Policies & Guidelines

BNSF Foundation's contributions are limited to not-for-profit, tax-exempt organizations which have obtained IRS status under Section 501(c)3 of the IRS Code and, where appropriate, under Section 170(c). Your request for funding will not be considered until the Foundation has received proof of your tax-exempt status.

Please refer to the BNSF system map to determine whether you are within our geographic areas of interest.

BNSF Foundation rarely considers contributions for the following types of groups/requests:

General operating funds
General endowment funds
Computers or computer-related projects
Salaries, wages or administrative expenses
Capital Campaign

BNSF Foundation does not support the following:

Religious Organizations for religious purposes
War veterans and fraternal service organizations
National health programs and organizations
Grants or loans to individuals
Travel funds
Corporate memberships or contributions to Chambers of Commerce, taxpayer associations and other bodies whose activities are expected to directly benefit the corporation.
Political organizations, campaigns and candidates
Benefit tickets or courtesy advertising
Tables and/or tickets to gala fundraisers
Programs beyond our stated areas of interest, or beyond our geographical areas of service

Our Process

The Foundation's Grants Review Team meets monthly so that there is no deadline for applying. HOWEVER, if you are on a timeline, we strongly advise you to allow enough time for our internal process to work at its best. Please be aware that it could take up to 6 months before a decision is made regarding your request, depending on whether we need additional information, and other factors. Kindly refrain from contacting the Foundation during the processing period, unless you have additional data you feel is relevant to your proposal such as updated financial figures. You will be notified as to the outcome of your request as soon as a decision is made.