Search Through Grants for Children in Massachusetts in the U.S.

Supporting Our Communities

We care deeply about the communities where we live and work. That’s why we support programs and organizations that address unmet medical needs, help students grow through STEM education, and deliver basic human services to our neighbors.

For all community giving applications, we strongly urge you to submit your application at least 12 weeks in advance of the date of required funding

Our initiatives

Addressing Unmet Needs

Each year, we work with nonprofit partners to improve access to treatment, eliminate health disparities and promote healthy lifestyles throughout our communities.

Neighbors help neighbors. Together with our nonprofit partners, Bristol-Myers Squibb works to improve access to treatment and eliminate health disparities for those that live in and around the communities we also call home. Working with our nonprofit partners, we’re able to provide programs that address the health challenges of our underserved citizens.

Improving Science Education

Because today’s students will discover tomorrow’s medicines, we’re committed to improving science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) studies in schools and community organizations.

Science and technology are at the core of everything we do. We're always eager to open young minds to the exciting possibilities of both. Through grants and other programs, we've introduced students to genetics, robotics, engineering, alternative energy, and environmental science. Our employees also serve on advisory boards at career academies and two- and four-year colleges.

We're improving science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education in the communities where our employees work and live.

Helping People In Need

Through philanthropy, volunteerism and partnerships, we provide essential human needs to the our hungry, homeless, elderly and underserved citizens.

• Feeding the Hungry: Bristol-Myers Squibb provides volunteer and financial support to groups that help feed families.
• Fighting Homelessness: Bristol-Myers Squibb is proud to assist a number of organizations working to provide shelter and other necessities to those suffering from homelessness
• A Helping Hand for the Elderly and Homebound: With limited mobility and financial resources, elderly people that live alone often require help with the simplest tasks of daily life
• Helping neighbors when disaster strikes: In the aftermath of emergencies such as fires and floods, the American Red Cross is there. Bristol Myers Squibb supports the American Red Cross of Central New Jersey and its Emergency Services Program, which enables vulnerable families to recover from disasters that may otherwise push them into poverty and homelessness.
• Making the holidays – and every day – brighter for children: Our employees lend their support to various organizations focused on making the holidays – and every day – a little brighter for children in need. 

Investing in Our Communities

A hallmark of our philanthropy is the hundreds of community donations we make each year supporting local needs and events important to our neighbors across Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. Our commitment as a good corporate citizen starts with listening to community members.

Eastern Bank Foundation (EBF) is committed to helping our neighbors and communities prosper. Last year, we invested over $16 million in nearly 1,500 local organizations providing vital services across Eastern Massachusetts, Southern New Hampshire, and Rhode Island.

Impact Grant

Support for organizations that are advancing Economic Inclusion and Mobility in our communities in five strategy areas: 

• Advancing equity in the small business ecosystem
• Enriching early childhood development (Children ages 0-5)
  • This area is not focused on initiatives aimed at people in grades K-16.
• Meeting the demand for safe, supportive, and affordable housing
• Promoting workforce development for “untapped talent” that provides family-sustaining wages.
  • "Untapped talent" refers to working age individuals who desire to work or to work more or at higher levels than they currently do because they face obstacles to achieving that goal. This includes immigrant workers and workers with disabilities, among others.
• Innovating (i.e., testing new methods, approaches, or tools) to advance economicmobility and inclusion which connect in some way to the four areas of focus listedabove.

Impact Grants must be focused on individuals and families who are Low to Moderate Income (LMI). Grant sizes generally range from $50,000 to $100,000, and sometimes more.

Mission

The Highland Street Foundation is committed to addressing the most pressing needs and concerns for children and families in Massachusetts and California. We provide access and opportunities in education, housing, mentorship, health care, environment, and the arts.

Grants

We award grants to organizations of many different sizes and types, but most often for education, youth programming and mentoring, housing and homelessness prevention, environment, healthcare and the arts. The grants we make tend to stem from the relationships our trustees have built with our nonprofit partners. Therefore, we don’t seek unsolicited grant proposals, and have no open proposal submission deadlines or pre-established funding limits.

Our Mission and Values

The McKeen Fund was created as a Charitable Trust by Mrs. Noreen McKeen of Palm Beach, Florida. 

The Fund's Mission is to improve the lives of seniors, people with disabilities and disadvantaged children and families. 

Today, the McKeen Fund continues to support the donor's philanthropic philosophy and values, including an emphasis on giving to Roman Catholic organizations. The Trustees will also consider in addition to the donor's preferences, the demands of a changing world and its impact on the Fund's mission. 

