"The Foundation is an amazing local resource for capital support, something that is generally difficult for nonprofits to come by."
Twenty Years of Small Capital Grants
"The Foundation is an amazing local resource for capital support, something that is generally difficult for nonprofits to come by."
The Small Capital Grants program was launched in 2004 to address an unmet need by supporting one-time expenses that strengthen an organization’s capacity to serve its clients and achieve its mission.
In the first two decades, we awarded over $11.8 million to nonprofits that might otherwise find it difficult to fund this type of critical capital given their smaller operating budgets. From 2004 to 2024:
- 373 grants awarded to 271 organizations
- About 2/3 of grantees were Human Services or Youth Development organizations
- Technology-related projects led the way (particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic), followed by facility improvements, furniture/equipment, and vehicles
- Seventy-six percent of grantees were from Greater Boston and the rest were in select Gateway Cities (Brockton, Chelsea, Fall River, Lawrence, Lowell, Lynn, and New Bedford), with most grantees serving economically disadvantaged communities
- More than a million people of all ages have been impacted by these projects
Today, significant needs remain and the Small Capital Grants program’s impact continues to grow.
