OUR PARTNERSHIPS

We work with organizations that align with our strategic focus areas to support small businesses and ecosystem restoration in emerging markets.
Request for Proposal

Moody’s Community Impact is welcoming proposals from all eligible non-profit organizations for projects aligned with one or both of our focus areas: empowering small businesses and supporting ecosystem restoration. Vetting will occur in multiple rounds and a portfolio of organizations will be selected and onboarded by year-end. Each successful organization will receive an initial one-year investment of between US$150,000 – US$300,000.

Further Information
Applications open
9:00 am ET on Tuesday, February 14
Close
5:00 pm ET on Friday, March 17
To get started, take our eligibility quiz.
Our partners
Asian Venture Philanthropy Network

About

The Asian Venture Philanthropy Network is a social investment network and ecosystem builder that works to increase the flow of capital towards impact across Asia.

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Conciencia

About

Conciencia assists entrepreneurs from Argentina in training for jobs and developing professional skills.

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Echoing Green

About

Echoing Green discovers and invests in emerging social entrepreneurs who are committed to solving the world’s biggest problems. Moody’s partners with the organization to scale 500 social enterprises focused on racial equity in the US and globally.

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Instituto Perene

About

Instituto Perene is a non-profit civil association promoting practical solutions for the development of rural communities in Brazil.

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MarViva

About

MarViva contributes to spatial and marine management and the promotion of responsible market dynamics for marine products and services in Costa Rica.

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TechnoServe

About

Technoserve, a leading nonprofit operating in almost 30 countries, helps workers in the developing world to build competitive farms, businesses, and industries.

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Village Capital

About

Village Capital is the world’s largest organization supporting impact-driven, seed-stage startups.

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WEConnect International

About

WEConnect International is a global network that connects women-owned businesses to qualified buyers around the world.

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We are proud to partner with nonprofit organizations that share the values of our people as we work toward creating more inclusive economies and successful communities.

David Platt
‍Chief Strategy Officer, Moody’s and President of Moody’s Foundation

Grant giving guidelines

general assessment

Moody’s Foundation donates to organizations that are organized and operated for charitable purposes equivalent to the US IRS code 501(c)(3) (or an international equivalent designation) and are aligned with Moody’s Foundation focus areas. In addition, Moody’s Foundation assesses eligibility around a set of criteria, which includes but is not limited to:
Relevance
Does the issue to be supported align with Moody’s business priorities?
Assets
Does the issue to be supported present an opportunity to apply Moody’s core expertise, such as analytics and research, influence, technology or employees’ skills?
Resonance
What opportunities would the grant create for our employees globally to feel connected to the corporate mission and business objectives?
Authenticity
‍Does it position Moody’s to serve as a neutral voice and an influential leader?
Differentiation
Does it offer a unique role for Moody’s to play, relative to others in our market?
Need
‍Does it signify an important and recognized societal challenge or opportunity?
Target market
‍Is the organization serving a market that is currently a priority for Moody’s strategic plan?
Brand
Is there brand visibility and thought partnership / leadership opportunities for Moody’s?
Organizational stability
Does the organization have a diverse funding base?
Organizational assets
Does the organization have assets & expertise in the area where it is focused?
Does the organization have a positive reputation & network in the field? Does the organization have relationships with Moody’s stakeholders? Does it reflect Moody’s values?
Leverage
Can the organization utilize assets beyond Moody’s Foundation’s budget?
Does it align with other existing or potential Moody’s corporate social responsibility activities?
Impact Measurement
Does the organization have high-quality evaluating & reporting impact measures?
Does it align with Mission Measurement’s Impact Genome Project standardized outcomes /KPIs?
Employee engagement
‍Are there employee engagement opportunities including potential pro bono activities?
Insights from this overall process guided us to develop a global Community Impact strategy that not only responds to the issues our company and stakeholders care about most but also helps us apply our expertise and resources effectively and achieve greater impact. Across all these areas, Moody’s values of diversity and inclusion serve as a lens through which to evaluate our Community Impact efforts and investments.

Tax designation

Moody’s Foundation supports organizations that have tax effective charitable status in the United States (501(c)(3)organization) or organizations outside the United States with international equivalent charitable status. All eligible organizations must have full-time, paid and professional management. To ensure only those charities in good standing with the local tax authorities are included in our database, Moody’s sources the lists from:
IRS
Business Master File (Government)
NCES
National Center for Educational Statistics (Government)
USCCB
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (Private)
ABR
Australian Business Register
CRA
Canada Revenue Agency (Government)
OSCR
Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (Government)
TechSoup
Technology for nonprofits, charities, and libraries (Nonprofit)
UK Charity Commission
The Charity Commission for England and Wales
To further identify eligible charities, Moody’s Foundation utilizes The National Taxonomy of Exempt Entities (NTEE) classification system for non-profit organizations, which provides the option to filter causes based on the broad range of their activities, including health, human services, arts and culture, education, research, and advocacy, among others.

Restrictions

Moody’s Foundation does not fund:
  • Organizations which do not have US IRS 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status or local country equivalent
  • Individuals
  • Religious organizations for religious purposes
  • Political candidates or lobbying organizations
  • Private foundations
  • Organizations that do not serve the community at large
  • Organizations that unlawfully discriminate [1]
  • Organizations with a limited constituency, such as fraternal or labor groups
  • Donor Advised Funds that do not have 501(c)(3) status (however, donations made from a Donor Advised Fund to an eligible organization are eligible)
  • Travel by groups or individuals
  • National conferences
  • Sponsorships or advertising
  • Anti-business groups
  • Team sponsorships or athletic scholarships
Other restrictions may apply as determined by Moody’s Foundation Board of Directors.

[1] The Moody’s Foundation will not support organizations that engage in unlawful discrimination (including harassment because of race, color, gender, age, religion, national origin, citizenship, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, disability, military or veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law). 

Eligibility quiz and
letters of interest
Moody’s Foundation invites you to review our grant giving guidelines and take our eligibility quiz to assess whether a project is eligible for funding. Successful organizations will be provided with an invitation code to submit a letter of interest. Letters of interest may be submitted at any time to Moody’s Foundation. Please allow up to four (4) weeks for your submission to be reviewed. Email or mailed letters of interest will not be considered. Moody’s Foundation is unable to respond to unsolicited requests.