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 of approximately $5 million or less. Preference is given to agencies with operating budgets under $3 million.
• Agencies working in any mission area may apply. Organizations focused on human services, youth development, or economic mobility have historically had higher funding rates.
• 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 durable assets. 
• Ineligible projects and expenses include, but are not limited to: undesignated contributions to larger capital campaigns; program support; staff salaries or other administrative costs; website or mobile application development; annual software licenses; service or support plans; warranties; insurance, fuel, or maintenance for vehicles; or contingency fees.

Typically, we have a “spring” and “fall” deadline each year. The next deadline to submit a proposal for the Small Capital Grants program is 5:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 6, 2024. Final grant award decisions for the March 6 “spring” deadline are expected in June 2024.

• 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 also 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 introductory 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.

Typically 10-12 organizations receive grants each deadline. The Small Capital Grants program receives 100-200 applications per year. On average, 10-15% of projects are selected for 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.

• 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 working in any mission area may apply.
• Ineligible applicants include: individuals; endowments or private foundations; religious organizations, where the grant is to be used for sectarian purposes; or political campaigns.

Requests are considered on a rolling basis and organizations typically hear back within six months.

• 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 must 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 introductory 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 Other Capital Grants are highly competitive, with few organizations invited to submit full proposals. At most, one to two grants are awarded annually from among 40 or more inquiries.