Fundación Banco Popular de Puerto Rico

WHO WE ARE
Fundación Banco Popular (FBP) is a private, nonprofit corporate foundation, created in 1979 as an integral part of Popular’s mission since its foundation. FBP accompanies the matrix corporation in the creation of a better quality of life for Puerto Ricans through its support of social initiatives that respond to the educational, cultural and community needs of our children and youth, particularly those in the sectors with greater needs in the country. This contribution is part of our responsible investment in the future – the future of our business and the future of the communities in which we have evolved.

WHAT IS OUR MISSION
Fundación Banco Popular was created to improve the quality of life of Puerto Ricans.

HOW WE FULFILL OUR MISSION
FBP fulfills its mission and its social commitment by contributing to the improvement of the quality of life of Puerto Ricans. We do this by supporting social initiatives and programs directed to the areas of education, community development, and self-management, with particular interest in those that stem from the disadvantaged sectors of the country. Programs that are focused on providing children, young adults and their communities with the adequate conditions to enable them to discover their strength, capacities, and moral values in order to overcome their shortcoming and completely develop themselves. We support with economic resources, participation, and contributions of Popular, Inc.’s employees.

OUR OBJECTIVES

    • Extend and enrich the educational and cultural opportunities available to the children and youth of Puerto Rico’s communities in need.
    • Impact children and youth through the support of educational programs that form part of an organized effort for community development and services.
    • Support programs and services that empower citizens to transform their life situation and the living conditions that surround them.
    • Motivate the voluntary participation of Popular, Inc. employees, leadership development and the shared capacities among these and the people who form part of the organizations and initiatives supported by FBP.


OUR PROGRAMS
Grant Program: provides resources and support to socially based organizations, whose goal is to improve the quality of life of Puerto Ricans, with priority given to educational and cultural services, and community development guided towards the children and youth of underprivileged areas.
Volunteer Program: volunteer work is one of the pillars of Popular’s commitment with the Puerto Rican community. Through the Volunteer Program, Popular, Inc. employees offer their time, talents, resources and energies to improve the quality of life of the most needed. We encourage different organizations to communicate their need for volunteer work so that we can engage our employees to participate.
Rafael Carrión, Jr. Scholarship Program: awards scholarships for undergraduate education for the children of Popular, Inc. employees and retirees.
Rafael Carrión, Jr. Awards to Excellence: in conjunction with the College Board, the highest-scoring students are selected and awarded.
Revive la Música: in alliance with the Fundación Luis A. Ferré that has as its objective the recollection, restoration, and donation of musical instruments to public schools, municipal bands and other organizations that may need to obtain instruments to develop or continue musical education programs.


GRANT PROGRAM
Fundación Banco Popular focus its efforts and resources on programs and projects with a strong educational content that foster the conditions and promote the opportunities so that our children and youth, particularly those in need, may discover and strengthen their own capabilities and in time acquire the values necessary to surpass barriers and develop themselves to their maximum potential.
The support of FBP will be given to nonprofit organizations belonging to the social sector and to public agencies that are eligible by law to receive grants. Recognizing the importance of these organizations to lend supportive services of profound human value and to maintain the highest levels of excellence in their execution, the Fundación Banco Popular will also consider initiatives aimed at the development of leadership and institutional capacities of those organizations. Existing ties with volunteer employees of Popular, Inc. that endorse the application will also be taken into consideration.
The Fundación Banco Popular recognizes that it must choose from among many meritorious proposals and, for that end, will decide based on the merits and the consonance with the established objectives. For this reason we will focus our activities and resources on prioritized areas of support in which we may be able to make a significant impact, in accordance with our mission.

AREAS OF FOCUS OF THE FOUNDATION
The areas of focus chosen by the FBP are the following:

- Education: Organizations, initiatives, programs and projects aimed at creating conditions and opportunities to facilitate and develop the teaching/learning process, such as:

    • After-school and tutoring programs
    • Library services
    • Scholarship programs
    • Special education
    • Leadership and volunteer development
    • School desertion prevention programs
    • Teacher development and training
    • Art education
    • Mentoring programs
    • Vocational training and education
    • High school equivalency exams


- Community development and service: Programs and services with a high educational and training component that form part of organized efforts to improve the quality of life in underprivileged communities, especially for children and youth. Includes programs such as:

        • Community self-management
        • Employment training
        • Prevention of the use of controlled substances
        • Prevention of teen pregnancy and/or support programs for teen mothers
        • Community support to schools


GENERAL GUIDES FOR THE PRESENTATION OF PROPOSALS
The proposals’ content must reflect the deliberate and planned process through which the organization will reach its traced goals. This process should evidence the assumptions supposed to carry out the project and the desired long-term objectives.

    • The proposals submitted to the FBP should focus on educational and community development and service programs guided towards the children and youth of underprivileged communities.
    • The grants of the FBP will be given in proportion to the available resources, and the objectives of each proposal, as well as the potential and the experience of shown results by the applying organization.
    • The FBP will take the initiative of selecting certain programs that to its understanding merit its strategic support through special donations, subject to the foundation’s objectives.
    • The FBP will give grants preferably to organizations that count with the participation of volunteer employees from Popular, Inc. who endorse the proposal.
    • It is expected that the organizations that receive grants submit a report of results reached to the FBP in the period of one year.
    • The applying organization will present to the FBP, within the established time frame, a formal proposal, an application form properly filled out and with all the required documents in order to be considered.
    • The established deadlines for the submission of proposals are the following:
        • March 15th - April 15th
        • July 15th - August 15th
        • November 15th - December 15th


TO APPLY:
FBP will only be accepting applications submitted electronically via the online application form. Paper applications or applications delivered in person will not be accepted.

Applying entities must meet with the following principal requirements in order to be eligible to receive funds: candidates must be a not-for-profit organization duly certified by the Department of State and have an Employee Liaison with Popular.

All organizations applying for the first time must complete the Pre Application Form, before filling out the application form.

Steps to follow to apply for funds:
1. Applicants must first create their User Account using a valid e-mail address. The creation of this account will permit applicants to administer the application process as well as access the application history. Future applications will also be stored and accessed from this account.

It is important that the password used to create the User Account be stored and known to all organization employees who may need access to the Application Form. If the password is lost or forgotten, access the User Account link and press the button Forgot Your Password? Click Here. After entering the e-mail address belonging to the User Account, the system will automatically send an e-mail with the account password.

2. Once the User Account is created applicants may then access the Application Form.

3. We recommend you review the Application Guide before proceeding to fill out the online application.



THE APPLICATION FORM FOR THE AUGUST 15TH DEADLINE WILL BE AVAILABLE STARTING THURSDAY, JULY 15TH, 2010.

.