Funding Priorities 

The purpose of the McKeen Fund is to provide support to medical, educational and social service organizations and programs that address the needs of vulnerable children and their families, and seniors. In education, grants focus on pre-k through secondary education, as well as enrichment programs and supportive services. 

Beyond Grants

The Fund also recognizes the donor's value of service and philanthropy going beyond just grantmaking. Fund resources extend to direct charitable activities, including leadership, expertise and a commitment to our grantees and other non-profit organizations. 

Grant applications will be considered where:

• Outside funding (including governmental) is not available;
• The project will be largely funded by the grant unless the grant request covers a discreet component of a larger project; and,
• Funds will be used for capital projects including equipment or endowments; or
• Funds will be used for specific programs that fit within the areas of interest.

Advancing Sustainable Communities

Since 2002, we’ve been empowering local communities with sustainability solutions. Through nonprofit partnerships and sustainability grants, we’ve delivered projects promoting renewable energy, energy efficiency, resource conservation and environmental stewardship.

Mission

"Choose wisely. It's a small planet." That's how it all started back in 1997, when a crew of like-minded folks in Vermont set out on a mission: to use the power of consumer choice and help change the way power is made. Over 20 years later, we’re proud to be a carbon-neutral company that continues to keep sustainability at the heart of everything we do. Join us as we help make the planet a cleaner, greener place to be.

Sustainability Grants

If you’re a U.S.-based nonprofit looking to make a positive environmental impact and you want access to a network of sustainability experts, it’s time to plant seeds of sustainability in your community.

Eligible Sustainability Initiatives

In addition to supporting rooftop solar installation projects, we've expanded our mission to support other sustainability initiatives that include but aren't limited to:

• Clean Transportation
• Education and Awareness
• Energy Efficiency
• Renewable Energy
• Resource Conservation
• Sustainable Agriculture

We’re open to new, creative ideas from nonprofit organizations interested in utilizing and promoting sustainability initiatives.

Selection Process - Impact Measurement

We measure environmental, social and financial impacts:

• Environmental impact calculations consider how the project is more impactful for the planet than the alternative.
• Examples: CO2 prevented (renewable versus traditional generation methods), miles not driven, gallons of water conserved, green space created, pounds of waste diverted.
• Social impact calculations assess how the project will elicit change in the community.
• Examples: results of an email or newsletter story about the project, number of students impacted through curriculum, attendee numbers on sustainability tours.
• Financial impact calculations assess how the project will save your organization money, and how those savings can further support your mission.
• Example: a solar array would save your organization $2,000 per year, resulting in 100 more meals distributed to the homeless or 30 more children receiving free tuition.

Award Amounts

Donation amounts depend on a number of factors, including evaluation of the environmental, social, and financial impact of the donation. Past donations have ranged from $50,000 to $400,000.

Background

Mabel Louise Riley, the Foundation’s donor, was born in 1883 in Boston. Miss Riley was an active patron of the arts and especially enjoyed the beautiful gardens at her homes in Newton and Cotuit on Cape Cod. Generous and concerned for the needs of others throughout her lifetime, she gave regularly to numerous charities in the Boston area.

In establishing a general purpose foundation, Miss Riley’s only suggestion to her trustees was that particular consideration be given to the needs of children and youth. The Mabel Louise Riley Foundation began operation as an active member of Boston’s philanthropic community in May 1972.

Program Interests

The Mabel Louise Riley Foundation is a general-purpose foundation with a special interest in supporting the needs of low-income children and youth and their families.  The foundation supports a broad range of programs, particularly in the areas of education and human services, and neighborhood revitalization.  

Current more specialized areas of interest include:

• Arts access programs for underserved communities
• Support for foster care children and those aging out of the system
• Vocational Education and job training
• Affordable housing and shelter for vulnerable families

Types of Support and Grant Size

Grants are made in support of new projects and organizations, program expansion, and for capital projects.  The trustees are interested in leveraging their grants by funding programs that can become self-sufficient or may serve as a model in other geographic areas.

One-year grants normally fall in the range of $50,000 to $100,000.

Mission

The Lloyd G. Balfour Foundation was established in 1973. The Foundation's 3 primary focus areas reflect Mr. Balfour's strong affinity for the employees of the Balfour Company, his commitment to the city of Attleboro, Massachusetts, and his lifelong interest in education. Specifically, the Balfour Foundation supports:

• Educational scholarships to employees of the Balfour Company, as well as to their children and grandchildren
• Organizations serving the people of Attleboro, with special consideration given to those organizations that provide educational, human services and health care programming for underserved populations
• Educational organizations that serve New England

Focus Area

Educational Organizations

The Foundation's educational funding is generally focused on organizations or programs that provide support for underserved or under-represented populations to prepare for, access and succeed in higher education, including 2-year and 4-year institutions.

