Thank you for your interest in the Cleveland-Cliffs Foundation. Please review the funding guidelines below to learn more about our funding priorities and application process.
Funding Eligibility
The Cleveland-Cliffs Foundation makes community investments on the basis of two primary criteria:
- Projects should be implemented in the communities where Cleveland-Cliffs has operations.
- Proposed projects should support education, improve the environment, and/or support healthy and vibrant communities.
The Cleveland-Cliffs Foundation does not support the following:
- Organizations not 501(c)(3) registered based on IRS designations. Some exceptions may be made for schools, libraries and public safety.
- Grants to individuals
- Trips, tours and associated costs
- Political causes, candidates, organizations or campaigns
- Form letter requests
- Religious organizations and groups which are denominational or sectarian in purposes such as churches, missionary groups, etc.
- Organizations not compliant with the USA Patriot Act
- Loans or investments
- Grants to cover operating deficits
- Organizations that discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, age, mental or physical disability, veteran status, national origin, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.
If you feel your organization has a project that may be a good fit for the Cleveland-Cliffs Foundation, consideration to submit a full proposal can be requested by submitting a letter of inquiry via our online grants system.
Only those invited to submit a full grant proposal can submit their request via our online application by one of our established deadline dates.
Upcoming Grant Proposal Deadline Dates
The Foundation will offer three grant cycles in 2026.
2026 letter of inquiry deadlines:
- Spring 2026: March 16, 2026
- Summer 2026: May 26, 2026
- Fall 2026: August 31, 2026
If you do not receive a request for additional information within 45 days, please be advised that your project does not match the giving strategy of the Cleveland-Cliffs Foundation or is ineligible for funding as a result of limited resources.
2026 full application* deadlines:
- Spring 2026: March 27, 2026
- Summer 2026: June 12, 2026
- Fall 2026: September 11, 2026
Only those invited to submit a full grant proposal should use this link. Uninvited requests that bypass the LOI process will not be considered.
All grant requests must be submitted via our online portal. Please note that all unsubmitted grant requests will be removed from the portal between December 1 and December 30. New requests for support can be submitted after January 1. If you need assistance, please email community@clevelandcliffs.com.
Existing Partners
If you have received past funding support, and have an account in our online grant system, please login to your account to access your current and past grants, as well as reporting requirements.