At Merrill Lynch, Responsible Citizenship is more than a principle. It is a way of life. Through our global philanthropic efforts, we combine our financial resources and expertise with our greatest asset-our people-to build brighter futures in the communities throughout the world in which our employees and clients live and work. To achieve that goal, our charitable giving targets innovative and effective programs for children and youth that provide direct services, have potential for broad impact, and offer significant volunteer opportunities for Merrill Lynch employees.

What We Fund:

Over the past 90 years, Merrill Lynch has helped millions of people become more self-reliant and better able to determine their futures as a result of both its financial services and philanthropic contributions. Through our support for education and financial literacy programs throughout the nation and across the globe, Merrill Lynch is helping young people leverage their education as a critical instrument for creating wealth and improving the quality of life in their communities and nations.

The education of underserved children and youth in the areas of financial literacy, entrepreneurship, leadership development, career planning and business awareness is Merrill Lynch’s principal philanthropic focus.

Merrill Lynch gives priority to specific innovative, sustainable programs and projects, rather than general operating support that serve the unmet educational needs and interests of an ethnically diverse population who have limited access to financial resources.

Funding Overview:

Merrill Lynch makes charitable contributions through its branch offices, business units and subsidiaries, and through the Merrill Lynch Foundation.

U.S. contributions are only made to IRS recognized 501(c)(3) charitable organizations.

The overwhelming majority of grants are initiated by Merrill Lynch and do not originate from unsolicited proposals. However, Merrill Lynch does consider a very small number of unsolicited requests from nonprofit organizations, but funding is extremely limited.

The Merrill Lynch Foundation gives priority to grant requests from the headquarters of national and global organizations with proven track records in the areas of leadership, accountability and fiscal management.

U.S. branch offices are the primary sources of support for local organizations outside of New York City. All funding requests outside of New York City should be submitted to the managers of local offices.

Contributions are not made to charitable organizations which operate or are located outside the community serviced by the branch or business unit.

U.S. gifts of US$1,000 or more require the approval of the Global Philanthropy Department at headquarters.

International giving is coordinated through the Global Philanthropy Centers listed in Section H.

International charities that have an IRS 501(c)(3) status can be processed locally.

Charitable contributions should be made to organizations that have not experienced consistent operating deficits over a period of time (three most recent years) and have maintained low administrative and fundraising costs.

When making a grant decision, we consider other types of support an organization may already be receiving (e.g., Matching Gifts, United Way).

Funding Exclusions:

-  Private foundations.
-  Individuals.
-  Fundraising activities related to individual sponsorship (e.g. walk-a-thons, marathons)
-  Seed money for new organizations.
-  Political causes, candidates and campaigns as well as organizations designed specifically for lobbying.
-  Religious, fraternal, social or other membership organizations providing services mainly to their own constituencies.
-  Athletic events and sports tournaments (Special Olympics is eligible).
-  Fundraising events (e.g. dinners, luncheons).
-  Endowments, construction and renovation projects, special purpose campaigns, chairs, or purchase of major equipment.
-  Conferences, workshops or seminars.
-  Research.
-  Video/film production.
-  United Way-supported agencies unless the request is the result of an emergency    relief effort.
-  For-profit entities including loans for start-up and small businesses.

Special Note:

According to Section 1.02.1 (Merrill Lynch Charitable Contributions/ Administration and Policy) Section VII, on-site, firmwide solicitations of Merrill Lynch employees by charities are prohibited, with the exception of United Way, the Winthrop H. Smith Memorial Foundation, and the Merrill Lynch ScholarshipBuilder Foundation.

In addition, Merrill Lynch employees are prohibited from soliciting charitable contributions from other Merrill Lynch employees with the exception of fundraising for United Way.

Merrill Lynch prohibits the establishment or creation of any and all forms of philanthropic vehicles (e.g., foundations, trusts, corporations, partnerships and entities, etc.) by employees of Merrill Lynch for the sole purpose and benefit of employees, their families, clients and general public without the prior approval of the Global Philanthropy Department at headquarters.

Eligibility Checklist:

Along with the formal proposal, U.S. organizations must submit the following information, as outlined below.

- Copy of the Internal Revenue Service 501(c)(3) determination letter.
- Statement from the principal of the organization indicating that the grant will be used only for the purposes and activities stated in the proposal.
- Statement from the principal of the organization indicating that the charity does not employ or deal with, and will not use any grants to aid or support any entities or individuals that appear on terrorist watch lists of the U.S. Government, United Nations, European Union and Interpol.
- List of the board of directors, with affiliations.
- Annual report, if available, and/or current operating budget.
- Most recent audited financial statements.
- Statement from the organization indicating the tax deduction of the total contribution.

Proposal Checklist:

To apply for funding, please prepare a proposal in the form of a letter, no more than two to three pages in length. The proposal should address the inquiries delineated below.
-  What is the mission of your organization?
-  What is the history and what are the current activities of the organization?
-  What are the goals and timelines for implementing the program?
-  How does the program relate to the goals of the Foundation?
-  What are the objectives for the program and are they measurable?
-  What are the specific activities to be carried out to meet the objectives?
-  What are the groups and neighborhoods to be served and how will they benefit from the program?
-  How does the organization plan to measure and evaluate short-term and long-term program results?
-  What is the budget of the organization and the specific program?
-  How does the organization plan to sustain the program?

We will consider only one request for support of any kind from an organization during a 12-month period.

Where to submit proposals:

National and New York City-based charitable organizations should submit funding proposals to

      Global Philanthropy and Community Relations
      2 World Financial Center, 5th Floor
      New York, NY 10281

Charitable organizations based outside New York City should submit funding proposals to the manager of the closest Merrill Lynch branch office.

Charitable organizations outside of the United States should direct their funding proposals to:


Philanthropy Centers:

AUSTRALIA

Merrill Lynch
Global Philanthropy
Level 39, 19-29 Martin Place
Sydney, New South Wales 2000
Australia


BRAZIL

Merrill Lynch
Global Philanthropy
Av. Brigadeiro Faria Lima, 3400 - 16º andar
04538-432 - São Paulo, - SP - Brazil


CANADA

Merrill Lynch Canada Limited
Global Philanthropy
181 Bay Street, 4th Floor
Toronto, Ontario
M5J2V8


EUROPE- MIDDLE EAST- AFRICA

Merrill Lynch
EMEA Philanthropy
Merrill Lynch Financial Center
2 King Edward Street
London EC1A HQ


HONG KONG

Merrill Lynch Asia Pacific limited
Global Philanthropy
17/F Asia Pacific Finance Tower
3 Garden Road
Central Hong Kong


JAPAN

Merrill Lynch Japan Securities
Philanthropy, c/o Marketing & Communications
Nihonbashi 1-chome Building, 10F
1-4-1 Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 103-8230
Japan


MEXICO

Merrill Lynch México
Global Philanthropy
Paseo de las Palmas 405, 8º Piso
Lomas de Chapultepec
11000 México, D. F.


Due to the large number of proposals we receive and review, applicants should not contact us as to the status of their request. Funding is extremely limited. Within 30 days of receiving the proposal, we will notify the organization of our decision. Proposals and supporting documentation will not be returned.