Community Giving

• 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organizations. Fiscal sponsors are acceptable.
• Agencies or programs within agencies that serve people in the Greater Boston area (roughly defined as within Route 128) or in the Eastern Massachusetts Gateway Cities of Brockton, Chelsea, Fall River, Lawrence, Lowell, Lynn, or New Bedford. Preference is given to agencies working in lower-income communities.
• Agencies with annual operating budgets from $250,000 to $5 million. Preference is given to agencies with operating budgets under $3 million.
• Agencies working in most mission areas may apply. Organizations focused on human services, youth development, or economic mobility have historically had higher funding rates. Please note: we are not looking to fund Community Development Corporations, public or private schools, or daycares/early childhood centers under this program.
• Ineligible applicants include: individuals; endowments or private foundations; religious organizations, where the grant is to be used for sectarian purposes; or political campaigns.
• Please note: funding is not retroactive, so projects that have already been started or completed are not eligible for consideration.

• Requested items may include vehicles, furniture/equipment, technology, facility improvements, and other long-term durable assets. 
• Ineligible projects and expenses include, but are not limited to: undesignated contributions to larger capital campaigns; program support; website or mobile application development; database implementations; annual software licenses; or contingency fees.

The next deadline is 5:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 5, 2025. Final grant award decisions for the 2025 deadline are expected in June 2025.

• 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 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 strongly encouraged to contact us before submitting an application 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 call with Faouzi Talabi.

A Word document version of the application questions is available here.

• Your organization and the project address a well-defined need for a specific group of people that aligns with our mission.
• The project, when completed, will deepen your impact or grow the number of clients you can serve.
• The project is innovative, well-thought-out and ready to implement so it can be completed in a reasonable period of time (generally within one year).
• Your organization has strong and creative leadership and can point to significant accomplishments.
• It includes an explanation of any external context in your community or field that is impacting your organization or your need for this project.
• Your organization is in a position to manage, maintain, staff or otherwise well-use the asset(s), if funded.
• Please note: single, coherent, high-impact projects tend to compete more favorably than requests for a variety of unrelated items. Also, the requested grant must cover the entire cost of the proposed capital project.

Historically, the Small Capital Grants program received 100-200 applications per year. On average, 10-15% of projects were selected for funding. We are moving to one deadline per year and project between 100-150 applications per year with 8-12 projects receiving funding.

• 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.

• 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organizations. Fiscal sponsors are acceptable.
• Agencies or programs within agencies that serve people in the Greater Boston area (roughly defined as within Route 128) or in the Eastern Massachusetts Gateway Cities of Brockton, Chelsea, Fall River, Lawrence, Lowell, Lynn, or New Bedford.
• Agencies with an annual operating budget of over $1 million that have been in operation for five years or more.
• Agencies working in many mission areas may apply. Organizations focused on human services, youth development, or cultural vitality/recreation have historically had higher funding rates. Please note: projects that align within other Foundation portfolios (Education, Health, Jewish Giving, Medical Research) should not come in through this program. Please use the Contact Us form to discuss your project with the appropriate staff member to determine if there is interest in learning more.
• Ineligible projects and expenses include but are not limited to: land acquisition or conservation; feasibility studies/planning/design; affordable housing; technology infrastructure; furniture/equipment; elevators; HVAC; security or fire systems (when a standalone request that is not part of a larger renovation/construction project); solar panels, moving fees, or deferred maintenance.
• Ineligible applicants include: individuals; endowments or private foundations; religious organizations, where the grant is to be used for sectarian purposes; or political campaigns.

The next deadline to submit a brief letter of inquiry for the Community Capital Grants program is 5:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, September 17, 2025. Organizations can expect to hear back by the end of October whether a full proposal is invited.

• It is a two-stage process. You must first submit a brief letter of inquiry (LOI). If there is interest in learning more, we will invite a full proposal and conduct a site visit before making a final decision.
• Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to contact us before submitting a LOI 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 call with Amy Hampe.
• First-time applicants must register before starting a LOI. You will be asked to take a brief quiz to assess your eligibility before you begin. If you have applied in the past and no longer have your login information, please submit the Contact Us form to receive a new login and password.

Our Community Capital Grants are highly competitive, with few organizations invited to submit full proposals. Typically, one to two grants are awarded annually from among 40+ inquiries.