NOTE: The Catalyst Fund will NOT accept applications in July and August.

BCBSM Foundation Catalyst Fund

The Catalyst Fund provides one-time non-renewable grants up to $5,000 for a twelve-month period to help community-based health care organizations strengthen their capacity to expand access to health care in Massachusetts. Since 2002, the Catalyst Fund has distributed over $1.4 million to more than 426 grants to health centers, clinics, health care advocacy groups, and community-based organizations. The Catalyst Fund is made possible entirely with donations from employees of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. 

Context

Nonprofit organizations that serve the health and health care needs of low-income and vulnerable residents of Massachusetts often operate under limited resources and capacity to entirely fulfill the needs of community members and staff. While implementing large-scale initiatives, or trying to keep up with the demands of ongoing operations, organizations are often forced to be more reactive as opposed to proactive. As a result, launching new initiatives to strengthen their infrastructure, or taking time to plan for the future or ensure sustainability, can be a luxury. The Catalyst Fund is intended to help organizations pay for some of the activities that can move them forward, position them for future opportunities, and as its name implies, help spark innovation. 

Key Program Elements and Eligibility Criteria

The Catalyst Fund provides one-year, non-renewable grant awards up to $7500 for capacity-building expenses to Massachusetts community-based organizations to address a health or health care component of their work. The Foundation will accept applications from community health centers, community-based organizations and social service organizations, even from those for which health is not a core activity or emphasis; as long as a compelling connection to health or health care is demonstrated as a focus of the proposed work, applications will be accepted for review. Examples of activities that could be supported include:

• Hiring a consultant grantwriter or fundraiser (only organizations that do not currently have this capacity on staff will be considered); 
• Technology enhancements, including website development, or purchasing equipment and software;
• Medical equipment and training (automated external defibrillators, or AEDs, are not eligible);
• Cost of hosting community meetings to engage stakeholders and constituents;
• Leadership, professional development or technical training opportunities for staff or board members;
• Strategic planning activities through the services of a consultant; and 
• Production of marketing or outreach materials. 

Requests for other types of capacity-building activities will be considered if they fulfill the one-time nonrenewable capacity building criteria.

NOTE: Applications accepted on a rolling basis. Q3 decisions made by March 31. Q4 decisions made by June 16.

The New Commonwealth Racial Equity and Social Justice Fund

NCF uses a three-pronged philanthropic approach to achieve our mission: respect-based grantmaking, culturally relevant capacity building, and fostering an ecosystem that supports robust racial equity and social justice outcomes for non-profit and foundation leaders.

Our Grant-Making Pillars

The New Commonwealth Racial Equity and Social Justice Fund focuses its investment in 5 pillars areas to advance racial equity.

• Economic Empowerment
  • NCF assists Black and Brown coalitions, organizations, and individuals in the development and implementation of effective asset-building and wealth-creation strategies.
• Policing & Criminal Justice Reform
  • NCF supports community groups and coalitions working to implement policing policies and practices that deliver accountability, promote equitable outcomes, and eliminate the school-to-prison pipeline and mass incarceration of Black and Brown people.
  • We also invest in social systems that promote public safety, offer domestic violence training, and support mental health workers.
• Health Equity
  • NCF supports community groups (particularly Black and Brown-led) taking action to increase health literacy and equitable access to healthcare resources, increase the number of Black and Brown professionals working in healthcare, and improve the overall health outcomes of Black and Brown communities.
• Youth Development
  • NCF supports community groups and coalitions in Black and Brown communities that work to eliminate disenfranchising civic practices and voting policies; increase youth empowerment and engagement; improve educational environments and outcomes; and reform inequitable school disciplinary practices that disproportionately affect Black and Brown youth.
• Identity and Culture Narrative
  • NCF believes deeply that the arts are a critical portal for identity and culture narrations.
  • We support creatives in a variety of mediums who uplift shared narratives and support artistic expression in Black and Brown communities.

How We Invest

The New Commonwealth Racial Equity and Social Justice Fund focuses its investment with the following priorities in mind:

• Strategic: Large scale multi-year support
• Responsive: Smaller scale off-cycle support to address the more immediate needs
• Innovative: Special projects, funder coalitions and collaborative projects between multiple organizations.

