Matching Gifts Frequently Asked Questions
How long has the company had the matching gifts program?
The Northrop Grumman Foundation, which is a separate entity from the company, has had a matching gifts program since 2001. The Foundation also has its own bylaws and Board of Directors. In addition to the Matching Gifts program, the Foundation provides grants for diverse and sustainable national-level programs that enhance the education experience for students and provide teachers with the training and tools they need to be successful in the classroom. Click here for more information on Foundation grants.
The Foundation’s focus is education. The Matching Gift program only provides matches to qualified education institutions and affiliated organizations. However, The Government Relations group also provides a matching gift program through the company’s PAC. You can contact lesley.kalan@ngc.com for more details.
Who is eligible for the Matching Gifts program?
- Active Full-time Employees
- Part-time Employees (20+ hrs/Week)
- Northrop Grumman Board of Directors
Who is not eligible?
- Retired employees
- Employees on Leave of Absence
- Contract employees
- Spouses or children of current full time employees
What entities are eligible for a Matching Gift?
- U.S.-based public and private elementary and secondary schools
- U.S.-based private and public not-for-profit, degree-granting, two- and four-year colleges or universities, graduate schools, dental, medical or law schools, and vocational or technical schools accredited by a nationally recognized regional accrediting association or listed in the Higher Education Directory of Colleges and Universities published by the U.S. Office of Education
- Alumni foundations, fund raising entities or support groups (PTA, PTO, PTSA, etc.) must be affiliated with a qualifying U.S.-based school and have a separate 501(c)(3) status or comparable tax-exempt determination
- The gift is recognized as tax deductible by the Internal Revenue Service and the institution is not a private foundation defined by Section 509(a) of the Internal Revenue code
- All recipients of an Employee Matching Gift for Education grant must be recognized as a tax exempt organization under the U.S. Internal Revenue Service's section 501(c)(3).
What kind of programming is supported?
This list includes, but is not limited, to:
- Scholarships (not awarded to designated individuals)
- General Fund
- Annual Fund
- Donations to specific eligible departments (i.e., Engineering, Humanities, Business, Dental)
What areas are not supported?
- Anything to do with athletics, athletic teams, support organizations or scholarships designed to benefit student athletes
- Religious schools, colleges/universities or departments (within eligible schools) whose primary focus is to promote religious beliefs (includes seminaries)
- Tuition, books or student fees (for individuals with whom you are personally affiliated)
- Fundraising events such as banquets or dinners, raffles, (walk-a-thons, jog-a-thons, phone-a-thons)
- Choirs, bands or drill teams (for instruments, uniforms)
- Missions Trips
- Endowments (income-generating investments such as endowed chairs)
- Capital Campaigns (building projects or expansion/renovation of existing facilities)
- Campus student organizations (such as fraternities, sororities, honor societies)
- Pledges (that have not yet been given)
- Home schools and home school support organizations
- Bequests
- Subscriptions or Membership Dues or Fees (such as public radio campaigns)
- Advertising or underwriting expenses
There are many worthy organizations that are not supported by the Foundation, such as DonorsChoose, the Boys & Girls Scouts, Run for the Cure, NPR, American Red Cross, Diabetes Association, NPT Breast Cancer 3-Day, Junior Achievement, etc. Although we would like to fund many more areas, our focus remains education. During nationally declared disasters (i.e. Hurricane Katrina, Haiti and Japan relief efforts), we have in the past matched to organizations such as the American Red Cross, World Vision and Save the Children. But these are not orgs that would normally fit within our eligibility guidelines.
Why an online system?
The previous system didn’t allow an efficient way to track how our monies were being matched. Now it is much easier to assist employees and schools with where a request is in the system etc. Additionally, a paperless system reduces the need for storage space and the use of paper, saving company resources and trees.
When can I register for a matching gift?
Registration can happen anytime during the year prior to November 16 to guarantee a match for the same calendar year.
What if my actual donation is larger than the match cap limit ($1000)?
