Harris in the Community: Vehicles for Giving

Harris Bank Foundation
Harris has a long history of involvement in the community. The Harris Bank Foundation is a tax-exempt entity separate from the bank and was founded in 1953. The Foundation was created to invest in our communities by awarding grants to eligible non-profit organizations.

Today, the Foundation is geographically focused on the North Lawndale community, located on Chicago's west side. We support programs that provide direct services in education and community development.

Grant proposals are accepted year round, reviewed in the order in which they are received and undergo consideration at the Harris Bank Foundation Board of Directors meetings. While we would like to fund every worthy request we receive, the volume of requests submitted each year exceeds our capacity and we are unable to fund many excellent organizations and programs.

Grants may be restricted, designated for a specific program, or they may be unrestricted, covering the general operating expenses of an organization.

The Harris Bank Foundation does not support:

	•	Individuals or fellowships
	•	Ad books and dinner programs
	•	Political organizations
	•	Public higher education institutions
	•	Religious organizations
	•	Governmental agencies
	•	Private elementary and secondary schools
	•	Fraternal organizations
	•	National and international organizations
	•	Hospitals
	•	Conferences, seminars or workshops
	•	Testimonial dinners, luncheons or benefits
	•	Other foundations and grant-making organizations

As another method of giving back to our communities, the Harris Bank Foundation also oversees and funds programs that help support employee’s charitable and volunteer activities, through our Matching Gifts and Dollars for Doers programs.

Matching Gifts: Harris recognizes that employees support a variety of charities and causes. In an effort to celebrate our employee’s commitment and provide additional support to these charities, the Harris Bank Foundation will match employee’s financial contributions to qualifying organizations through the Matching Gifts program.

To download a list of the organizations that received support in 2006 through the Matching Gifts program click here.

Dollars for Doers: Further recognizing and encouraging employee volunteerism, the Harris Bank Foundation offers grants to non-profit organizations where an employee has volunteered a significant amount of time for at least one year.

Harris Bank Foundation Non-Discrimination Policy
The Harris Bank Foundation believes in fairness and equity. In conformity with the non-discriminatory policies of Harris N.A, it is our policy to consider all requests for funding on a fair and consistent basis in accordance with established criteria.

	•	We encourage requests from all non-profit, tax-exempt organizations.
	•	We apply funding guidelines consistently, without regard to race, color, ethnicity, or any other factor unrelated to the grant request itself.
	•	We monitor compliance with the guidelines and this policy on an ongoing basis.

The Harris Bank Foundation is committed to assisting communities in achieving equity and self-sufficiency. We believe that fairness in the grant-making process is not only our obligation but is also fundamental to our philanthropic purpose.