It is clear that Mr. Balfour was interested in supporting students for successful completion of college. As such, the Foundation focuses its grantmaking in the New England area on programs that support college readiness, access, and success. The Foundation is most interested in programs that support students all the way into and through post-secondary credential attainment (2- or 4-year credentials). Programs within institutions of higher education aimed at attracting, supporting, and retaining (through successful completion) under-served and under-represented populations are also of interest. In this area, we will consider applications that request scholarship funds, if those scholarships are part of a broader set of services and supports.

New England Funding Priorities

The Clowes Fund supports organizations and programs that focus primarily on socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals. New England funding is concentrated in four geographic regions, including parts of Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine, and the State of Vermont.

In New England, we accept Introductory Applications for first-time Immigrant Services and Workforce Development grants. All current and recent grantees, including those focused on K-12 Education and Arts Education, are welcome to submit a Continuation Grant Statement of Intent.

Massachusetts

Geographic Priorities

The Fund supports immigrant services, workforce development, K-12 education and arts education requests serving Suffolk, Middlesex, Essex and Worcester counties, as well as other communities with significant populations of immigrants, refugees and asylees.

Funding Priorities

• Immigrant Services – We are interested in supporting efforts to address the economic, linguistic, legal, and mental and emotional hurdles that immigrants, refugees and asylees and their children face during integration into the United States society and its economy.
• Workforce Development – We are interested in ensuring that all individuals have access to both jobs skills training and the support services necessary to enable them to participate fully in the economic life of their communities. In addition, we are interested in supporting youth development efforts that prevent students (ages 15 to 25) from dropping out of school and assist in their return to school or their pursuit of an alternate course to economic self-sufficiency.
• K-12 Education – We support primary and secondary education through efforts that emphasize classroom instruction, such as professional development for educators or programs that are fully integrated into the school day. We do not fund after-school or summer enrichment programs for elementary and middle school students. We consider such programs for teens as youth development within our workforce development interests. Note: In Boston, the Fund primarily supports education through EdVestors.
• Arts Education – We support arts education programs that foster critical thinking skills and creativity.

Grant Application Process & Funding

There are two entry points to applying for a Clowes Fund grant, after you have reviewed Where and What We Fund and What We Do Not Fund. Your answer to the following question determines your application type (due November 1).

• Has your organization received a Clowes Fund competitive grant payment within the past five years?
  • If No - Apply for an Introductory Grant: $40K over 2 years ($20K/year) - For Immigrant Services or Workforce Development
    • Most Introductory Grants are awarded to organizations with operating budgets less than $2.5 million.
  • If Yes - Apply for a Continuation Grant - $60K, $90K or $150K over 3 years ($20K, $30K, $50K year, respectively) - For Immigrant Services, Workforce Development, Arts Education or K-12 Education

Transparency is core to strong relationships, so we are compelled to share that fewer than 10% of Introductory Applications will result in an Introductory Grant. The likelihood of funding is much higher for returning grantees seeking Continuation Grants.

Background

The Theodore Edson Parker Foundation was established in 1944 in Lowell, Massachusetts, under a will that reflected the founder’s interest in a wide range of community needs including children, disadvantaged young women, the elderly, refugees and immigrants. Since then, trustees have expanded our priorities to many other needs of the residents of Lowell.

Fields of Interest and Types of Support

The Parker Foundation’s primary goal is to make effective grants that benefit the residents of the City of Lowell. Grants are made for a variety of purposes including social services, cultural programs, community development activities, education, community health needs, and urban environmental projects. The foundation funds specific needs including special programs and projects, capital improvements and equipment purchases, and technical assistance. The trustees do not usually award funds for the operating expenses of well-established organizations, for endowment, or to fund deficits. 

John W. Alden Trust Grant

The John W. Alden Trust was established under the will of Priscilla Alden in honor of her father. In her will, Miss Alden specified that grant support should be directed toward "organizations providing care and administering to the needs of children who are blind, retarded, disabled or who are either mentally or physically ill ... or organizations engaged in medical and scientific research directed toward the prevention or cure of diseases and disabilities particularly affecting children."

The Alden Trust provides support to organizations serving children and youth (ages 0-24) with physical, mental, or intellectual disabilities; and to organizations engaged in research focused on the prevention or cure of diseases and disabilities affecting children.

