Mission:
To support efforts to protect the natural environment of the Great Lakes, to reduce poverty and violence in the region, and to ensure that its people have access to good schools, decent jobs, and a diverse and thriving culture.

Background:
The Chicago-based Joyce Foundation was established in 1948 by Beatrice Joyce Kean, who directed the organization's philanthropy until her death in 1972. At that time, the foundation was bequeathed 90 percent of her estate, an amount that totaled more than $100 million. In 1980, the foundation decided to refine its goals to focus on jobs and housing in the social service category and on specific midwestern conservation issues in the environmental category. Currently, the foundation's interests are primarily in the fields of education, employment, environment, gun violence prevention, money and politics, and culture, with an emphasis on organizations that are based or have a program in the Midwest. The foundation's recently redesigned Web site features information on those program areas and also provides guidelines for grantseekers, an online library of publications, and announcements from the foundation.

Outstanding Feature:
Almost every page on the site, including the home page, features a button called Seeking a Grant?, which provides easy access to program guidelines, instructions on how to apply for grants, deadlines, and answers to common questions. The section offers a broad overview of guidelines in each individual program area with a link to more specific information. Grantseekers can also download the 2003 Program Guidelines as a PDF document and the foundation's required Application Cover Sheet in both PDF and MS word formats. The grantseekers' area also includes a page called resources for nonprofits with links to organizations that provide information on issues such as board development, fundraising, and technical assistance.