Off-Cycle Investment

• Smaller scale off cycle support to address the more immediate needs of non-profit organizations (Reviewed quarterly)
• Investments will not exceed $10,000.

Guidelines

Grants from National Trust Preservation Funds (NTPF) are intended to encourage preservation at the local level by supporting on-going preservation work and by providing seed money for preservation projects. These grants help stimulate public discussion, enable local groups to gain the technical expertise needed for preservation projects, introduce the public to preservation concepts and techniques, and encourage financial participation by the private sector.

A small grant at the right time can go a long way and is often the catalyst that inspires a community to take action on a preservation project. Grants generally start at $2,500 and range up to $5,000. The selection process is very competitive.

Eligible Activities

National Trust Preservation Fund grants are awarded for planning activities and education efforts focused on preservation. Grant funds can be used to launch new initiatives or to provide additional support to on-going efforts.

Planning: Supporting existing staff (nonprofit applicants only) or obtaining professional expertise in areas such as architecture, archaeology, engineering, preservation planning, land-use planning, and law. Eligible planning activities include, but are not limited to:

• Hiring a preservation architect or landscape architect, or funding existing staff with expertise in these areas, to produce a historic structure report or historic landscape master plan.
• Hiring a preservation planner, or funding existing staff with expertise in this area, to produce design guidelines for a historic district.
• Hiring a real estate development consultant, or funding existing staff with expertise in this area, to produce an economic feasibility study for the reuse of a threatened structure.
• Sponsoring a community forum to develop a shared vision for the future of a historic neighborhood.
• Organizational capacity building activities such as hiring fundraising consultants, conducting board training, etc.

Education and Outreach: Support for preservation education activities aimed at the public. The National Trust is particularly interested in programs aimed at reaching new audiences. Funding will be provided to projects that employ innovative techniques and formats aimed at introducing new audiences to the preservation movement, whether that be through education programming or conference sessions.

NOTE: Please note, only applicants who move on to Round Two will receive a specific Round Two timeline and access to that application.

Arts and music are the translators of meaning. For the past two years, our country and city have experienced health, racial, and economic pandemics that will forever change our lives, our thinking and our connections to each other. In this context, we believe that art is a critical force for advancing needed conversations, building belonging, imagining a better future and inspiring us to move towards it. We are proud to once again support visionary performing artists creating new work through Live Arts Boston. 

Now in its sixth year, Live Arts Boston (LAB), created with the support and partnership of the Barr Foundation, supports Greater Boston area artists to test ideas, explore collaborations and build skills in the process of generating new, original work. We invite performing artists, small performing arts organizations, bands, groups of artists, producers and presenters in the Greater Boston area to apply today.  

LAB provides up to $15,000 in project-specific funds to create, produce or present new performing arts work for Greater Boston audiences. In addition to funding, grantees will receive project documentation, one-on-one advising, peer networking opportunities and support for other professional development. 

Funding will support work in dance, theater, music, opera, musical theater, spoken word, performance art, circus arts, traditional and folk performing arts and any multi-disciplinary combination of the above. 

NOTE: All applicants must be invited to apply for a grant from Bayer Fund. Invitation codes can be requested from the Bayer site in your community or through the Contact Us page.

We support high-quality educational programming by schools and nonprofit organizations that enable access to knowledge and information and empower students and teachers in communities around the nation, with a focus on furthering STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) education. Priority is given to programs that take place during the school day, but also includes after school and summer programs, technical training programs, and academic programs that enrich or supplement school programs.

The in-school educational programs we support target grades K-12 and under-served students (50%+ students qualify for free/reduced lunch) and take place during the school day. The after school and summer programs we support include those offered by youth development organizations that take place outside of the regular school day and provide students in grades K-12 with opportunities to enhance their skills and interests through exposure to STEM fields.

All funding requests and budgets must be for program activities and expenses that start after funding decisions are made. All programs must be completed within one year of the start date, except in limited situations where longer term programs have been agreed upon. Grant award amounts vary, depending on the size of the community, the type of programming, and the reach/impact of the organization.

