Erie Insurance Foundation

Funding Guidelines

Everything you need to know to request support from the Erie Insurance Foundation—eligibility, how to apply and what to expect.

Focused Giving

The Erie Insurance Foundation supports programs within three focus areas— Community Building, Safety and Environmental Responsibility— across the communities we serve.

We prioritize partnerships that deliver sustainable impact: practical solutions with measurable outcomes that strengthen organizations and benefit people long after a grant period ends.

  • Measurable results: clear goals, outcome indicators and a plan to evaluate progress.
  • Capacity building: investments that improve organizational effectiveness, resilience or reach.
  • Inclusive benefit: programs that expand access and advance our commitment to inclusion and belonging.
  • Collaboration: alignment with community partners to reduce duplication and amplify results.
  • Longevity: a path to ongoing viability (diversified funding, maintenance plans, or multi‑year strategy).
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Eligibility & Geographic Focus

Who can apply
Who can apply
  • Nonprofit, tax‑exempt organizations
  • Accredited educational institutions
  • Select nonprofit community events

Requests may take 8 to 12 weeks or more for processing. As we review your application, we’ll contact you if additional details are needed.

Annual requests
Annual requests
Please submit all funding requests for the year at the same time. If you plan to apply for more than one program or event, be sure to submit a separate application for each.
Geographic Location
Geographic Location
We support activities across the footprint of Erie Insurance.

What We Don't Fund

  • Individuals or an individual family
  • Athletics (teams, events, scholarships, booster clubs, or facilities)
  • Religious organizations; faith‑affiliated programs may be considered if services are offered to the whole community without regard to religion
  • K‑12 schools
  • Political or labor organizations
  • Event sponsorships. For information on ways that Erie Insurance supports communities across its footprint, please visit the Giving Network
  • National organizations (local chapters may be considered for local impact)
  • Entities or activities which do not align to our commitment to inclusion and belonging
  • Community Trusts and similar structures, including Charitable Remainder Trusts, Donor‑Advised Funds, Private or Family Foundations or Family Trusts
  • Endowments (with limited exceptions for designated scholarships or specific purposes as approved by the Foundation)
  • Bequests
  • Specific individual research projects, college radio/television projects or individual student travel
  • Matching gifts made with funds provided to the donor by others
  • Donor‑benefit contributions, including: tuition, student fees, subscriptions; scholarship funds where a donor designates the recipient; benefits beyond nominal value (meals, gifts, spectator tickets or options); membership dues for alumni/social/professional groups; entry fees for events, walks, races, clubs, gyms, attractions, exhibitions or tournaments; church‑related pledges/tithes/financial commitments
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What You'll Need

Organization information
Organization information
  • Legal name, mailing address and service area
  • Primary contact name, title, email and phone
  • Mission statement and website
  • IRS determination letter or proof of tax‑exempt status (or accreditation for educational institutions)
  • Employer Identification Number (EIN)
Program or project details
Program or project details
  • Summary of need, goals and who will benefit (audience and geography)
  • Outcomes & evaluation plan (key measures and how you’ll track them)
  • Timeline and location for the work
  • Amount requested and total project budget
  • Other confirmed or pending funding sources and partners
  • Erie Insurance involvement (volunteers, agents, collaboration) if applicable
  • Recognition plan (how support will be acknowledged)
  • For requests over $25,000, include:

How to Apply

Nonprofit organizations
Nonprofit organizations
Register your organization in the Benevity Causes Portal, then complete the Foundation’s Request Funds application.
Request Funds
Benevity Support
Benevity Support
Find help registering your nonprofit, updating your profile and setting up payments.
Resource Hub
Attachments
Attachments
Requests for more than $25,000 will be required to upload a budget using the provided template and include a logic model. If funding is approved, you’ll sign a grant agreement and later submit an outcomes report.
Outcomes Toolkit

For current eligibility requirements and deadlines, always refer to these Funding Guidelines.

To request non‑financial support, please contact us. Erie Insurance and Erie Insurance Foundation are unable to provide discounts on or credits towards insurance products.

Satisfying the guidelines does not guarantee support; all decisions for support are at the discretion of the Erie Insurance Foundation.