For Grant Seekers
Who We Fund
We back extraordinary leaders, promote innovative approaches to pressing problems, expand access to essential services, and contribute to the vitality of Greater Boston.
We invest in organizations that improve human health, raise educational attainment, increase economic security, and meet community needs.
With rare exceptions, grantees must:
- Be 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organizations. Fiscal sponsors are acceptable.
- Serve people in the Greater Boston area (roughly defined as within Route 128) or the Eastern Massachusetts Gateway Cities of Brockton, Chelsea, Fall River, Lawrence, Lowell, Lynn, or New Bedford.
What We Do Not Fund
We do not make grants to:
- Individuals
- Endowments or private foundations
- Religious organizations, where the grant is to be used for sectarian purposes
- Political campaigns
We do not sponsor events, conferences, or meetings, and we do not buy tables at events.
How to Apply
Some of our programs have open applications and others are by invitation only.
Capital grants have open applications.
- See the Community Giving page for specific deadlines and other criteria.
- First-time applicants must register before starting an application. You will be asked to take a brief quiz to assess your eligibility before you begin. If you have applied to our Foundation in the past and no longer have your login information, please submit the Contact Us form to receive a new login and password.
- Potential applicants are encouraged to contact us before submitting an application or letter of inquiry to determine whether your organization and proposed project are eligible for consideration. Please submit the Contact Us form or sign up for a 15-minute introductory call with Faouzi Talabi.
Education, Health, and Medical Research grants are invitation only.
- We engage in research and relationship-building with nonprofits, community leaders, experts, and peer funders related to our areas of focus. This enables us to invite proposals from strong and well-aligned organizations that are likely to deliver on our strategic goals.
- If after reviewing our Giving Area pages, you believe your organization or proposed project aligns well with our established strategies, please send a brief introduction using the Contact Us form. Include your website, a brief description of your organization, and the population served.
- Please note this email is for informational purposes only and should not be considered a formal letter of inquiry or an application for funding. We will do our best to respond to your inquiry in a timely manner.
Any other grants are by invitation only. Unsolicited applications will not be accepted.
Other Frequently Asked Questions
Can your staff visit my organization?
We visit all organizations being considered for funding. Unfortunately, we are not able to accommodate requests for site visits from organizations not actively being considered for funding.
How many applications do you receive/fund?
We only have open applications for our Capital grants. The Small Capital Grants program receives 100-200 applications per year, and, on average, 10-15% of projects are selected for funding. Other Capital Grants are also highly competitive, with few organizations invited to submit full proposals. Typically, one to two grants are awarded annually from among 20+ inquiries.
Will you provide feedback on my application?
We strive to be transparent in our decision making and are happy to share feedback on applications and award decisions. Please note there may not be specific feedback that would have made a request more likely to receive funding; many worthy proposals are ultimately turned down due to limited resources. Please reach out to your contact on our staff for feedback. Or submit a question using the Contact Us form.
What is the waiting period if funded/declined?
- For the Small Capital Grants program, if your organization is funded, you will not be eligible to apply for another Small Capital Grant for two years from the date of the previous application. You are then eligible to apply for a subsequent Small Capital Grant if the project for which you were previously funded has been successfully completed and a final report received by the Foundation. There is no waiting period for organizations whose applications are not funded.
- There are no waiting periods for any of our other programs.
I am having trouble with my application or password.
Please reach out via the Contact Us form or call us at 857-404-0700.
Do you provide emergency funding?
We do not typically provide emergency funding, with rare exceptions for significant local disasters.
If you have additional questions, please contact us. We will do our best to respond in a timely manner.