Grants

In 1998 Ronald McDonald House and Ronald McDonald's Children's Charities merged and changed their name to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Tampa Bay. The merger aligned all of the Ronald McDonald Houses worldwide under the new umbrella of Ronald McDonald House Charities. Each Ronald McDonald House is still locally owned and operated by community volunteers and run independently through its local Board of Directors, and our primary mission at RMHC Tampa Bay remains the same:

"Ronald McDonald House Charities of Tampa Bay provides comfort, care and support to children and their families through the operation of core programs like the Ronald McDonald House, the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile, RMHC College Scholarships, and grants to other non-profit organizations that assist children."

The merger enabled us to unite our efforts and reach out to our respective counties by providing the following services:

  • operating our local Ronald McDonald House program
  • providing grants to other Tampa Bay non-profit organizations whose programs help improve the quality of life for children and their families
  • providing scholarships to promising sophomore students who desire a college education when graduating from high school
  • supporting the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile program

Our Ronald McDonald House continues to operate as before. Funds raised for the benefit of the House are designated exclusively for the House program. Grants to children’s organizations and scholarships are funded primarily through national and regional McDonald's restaurant promotions and do not diminish support for Ronald McDonald House operations.

If you have questions or wish to receive additional information on grant procedures, please e-mail Janice L. Davis.

Eligibility

To be considered for funding, every applicant must:

  • Be an organization designated as not-for-profit and tax-exempt as defined under IRS 501 (c)(3) codes.
  • Submit requests on a RMHC Grant Application form, with all required information and documentation.

Eligible projects are those which:

  • Directly benefit children (ages ranging newborn to 18 years). If your program benefits children and adults, you must identify which costs specifically support children. Only these costs are eligible for funding by RMHC.
  • Serve children in at least one of our eleven counties in the Tampa Bay area: Citrus, DeSoto, Hardee, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, or Sarasota.
  • Expend RMHC grant awards within 12 months.

The RMHC Board of Directors is most interested in organizations that can demonstrate:

  • Consistent and effective management
  • Clear goals and objectives
  • A broad base of funding support
  • Ability to respond to the needs of specific groups of children in a manner that yields measurable results

RMHC does not fund:

  • Grants to individuals
  • Requests for programs which have already been completed
  • Advertising or fundraising drives
  • Partisan, political or denominational programs
  • General and administrative costs, including salaries, stipends, transportation or travel expenses
  • Requests that are not in writing
  • Capital Campaigns
  • Endowment Campaigns
  • Intermediary funding services or "pass-through" grants (not-for-profit organizations that ask RMHC for funds to distribute to other not-for-profit organizations)

For a grant application email Janice L. Davis or call 813-258-6430, ext. 1.