You can still register the donation; the system is designed to max out at $1000 - no matter the amount you designate as your donation. For example, if you would like to register for four $250 donations and your donations all exceed the $1000 limit, contact the Foundation for assistance.
What is the registration process? How will the school know to apply for the matching funds?
The process is as follows: Give the donation, wait for a confirmation that the school has received it, THEN register the donation on the matching gift site.
- Please go to the Employee Programs Web page
- Click on the First-Time User link if you have never accessed the system. You will have to use your MyID (See next question for more info on the MyID)
- In addition, you have to create your own password
Within the process, there are two options for contacting the school/organization that received your donation - through an automatic e-mail (if there is a e-mail address already in our database) or a gift coupon, that you print out, to be sent to them.
The coupon contains pertinent data (the gift ID) so the organization can verify your gift online. Check to assure that an email address is listed. If you know an email contact at the school, you can cut and paste the info into an e-mail so your donation can be quickly verified as well. You can also send the email address to us so we can include in the profile of the organization.
Once the donation is verified, the Foundation can approve or deny the match within the system.
What is MyID and my Employee ID?
Here are instructions on how to find your MyID.
- Go to your Microsoft Outlook, find the Global E-mail Directory, and look up your name. When you click on your name for more details, a Properties dialog box will appear. Look under the first tab which is labeled "General." Your "MyID" should be listed at the bottom of the first column.
- Check your paystub for the "MyID" number.
- Look on the back of the HR Service Center card sent out by Benefits. Your "MyID" is listed there.
Your Employee ID is comprised of three components:
- Your two-digit birth month;
- Your two-digit birth day; and
- The last four digits of your MyID.
For example, if your birthday is June 3 and your MyID is A12345, your user name will be 06032345. Note that the birth month and birthday must be in two-digit format. Therefore, in the above example, June is represented as '06.'
What happens if I register first then give the donation?
It causes a great deal of confusion for the school when they receive an automated email saying there is a donation to be verified only to realize they have not actually received the donation or noted in it in their files. Then the request languishes in our system until the donation is received. After numerous unsuccessful attempts to contact the school, we now delete any requests that have been languishing in our system for over 6 months.
How long can it take for the verification by the school?
The school verification turnaround can take minutes, days, weeks or months. It depends on the school and how they handle their financial affairs. If you have not received any notification from the Foundation within a week, it is important that you check the status in the system and follow-up with the school.
The organization/school is having problems registering. Who can they contact?
There are prompts throughout the system if anyone is having problems registering. All e-mails come to ngfoundation@ngc.com
I am eligible for two matches up to $1,000; is that $1,000 for each donation I register?
Each employee is eligible for up to four gifts, per employee/donor, per calendar year. The match total will not exceed the maximum of $1,000 for all donations. (Examples: You can register four $250 donations.)
Can I get a matching gift for my ECHO donation?
Yes, you can receive a match on an ECHO donation (as long as it is for qualified educational institutions and organizations) but there is a process that must be followed.
ECHO and the Matching Gift for Education Program are two separate employee giving entities. We share no information and aren't linked in any way that would help your request.
ECHO monies enter schools in a different manner than the normal fashion. Our program generally deals with reps on a different side of the institution. When you receive your ECHO notification at the beginning of the year, you should check with the school to assure they have indeed received your donation.
When you receive a confirmation from the school THEN you can register your donation (through ECHO) in our system. You also have to state in the comment section that your donation was given through the ECHO program.
What if I can’t find the organization I am looking for? Here are some troubleshooting tips:
- Input the Tax ID number with no hyphen.
- Don’t input the entire name of the school/organization.
Why was my donation rejected?
The areas to which we don’t give are listed on our website. Please know the ineligible list when applying for a matching gift. If you are still unclear, after reading the guidelines, about why your request was rejected, please contact the Foundation: ngfoundation@ngc.com
How can we give suggestions on how to improve the system?
Send an email to ngfoundation@ngc.com with System/Program Suggestion in the subject line.