Organizations serving high-risk youth who are high risk by social or environmental factors and/or are engaged in behaviors that increase the likelihood of adverse health outcomes may meet the Trust’s criteria if the youth they serve are experiencing measurable effects from at least two of the following recognized risk factors:

• living at or below the poverty level
• experiencing school failure (having dropped out of high school)
• living in a foster home or group home
• living in a homeless shelter or motel
• having involvement with the juvenile justice system
• are pregnant or parenting
• having known involvement with drugs or alcohol

About Us

The Fuller Foundation seeks proposals from qualified agencies that carry on the life interests of Alvan and Viola Fuller in the fields of the arts, wildlife, and youth-at-risk. 

Focus Area: Youth at Risk

We fund programs that help children and teens reach their potential and lead productive lives. There is an emphasis on serving lower-income youth between the ages of 6 and 18, with service to a minimum of 25 participants.

Areas of Interest

• Peer leadership, outdoor adventure education
• Alternative educational experiences
• Educational programs to prevent alcohol, tobacco and drug abuse

Funding

Typical Grant Range: $5,000 to $7,500

Overview

The Tower Foundation is a family foundation that helps children, adolescents, and young people affected by intellectual disabilities, learning disabilities, mental health issues, and/or substance use disorders. Our goal is to improve the lives of young people in our geographic footprint of Erie and Niagara Counties in Western New York, and Barnstable, Dukes, Essex, and Nantucket Counties in Eastern Massachusetts.

The Tower Foundation believes every young person should have the chance to achieve their personal goals, regardless of the challenges they face. Individuals who live with one or more of these issues may be overlooked or stigmatized, creating additional challenges. We also know that some young people face more challenges than others because of systemic inequalities. The convergence of our focus areas with racism, ableism, sexism, and other types of discrimination warrants the Foundation’s attention because as we know, people do not live single-issue lives.

The Tower Foundation sees its role as more than just a funder. These issues are near and dear to us because we have members of our family who live with one or more of the issues. These are individuals who are resilient—persevering despite the challenges they face— and who should be valued by our communities. The Tower Foundation envisions a future in which equitable communities include, accept and value these young people.

Strengthening Partner Capacity Grants

The Foundation seeks to fund requests that, “build and/or strengthen the systems, structures, cultures, skills, resources, and power that organizations need to serve their communities.” Strengthening Partner Capacity grants are available for board/leadership development; diversity, equity, inclusion; evaluation/evaluation design; organizational development; professional development; program design and planning (not service delivery); small capital projects/equipment purchases; staff mental wellness support; technology planning/purchasing; and other ideas that help organizations better serve their communities as described above. We accept applications for Strengthening Partner Capacity grants multiple times a year. All other grants in this category are by invitation only.

Focus Areas

The Foundation supports organizations and initiatives that help provide young people with opportunities to realize their highest potential regardless of the challenges they face. Our funding supports work in four focus areas: Intellectual Disabilities, Learning Disabilities, Mental Health, and Substance Use Disorders – all typically underfunded and stigmatized conditions.

We have set out broad, aspirational goals to guide our work and to keep us focused on the big picture. With these in mind, we hope to move a little closer each day to these ideals.

Intellectual Disabilities

• Children with intellectual disabilities are identified early and receive services that meet their evolving needs.
• Young people with intellectual disabilities are engaged in meaningful, social, vocational, and educational pursuits.
• Families understand intellectual disabilities and secure needed supports.
• Communities embrace young people with intellectual disabilities and provide them with a full range of supports and opportunities to engage in community life.

Learning Disabilities

• Children with learning disabilities are identified early, diagnosed, and connected to services that meet their ongoing individual needs.
• Youth with learning disabilities understand how they learn and pursue resources that support them accordingly.
• Young adults are confident and do not view their learning disability as a liability.
• Young adults with learning disabilities are ready for work and/or educational pursuits.
• Families are informed about learning disabilities and can identify and navigate available services.
• Communities value persons with learning disabilities and accommodate their needs.

Mental Health

• Stigma related to mental illness is eliminated.
• Children with social, emotional, and behavioral challenges are identified early and connected to appropriate services.
• Young people with mental health challenges understand and manage their conditions and behaviors.
• Families understand mental health challenges and help young people live productive lives.
• Communities offer meaningful opportunities and appropriate support to young people with mental health challenges and their families.

Substance Use Disorders

• Community members understand the prevalence and harmful effects of alcohol and drugs on young people and work to address them.
• Resources for substance use disorders prevention, treatment, and recovery are readily available.
• Families provide safe environments that support healthy and informed choices about alcohol and drugs.
• Young people make healthy and informed choices about alcohol and drugs.

Click here for the Foundation’s definitions of the above four focus areas.

What We’re Most Interested in Funding

Here are some examples of the sorts of things the Foundation might be willing to fund, just to get you thinking. This is not a complete list of everything we’ll consider!

