Matching Gifts Frequently Asked Questions

How long has the company offered the Matching Gifts for Education program?

The Northrop Grumman Foundation, which is a separate entity from the company, implemented the Matching Gifts for Education program in 2001. The program is designed to acknowledge and support employees’ personal commitment to education.

Who is eligible to participate in the Matching Gift for Education Program?

Active full time and part-time employees (20+ hrs/week).

Who is NOT eligible for the Matching Gifts for Education program?

Retired employees
Employees on leave of absence
Contract employees
Spouses or children of current full-time employees
Other third parties

Are terminated employees eligible for the match?

No.

What types of organizations are eligible?

Eligible Education Institutions:

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 an individual tax-deductible charitable contribution as defined by Section 170(c) of the Internal Revenue code and the institution is not a private foundation as defined by Section 509(a) of the Internal Revenue code.
Not for profit 501(c)(3) organizations with verified IRS 501(c)(3) status, whose primary mission is to further student access to and success in STEM-related programs and disciplines

NOTE: Organizations whose programs discriminate based on race/ethnicity, color, national origin, ancestry, sex/gender, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, marital/parental status, pregnancy/childbirth or related conditions, religion, creed, age, disability, genetic information, military service/veteran status, disabled veteran, recently separated veteran, other protected veteran, Armed Forces service medal veteran, or any other characteristic protected by law are not eligible for funding

What is a 501 (c) (3)?

A 501(c)(3) is a section of the Federal Tax Code that establishes the criteria for tax-exempt charitable organizations. An organization must have this status in order to receive a matching gift. This status allows donations to be tax-deductible. Recent changes in IRS law require that we also verify public charity status.

What organizations are NOT eligible for matching gifts program?

There are many worthy organizations not eligible such as DonorsChoose, the Boys Scouts, Girls Scouts, Run for the Cure, NPR, American Red Cross, American Diabetes Association, NPT Breast Cancer 3-Day, Junior Achievement etc. Although we would like to fund many more areas, our focus remains education. During federally-declared disasters (i.e. Hurricane Katrina, Haiti and Superstorm Sandy), we have in the past matched to organizations such as the American Red Cross, World Vision and Save the Children. But these are not organizations that would normally fit within our eligibility guidelines.

What is the annual limit?

Matched on a dollar-for-dollar basis, verified personal donations for education from $50 to $2,500 are eligible. The Foundation will match up to four gifts per employee/donor, per fiscal year., November 1 – October 31. The match total will not exceed the maximum of $2,500 for all donations.

What if my actual donation is larger than the match cap limit ($2,500)? How many matches can I get?

You can still register the donation; the system is designed to max out at $2,500 – no matter the amount you designate as your donation. The match total will not exceed the maximum of $2,500 for all donations. (register four $625 requests)

Can I give money through a trust?

Yes, money from an individual or family trust can be matched.

Can I donate money on behalf of an ineligible participant such as a third party?

The Northrop Grumman Foundation’s Matching Gifts for Education program is designed to acknowledge and support our employees’ personal commitment to education. Eligible participants may make a cash gift from funds that they received from an ineligible participant (e.g., from funds the eligible participant received by gift or bequest) only if the cash used to make the gift is considered a personal asset of the eligible participant and reflects the eligible participant’s personal commitment to education. No eligible participant should act as a pass through to make the charitable contributions of ineligible participants such as third parties.

Are in-kind gifts permitted?

No, in-kind gifts (a gift in lieu of cash, such as a computer) are not permitted.

What is the registration process? How will the school know to verify the matching funds?

The process is as follows: You give the donation, wait for a confirmation that the school has received it, THEN register the donation on My Giving portal.

To apply using single-source sign-on, visit the My Giving portal while connected to the network. You may also click here while off the network.

Once you have registered the donation you can print the coupon and send it to the school. If there is a valid point of contact on record, they will receive an email with instructions on verifying your donation in the system. It is the employee’s responsibility to make sure that the school verifies the request.

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.

Employees interested in signing up for ECHO should visit the My Giving portal. To easily access the My Giving portal with single-source sign-on, click here while connected to the Northrop Grumman network. Instructions about how to apply can be found under “Guidelines”.

ECHO and the Matching Gifts 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 or qualifying organization THEN you can register your donation for a match in our system. You also have to state in the comment section that your donation was given through ECHO.

What if I can’t find the organization I am looking for on the site?

Here are some troubleshooting tips:

Input the Tax ID number with no hyphen.
Don’t input the entire name of the school/organization.

When is my gift matched? How will I know it has been matched?

Verified requests are processed at the end of each month and checks are cut and sent to the schools within the first two weeks of the following month. Employees will receive an email notification when their requests are approved by the Foundation. Employees can also view their giving history to see the status of their requests.

Why was my donation rejected?

Ineligible organizations and support are listed on our website. Please read 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