Sigma-Aldrich Corporation has always been mindful that our Company, employees and customers can and do play a vital role in enhancing the quality of life in the communities where we live and work.
So we provide funding for and encourage our employees to take part in volunteer activities that sometimes transform and always add needed support to many causes. We are particularly supportive of causes that meet more than one of the general guidelines listed on our Sigma-Aldrich Foundation home page. Examples include science education, not-for-profit human services agencies with a clear and long-term connection to a Sigma-Aldrich employee volunteer, and not-for-profit disease education and research organizations.
The Sigma-Aldrich Foundation will consider requests from organizations that fall outside our established giving criteria if they enhance the communities in which the company operates and make strong appeals for broader community support.
Criteria
The following criteria are used to evaluate potential causes, projects and organizations for charitable giving:
- Contributions are generally restricted to organizations that have been granted 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status.
- Organizations and programs must have demonstrated broad community support and a record of fiscal and administrative stability.
- Preferential consideration is given to innovative projects that create, expand, redefine or otherwise transform services and programs.
- Support will generally only be provided for a single year at a time, with requestors required to reapply, without guarantees, for subsequent years in which they may seek funding.
Extraordinary consideration is given to the following types of organizations:
- Those known to be thought leaders in their fields.
- Those that offer leadership development opportunities for Sigma-Aldrich employees or in which employees actively participate.
Programs must be able to demonstrate a plan for continuation and sustainability outside of or beyond receipt of a Sigma-Aldrich Foundation donation.
What We Do Not Fund
The Sigma-Aldrich Foundation does not fund:
- Supplies and materials for primary and secondary education facilities.
- Organizations that discriminate on the basis of race, age, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity or national origin
- Political causes, candidates, organizations or campaigns
- Fundraising activities which provide more than token benefits in exchange for contributions sought
- Athletic teams or events
- Booster or social clubs
- Extracurricular activities of educational institutions
- Individual needs such as scholarships or other forms of financial aid
If your funding application is denied because it falls outside our guidelines or fails to meet our criteria, please do not resubmit it or similar requests.
If your funding application meets our criteria but is not approved for lack of resources, we kindly request that you refrain from reapplying for twelve months.
Eligibility
The Sigma-Aldrich Foundation makes contributions without consideration of race, age, color, creed, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity or national origin.
Organizations requesting contributions should have active and responsible boards of trustees, adhere to ethical standards in publicity and in the solicitation of funds and be willing and able to provide for an appropriate audit that would reveal income and disbursements in reasonable detail. They should also be able to demonstrate long-term financial viability.
All projects, programs and organizations requesting funding must be tax-exempt as described in sections 501(c)(3), 509(a)(1) and/or 509(a)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Recipient Accountability
Specific reporting requirements, if any, above and beyond normal annual reports to the community will be outlined in donation notifications and customized to each recipient's unique circumstances. Typically, recipients must provide status and evaluation reports that: describe what program activities have taken place; discuss program results in relation to stated and measurable goals; outline any anticipated or unanticipated events that have impacted program performance; identify issues and challenges that have arisen and describe how they have been addressed; and provide a full accounting of how funds have been expended.
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