• Board/Leadership development
• Diversity, equity, inclusion
• Evaluation/Evaluation design
• Mergers/affiliations
• Organizational development (e.g., strategic planning; marketing, development, and/or communications support; process improvement; succession planning)
• Professional development
• Program design and planning (not service delivery; contact us if you have questions!)
• Small capital projects/equipment purchases
• Staff mental wellness support
• Technology planning/purchasing
• What are your ideas? (We’re happy to discuss them!)

Mission

The mission of the Gratis Foundation is to support programs in the fields of education, health care and medical research, humanitarian services, abused and neglected children, and assisting U.S. Military personnel and their families. It is the intent of the foundation to award grants based on achievement, excellence, significance, or leadership in a specific field or charitable endeavor.

Program areas

• Animal Welfare & Advocacy
• At-Risk Youth & Families
• Churches & Religion
• Education
• Food Pantries & Feeding Programs
• Health Care & Medical Research
• International Humanitarian Aid
• U.S. Military Personnel & Family Support

Program limitations 

Supports programs in the fields of education, health care and medical research, humanitarian services, abused and neglected children, and assisting U.S. Military personnel and their families.

States served 

• District of Columbia 
• Florida 
• Massachusetts 

Our Mission

The Peter and Elizabeth C. Tower Foundation supports community programming that results in children, adolescents, and young adults affected by substance use disorders, learning disabilities, mental illness, and intellectual disabilities achieving their full potential. The Foundation is dedicated to societal impact through healthy communities and capacity building. We work diligently to foster a sense of empowerment and an environment of collaboration.

Our Vision and Values

The Tower Foundation serves as a strategic partner and catalyst for positive community change. We believe in the power of sustainable, healthy communities and the effectiveness of coalitions and self-advocacy—success as measured by stakeholder partnership and growth as defined by constituent action and understanding. We hope to inspire others to honor strength in difference and identify opportunity in challenge.

We disburse assets strategically, to fund community programs and projects that boost societal and partner capabilities and lift young individuals to an enhanced quality of life. The Foundation prioritizes funding that leads to improved systemic and organizational capacities in screening/assessment, education/awareness, transition/service navigation, evidence-based practice, efficiency, and technology solutions.

Programs & Services Grants

The Foundation provides direct grants to fund programs and services in our four focus areas of intellectual disabilities, learning disabilities, mental health, and substance use disorders. Programs & Services grants support organizations working to improve the lives of children and young adults in our geographic footprint of Erie and Niagara Counties in Western New York and Barnstable, Dukes, Essex, and Nantucket Counties in Eastern Massachusetts.

About School-Based Healthcare Solutions Network (SBHSN).

Utilizing a unique framework of funding systems offered by the Department of Health and Human Services, managed care organizations, health insurers, and private donors, SBHSN promotes a system of care model (Coaching Model℠) offering a mix of evidenced-based intervention, prevention, and care coordination services to children in grades K-12. The Coaching Model aims to expand quality mental healthcare access on public school campuses and improve children's social, emotional, behavioral, family, and wellness outcomes.

School-Based Mental Health Implementation Grant

In response to the growing number of students who need mental health counseling, the School-Based Healthcare Solutions Network (SBHSN) is accepting applications from Local Education Agencies (LEA), Public and Private Universities, State and local Colleges, Charter School Management Companies, Public Schools, Charter Schools, and Non-Profit Organizations (501c3) to implement and expand mental health program services on local school campuses. Grantees will receive direct funding and reimbursement to support the following activities: 

• Expanding access to School-Based Social and Emotional Learning (SEL).
• Coordinating mental healthcare services with school administration and staff. 
• Delivering mental healthcare services and coordinating academic-support activities to students with a history of attendance, behavior, and poor academic performance.

FUNDING

5-Years, renewable based on meeting performance goals 5-year award ceiling is $5,500,000.

Consumer Financial Education Fund

The Consumer Financial Education Fund supports projects that relate to consumer financial education, with an emphasis on issues related to just and equitable banking, basic banking, financial literacy, access to financial services, retail banking accounts, and underbanked and/or vulnerable populations. 

Funding

It is expected that most proposals will be for 12-month grant periods; however, multi-year proposals are encouraged where appropriate. The maximum grant amount is $100,000, even for multi-year proposals.

Mission

The Lloyd G. Balfour Foundation was established in 1973. The Foundation's 3 primary focus areas reflect Mr. Balfour's strong affinity for the employees of the Balfour Company, his commitment to the city of Attleboro, Massachusetts, and his lifelong interest in education. Specifically, the Balfour Foundation supports:

• Educational scholarships to employees of the Balfour Company, as well as to their children and grandchildren
• Organizations serving the people of Attleboro, with special consideration given to those organizations that provide educational, human services and health care programming for underserved populations
• Educational organizations that serve New England

Focus Area

Attleboro-Specific Charities

The Foundation supports organizations that specifically serve the people of Attleboro, with special consideration given to organizations that provide educational, human services and health care programming for underserved populations.

