Information That You Will Need to Provide
To complete a funding request, you will need to provide details about your organization such as:
- Year founded, mission, history and annual budget.
- How your organization is different from other organizations working on the same issue.
- Number of employees and volunteers.
- Will your organization or the project provide volunteer opportunities for Erie Insurance employees, agents or customers?
- Has Erie Insurance been involved with your organization in any way?
- Provide names of any Erie Insurance employees or agents who serve as volunteers or board members of your organization.
You’ll also need to provide information about your project such as:
- Detailed project description, including its purpose, goals and why funding is needed.
- Project budget, budget worksheet and the amount you’re requesting.
- Project dates, including when the funds are needed.
- Describe your audience or population who will be served or impacted.
- How many will directly benefit from this project per year?
- Which of Erie Insurance’s community focus areas (Safety, Community Building and Environmental Responsibility) does this program support?
- What are the measurable results on this project?
- Briefly describe your plan for evaluating its success.
- List specific media opportunities or ways that Erie Insurance will be recognized.
- List community partners you will work with and describe the partnership and each partners role.
- Does this program qualify under any tax credit program?
- Provide details about all other sources of funding that you have received.
How to Apply
In 2020, ERIE improved functionality for our Grant Making Program and began a partnership with Benevity. The improvements include an online funding application that replaced the Request Funds PDF.
Nonprofit 501(c)3 Organizations
If you’re a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization requesting funds for a program, project or event sponsorship, you will need to register within the Benevity Causes Portal before completing ERIE’s Request Funds Application. Please see the Benevity Causes Portal and Nonprofit Support information below.
Non-501(c)3 Municipalities
If you’re a non-501(c)3 municipality requesting funds for various services and programs, you do not need to register within Benevity’s Causes Portal. You can apply by completing and submitting a Request Funds Application. Please allow four to eight weeks for processing requests.
Benevity Causes Portal and Charity Support
The Benevity Causes Portal is where 501(c)3 nonprofits will be vetted against ERIE’s Giving Network Charitable Giving Guidelines and can provide a cause profile, preferred payment information and can include impact stories for potential funders.
By registering your non-profit on the Benevity Causes Portal, you will be able to receive funds from all of Benevity’s clients, export donation details each month, and add information on your nonprofit’s mission and impact. Follow the “Register Your Charity” guide to setup your nonprofit profile in the Causes Portal.
If you have any questions regarding Benevity and the Causes Portal, or need any support, please visit the Benevity Resource Hub or reach out to the Charity Relations Team at causes@benevity.com.
Apply for Funding
Once your 501(c)3 nonprofit is registered within Benevity’s Causes Portal, you can apply for funding by completing and submitting a Request Funds Application. If you’re requesting sponsorship for a nonprofit event, you’ll need to provide your organization’s IRS W-9 Form, which can uploaded when completed the funding application.
Requests of $10,000 or more
For requests of $10,000 or more, you will be required to upload budget information and a logic model during the application process. Only submissions using the provided templates will be accepted.
If funding is approved, you will need to commit to a grant agreement, which will be sent to you for signature, and then complete an Outcomes Report. You will be notified regarding your Outcomes Report due date, which is generally in February following funding. Refer to the Outcomes Toolkit for resources to assist you with your logic model and outcomes report.
You can submit a funding request under $10,000 for consideration at any time. The deadlines to submit funding requests of $10,000 or more are:
- October 31, 2025 (Note: All EITC funding requests for 2026 must be submitted by this date in order to be reviewed)
- January 23, 2026 (Note: All NAP funding requests for the 2026-2027 NAP cycle must be submitted by this date in order to be reviewed)
- April 24, 2026
- July 17, 2026
- September 11, 2026
