As IEEE’s philanthropic partner, the IEEE Foundation only funds IEEE organizational units. IEEE organizational units include, but are not limited to, regions, sections, societies, chapters, affinity groups, student branches, and IEEE programs, committees and boards.

Partnerships with groups from outside IEEE are encouraged, however financial control must be maintained by the applying IEEE OU and the end result of the project or program must positively impact all parties involved (IEEE, The Foundation and the partner/s).

If your proposal includes Young Professionals or Students, please visit the following pages: 

IEEE Young Professionals Event Funding 

IEEE Students SPAx Events 

Please note - project leaders and team members cannot be a member or family member of the IEEE Foundation Board of Directors

The IEEE Foundation is interested in supporting projects and programs of IEEE OUs that will have a lasting impact. The list of proposal types that could be funded include, but is not limited to:

1. New projects or programs that improve access to technology, enhance technological literacy, and/or support technology education where the OU lacks sufficient funding
2. Existing projects or programs that improve access to technology, enhance technological literacy, and/or support technology education in need of funding to scale up activity
3. Workshops intended to bring together like minded individuals to work on societal issues that could benefit from technology and then disseminate the results to a larger audience
4. Fundraising dollar match opportunities for established IEEE programs who have a fund/funds with the Foundation to drive donor giving
5. Young Professionals and Student related projects are eligible for funding but need to visit the following pages to do so:

IEEE Students SPAx Events

IEEE Young Professionals Event Funding 

Unfortunately, the IEEE Foundation does not have the resources to support every fantastic idea.

Any proposal that does not meet all of the Evaluation Criteria will be automatically declined. In addition, any proposal that includes, or is based on, the following disqualifying criteria, will also be declined:

• Overhead (general & administrative/indirect costs) – this does NOT include program management costs
• Projects or programs that would be funded by standard IEEE OU operating expenses included in an annual budget
• For profit activities such as conferences, development of prototypes and intellectual property
• Construction or building renovations
• Lobbying & Electioneering
• Commercial promotion activities
• Personal or commercial loans
• Grants with an individual as the sole beneficiary
• Participation of specific/individual teams at competitions
• Research projects
• Immediate humanitarian disaster relief efforts

Requests must meet the following criteria:

• Innovative project that furthers the scientific and educational purpose of IEEE and fulfills the IEEE Foundation mission
• Relates to IEEE’s fields of interest currently defined in the IEEE Bylaws I-104.11 as Engineering, Computer Sciences and Information Technology, Physical Sciences, Biological and Medical Sciences, Mathematics, Technical Communications, Education, Management
  • Projects or programs related to Law and Policy will not be accepted
• Has a clearly defined IEEE staff and/or volunteer “champion” who will advocate for the initiative
• Fits in one or more of the five Foundation Pillars:
  • Illuminate the possibilities of technology to address pressing global challenges
  • Educate the next generation of innovators and engineers
  • Engage a wider audience in appreciating the value & importance of technology
  • Energize innovation by celebrating technological excellence
  • Future looks beyond our lifetime to shape the destiny of future generations
• Funding requests generally should be between US$5,000 and US$50,000
• The performance period for funded projects will be project dependent but will not last more than 24 months
• Has a plan for successful completion of the initiative that is clear and realistic
  • A proven process/implementation plan is preferred, but not required
• Project beneficiaries are clearly identified and are sufficient in number to assure that the project is likely to make an impact
• The impact/metrics presented in the request have:
  • A clear depiction of what success will look like as a result of receiving the funding
  • A synopsis of how the impacts/results will have a significant impact and be used
• The budget is appropriate to the scope of the project
• Sharing the cost of funding the proposal with the applying IEEE OU is preferred, but not required

All approved funding requests must adhere to the following stipulations:

• The project leaders need to obtain the necessary approvals from their respective IEEE OU leadership in order to process funding payments from the IEEE Foundation
• Funding can only be used for the expenses listed in the approved project budget included with the proposal
• Any changes to the scope of work, project budget, period of performance, or Project Leader must be approved. Change requests must be sent to the IEEE Foundation office at: foundation-office@ieee.org
• Support provided by the IEEE Foundation must be acknowledged in all program marketing
• A final report must be submitted upon completion of the project or program
• The submitting IEEE OU must adhere to all IEEE requirements including, but not limited, to:
  • Sanctions vetting - IEEE Policies Section 12.11 Economic Sanctions and Embargoes Policy, expresses IEEE’s commitment to adherence with all Sanctions Laws and regulations. Funding recipients must complete the vetting process leveraging IEEE Legal & Compliance’s services before any services are performed, any funding is provided, or goods and products are handed over to the recipient. For more details and to request vetting visit: https://legal.ieee.org/compliance/ofac/vetting
  • Programs working directly with children will adhere to the IEEE Working with Children Guidelines.
  • Obtaining Photo Release forms – Please use the IEEE Minor Photo Release form contained in Appendix C of the Working with Children Guidelines above and/or the standard IEEE Photo Release form for adults

Failure to comply with the above stipulations may result in termination of the funding request.

Funding request payments:

• Payment terms will be determined on a case-by-case basis
• Payments will be processed via one of three payment methods:
• IEEE Concentration Banking Account system
  • ACH/Wire transfer to the IEEE OU partner
  • General Ledger Account transfer
• No payments will be made to personal accounts or non-IEEE entity accounts for this program