Mr. Balfour asked the trustee to make grants to charitable organizations that serve the residents of the City of Attleboro, with a priority for those organizations that “[further] education, hospitalization or medical and surgical research.” As such, the Foundation will consider applications for a broad range of human services needs in Attleboro with a priority for education and medical services. 

Mission

The Charles H. Hall Foundation was established in 2007 to support and promote educational, health & human services, religious, arts & cultural programming for underserved populations. Special consideration is given to programs whose purpose is the prevention of cruelty to children or animals. The Foundation specifically serves organizations based in Berkshire, Hampden, Hampshire, or Franklin Counties, Massachusetts.

Community Grant Fund

Grant decisions will be made by our employee Community Grant Councils (CGC) based in each of the regions in which MGM Resorts International operates domestically. Each CGC meets and evaluates grant proposals from nonprofit agencies in its respective region to determine how the community grant funds will be allocated.

Funding Areas

The Program will give priority to funding for agencies/projects/programs that provide services in the following focus areas:

• Affordable Housing
• Economic Opportunity/ Workforce Development
• Education K-12
• Family Services
• Food Insecurity
• Health and Wellness
• Homelessness
• Services for Seniors
• Services for Veterans and Military Families

MGM Resorts Foundation grants are for a one-year period and do not automatically renew.

Mission

The Corporation’s purpose (and hence its Mission) is to honor the work of Hannah B. Chickering, who in the 19th Century dedicated her life to female prisoners and their children. Accordingly, the Corporation shall provide financial support to programs and organizations that address the needs of women and children in crisis, thereby furthering the Corporation’s goal of helping women and children gain health, safety, independence and self-sufficiency.

Criteria

The Chickering Foundation seeks to promote and support agencies whose work reflects and promotes the mission of Hannah B. Chickering. Furthermore, the Chickering Foundation seeks to provide financial support that will make a meaningful difference to the women and children being served.

The programs and special projects we support: 

• Are dependent on private funding reflecting in their size and scope the size of our foundation.
• Provide community-based resoures for women and children in Eastern Massachusetts.
• Build relationships with individuals in order to bridge gaps left by government services, enabling women and children to have a higher quality of life.
• Develop relationships within the community in order to foster a long-term web of support for women and children for, but not limited to, jobs, housing, and life skills.
• Raise awareness and educate the public concerning the underserved needs of women and children.

Agencies that are approved for funding will be assigned a Chickering Foundation Manager and will undergo an annual review. Some one-time grants may be provided.

Since 1986, The Trust for the Meditation Process has encouraged the practice of inner, silent awareness, whether it's called meditation, mindfulness or contemplative prayer. Our financial grants to non-profit organizations renew contemplative Christianity, promote health and wholeness, and bring silence and stillness to a hectic world.  

Contemplative Christianity Grants

Many people think of meditation as an exclusively Eastern religious practice. But Western religion, too, has a long tradition of silent, non-discursive prayer, often called contemplation, which is rooted in a rich mystical literature. Contemporary thinkers are unearthing this tradition. Their fresh encounter with the Gospels and mystics emphasizes that God is a living presence in us – to be known in silence and love and manifested in our acts of compassion.

• Grants made in the Contemplative Christianity Program have these objectives:  
• Introduce or expand the teaching and practice of Christian contemplative practices, such as Christian Meditation or Centering Prayer.
• Focus on silent, non discursive meditation rather than another aspect or method of prayer or spiritual formation.
• Connect with a Christian audience or have a Christian context.
• Identify and support emerging scholars and leaders in Contemplative Christianity and Christian mysticism.
• Raise the profile of Contemplative Christianity, with language and programs that speak to all Christian denominations and that reconnect people to Christian contemplative traditions.
• Reach underserved populations, such as children, teens, and young adults, people of color, people who are LGBTQ, people with low incomes and people facing addictions, illness, trauma or loss.
• Encourage dialogue among contemplative traditions in all religions.

Mindfulness Grants

Thirty years ago, Jon Kabat-Zinn and his colleagues at the University of Massachusetts medical school adapted classic forms of meditation found in most religions for a modern, secular audience. A simple practice of paying silent attention to the present moment formed the core of their efforts to help people improve physical and emotional health. 

