paper or a complete proposal.

Info: For more on the foundation's giving effort, please visit http://tinyurl.com/28pxorl.