Since then, a large and rigorous body of research has shown that a regular practice of mindfulness meditation can change us in many significant ways: improving immune function, reducing stress, reducing pain and symptoms of chronic disease, improving sleep, improving attention, fostering self- care and compassion, and the list continues to grow. Today, an ever widening interest in the benefits of mindfulness practice has led to its introduction in many fields and professions.  

Grants made in the Mindfulness Program have both of these objectives:

Introduce or expand mindfulness meditation through educational or human service nonprofits or government entities, such as K-12 public schools, colleges and universities, correctional facilities, rehabilitation programs, healthcare, counseling and case management services.

Reach underserved populations, such as children, teens, and young adults, BIPOC and LGBTQ communities, people in the criminal justice system, people with low incomes, and people facing addictions, illness, trauma or loss.

Mindfulness Program grants are highly competitive and we generally receive more applications than we can award. 

Grant Guidelines

Our focus is short-term projects where a small grant can make a credible impact and result in clearly identifiable outcomes. We make 20 to 40 grants annually. Initial awards are typically small – $3,000 to $5,000.

The type of projects we fund includes:

• Meditation courses, workshops, lectures or retreats.
• Trainings, sabbaticals, retreats and other development for meditation teachers.
• Meditation curriculum development.
• Books, supplies and equipment for meditation programs.
• Efforts to expand and build the capacity of meditation programs and address barriers to practice. 
• Meditation research, especially the development of simple, effective, accessible evaluation tools.
• Publications that effectively spread critical perspectives on meditation and meet an important gap in the current literature.
• East/West meditation dialogue.

About the Foundation

Harold Brooks, of Braintree, Massachusetts, was a successful business executive and entrepreneur who manufactured and sold prefabricated structures and underground bomb shelters during the Cold War. Mr. Brooks died in 1963 and the Foundation that bears his name was established in 1984.

The Harold Brooks Foundation provides assistance to causes and organizations that help the largest possible number of residents of Massachusetts' South Shore communities, especially those that support the basic human needs of South Shore residents. The Foundation supports nonprofit organizations that have the greatest impact on improving the human condition and/or that provide the neediest South Shore residents with "tools" to help them restore their lives. The Foundation focuses on 5 key areas: education; food, agriculture & nutrition; health; housing & shelter; and mental health.

The Foundation focuses on five key areas: Education; Food, Agriculture, & Nutrition; Health; Housing & Shelter; and Mental Health.

Program Areas

The Brooks Foundation seeks to leverage its funding by supporting programs and projects that impact large numbers of residents or that positively affect the lives of the traditionally underserved within South Shore communities. As discussed in its Mission Statement, the Brooks Foundation funds in 5 primary areas:

Education. The Foundation supports educational programs for all ages, including but not limited to academic access; educational enrichment; and remedial programming for children, youth, adults, and senior citizens that focus on preparing individuals to achieve while in school and beyond.

Health/Mental Health. The foundation supports programming that:

• makes possible care or expands care in response to priority community health needs of residents of the South Shore;
• improves access to care—especially basic services—for traditionally underserved individuals; or
• prepares individuals to be independent and to assist themselves.

Food, Agriculture, & Nutrition/Housing & Shelter. We are committed to serving the South Shore community by supporting organizations that meet the basic needs of all individuals. Our efforts are focused on, but not limited to, shelters, food programs, and employment programs.

Annual Community Impact Grants program

Fallon Health awards grants in the range of $5,000 to $45,000, per proposal, with the average awards of $10,000 to $20,000. We fund new programs or the continuation or expansion of existing programs that address one or more of our focus areas for funding.

Focus areas for funding

Food and nutrition security

Priority will be given to programs that improve or expand access to healthy and culturally inclusive food sources, with a focus on individuals and families with limited economic means.

Older adults

Programs for older adults that support housing safety and stability, that mitigate isolation and loneliness, or that work to eliminate barriers to health care (for example: technology, transportation, health literacy)

Early intervention programs for children and youth

Programs that focus on mental health, behavioral health, and/or substance use prevention, education, and awareness

 Criteria

Applications will be reviewed and evaluated by the Fallon Health Community Impact Committee on the basis of:

• The program’s ability to address one or more of the focus areas for funding
• The importance of the particular problem being addressed and the number of people who will be served
• The qualifications of the organization(s) sponsoring and implementing the program
• The sustainability of the program
• Collaboration between the program and other community resources, with a goal of reducing or eliminating duplication of services 

Background

The Tower Foundation is a family foundation that helps children, adolescents, and young people affected by intellectual disabilities, learning disabilities, mental health issues, and/or substance use disorders. Our goal is to improve the lives of young people in our geographic footprint of Erie and Niagara Counties in Western New York, and Barnstable, Dukes, Essex, and Nantucket Counties in Eastern Massachusetts.

Community Experts Fund

The 2025 Community Experts Team began their work together by drawing on their own experiences to explore a range of potential services for young people. What made a difference in their own lives, or what do they wish had been accessible to them? The team quickly coalesced around mentoring and/or coaching supports, while avoiding a narrow definition of either. Mentors help with needs that youth themselves prioritize, assist with progress towards personal goals, and help to weather life’s ups and downs.

Team members chose to support capacity building with this year’s fund. Nonprofits face daunting challenges in this moment that are not particularly conducive to taking on new program initiatives. For the 2025 Community Experts Fund, grants will help strengthen mentoring programs that support young people with mental health challenges, intellectual disabilities, learning disabilities, or substance use disorders. Mentoring should be understood as quality one-on-one time focused on youth-driven goals, distinct from case management and care coordination.

The Community Experts Fund has a total of $350,000 to award in 2025. Applicants may request any amount up to $50,000.

Community Grants

Reliant Foundation awards community grants for charitable projects, programs and initiatives of 501(c)3 non profit organizations in our service area that improve the health and well-being of individuals of all ages in the Central and MetroWest regions of Massachusetts.

Programs that focus on substance use disorder (primarily the opioid epidemic), mental health/behavioral health services for children and youth, and programs and initiatives which reduce stigma around these issues will be given top priority.

Additionally, we may consider collaborations and programs aligned with the following CHIPs (Community Health Improvement Plans): Worcester, MetroWest, North Central and Greater Milford and/or the priorities of the Community Health Network Areas (CHNAs) win our service area, found here.

Mission Statement

Rockland Trust’s philanthropic mission is to strengthen the communities served by the Bank. We enable individuals and their families to access opportunity and improve the quality of their lives.

Funding Priorities

The Rockland Trust Charitable Foundation prioritizes its grants to organizations and programs that serve a majority low-to-moderate income population in the following areas:

Affordable Housing

Priority is given to programs that create and provide safe, affordable housing, or provide programs and services to provide shelter and/or foster homeownership or ensure that individuals and families stay in their current homes, thereby preventing homelessness. Typical programs funded are:

• Development of low-to-moderate income housing
• Emergency home repairs
• Rental assistance programs
• Homebuyer education programs
• Foreclosure prevention and homeowner counseling programs
• Domestic violence and homeless shelters

Children & Youth

Priority is given to programs that are preventive in nature and that focus on providing children and youth equal access and opportunity to programs and services that foster health, wellness, education, and leadership skills to achieve their full potential. Typical programs funded are:

• Parenting education and training
• Early childhood education
• Social-emotional and mental health
• After-school enrichment/tutoring programs in sports, arts, leadership with an educational component
• Mentoring and literacy programs
• Access to summer camps for underserved youth
• Career/College exploration, preparation and support

Financial Inclusion & Workforce Development

Priority is given to programs that provide consumers and individuals with financial education and build employment skills they will need to achieve their potential and become contributing members of society.

Typical programs funded are:

• Financial literacy education, including money management, budgeting, banking, credit building and debt reduction
• Adult education, e.g., English as a Second Language
• Job preparation, training, and placement

Small Business Support

Priority is given to programs that provide small business assistance programs that strengthen our communities. Typical programs funded are:

• Small business assistance
• Entrepreneurial support programs

The William J. & Margery S. Barrett Fund for Adams. Cheshire & Savoy

The William J. & Margery S. Barrett Fund for Adams, Cheshire and Savoy was initially created by Margery Barrett in 1995. Mrs. Barrett was born in North Adams on July 11, 1910 and moved to Adams as a child. She graduated from the former Adams High School in 1927 and from the former North Adams Normal School (now the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts) in 1929. She was a teacher in the Conway School System and the former Howland Avenue School in Adams. She married William Barrett, with whom she shared her life in Adams until he died in 1969.

In 1995, Mrs. Barrett, with the help of her attorney, used Pfizer stock (inherited from her father and husband, both of whom had worked at Specialty Minerals) to establish the fund through the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation and to increase her income through a charitable remainder trust. The Fund awarded grants anonymously for several years, giving her the joy of seeing her generosity support organizations around her. Upon Mrs. Barrett’s death in 2000, the remainder of the trust was added to the Fund and, at her instruction, her name was publicly announced for the first time. Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation is proud to serve as steward for the William J. & Margery S. Barrett Fund for Adams, Cheshire & Savoy, seeking to improve the quality of life for the residents of those communities, today and in years to come.

The fund is an ongoing resource that works across town borders to support innovative projects and services for the maximum benefit of the residents of these towns, with particular emphasis on low income and/or underserved adults and children.