Note: To determine if your request could be considered for funding by the Foundation, you may either call or write to the Foundation. If a Letter of Inquiry or Full Proposal is requested, it will be due by the above deadlines. If the above deadlines fall on a weekend, the deadline is the first following workday.

The Foundation supports projects in coastal areas of Maine, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island and selected international locations.

For the last two decades, the Foundation has focused a significant portion of its financial resources on Southeastern Massachusetts, where its office is located. Here the Board seeks to understand how communities grow sustainably and equitably, how to increase educational opportunities, how rural and urban economies are intertwined, and how to best protect working landscapes and the people who rely upon these areas for their livelihoods. In funding in a few specific areas, the Board believes it will have the most impact.   

New Bedford Grantmaking

The Foundation works with organizations that promote progressive social change and combat discrimination in all its forms in New Bedford. In this historic city, the Foundation supports youth programs, community development, arts and culture, and basic needs. The Foundation funds groups that have community-wide recognition and support and demonstrate a positive vision for the present and future of New Bedford.

Within the New Bedford program area, the Board currently seeks proposals addressing: 

• youth educational attainment, life skills, and career preparation, with an emphasis on workforce development for at-risk youth ages 16-24;
• strategies to address food insecurity;
• assistance for immigrants;
• activities that increase civic engagement, access, and inclusion;
• appreciation for for the history and cultures represented in this community; and
• professional development/capacity building for the nonprofit sector.

NOTE: You may submit a concept note for the following applications (Disruption Investments - Rolling) with an invitation for further discussion. Application Closes: March 22

The New Commonwealth Racial Equity and Social Justice Fund

NCF uses a three-pronged philanthropic approach to achieve our mission: respect-based grantmaking, culturally relevant capacity building, and fostering an ecosystem that supports robust racial equity and social justice outcomes for non-profit and foundation leaders.

Our Grant-Making Pillars

The New Commonwealth Racial Equity and Social Justice Fund focuses its investment in 5 pillars areas to advance racial equity.

• Economic Empowerment
  • NCF assists Black and Brown coalitions, organizations, and individuals in the development and implementation of effective asset-building and wealth-creation strategies.
• Policing & Criminal Justice Reform
  • NCF supports community groups and coalitions working to implement policing policies and practices that deliver accountability, promote equitable outcomes, and eliminate the school-to-prison pipeline and mass incarceration of Black and Brown people.
  • We also invest in social systems that promote public safety, offer domestic violence training, and support mental health workers.
• Health Equity
  • NCF supports community groups (particularly Black and Brown-led) taking action to increase health literacy and equitable access to healthcare resources, increase the number of Black and Brown professionals working in healthcare, and improve the overall health outcomes of Black and Brown communities.
• Youth Development
  • NCF supports community groups and coalitions in Black and Brown communities that work to eliminate disenfranchising civic practices and voting policies; increase youth empowerment and engagement; improve educational environments and outcomes; and reform inequitable school disciplinary practices that disproportionately affect Black and Brown youth.
• Identity and Culture Narrative
  • NCF believes deeply that the arts are a critical portal for identity and culture narrations.
  • We support creatives in a variety of mediums who uplift shared narratives and support artistic expression in Black and Brown communities.

How We Invest

The New Commonwealth Racial Equity and Social Justice Fund focuses its investment with the following priorities in mind:

• Strategic: Large scale multi-year support
• Responsive: Smaller scale off-cycle support to address the more immediate needs
• Innovative: Special projects, funder coalitions and collaborative projects between multiple organizations.

Disruption Investment

Disruption Investments provide multi-year support and are designed to encourage collaboration among multiple nonprofit partners.

New Commonwealth Fund

We seek to dismantle the systems of racism across the Commonwealth that have blocked Black, Latino, and Indigenous people, communities, and businesses from fully participating and limited our long-term prosperity. Indigenous people, communities, and businesses from fully participating and limited our long-term prosperity.

Investment Strategy

The New Commonwealth Racial Equity and Social Justice Fund focuses its investment in 5 pillars areas to advance racial equity. 

Economic Empowerment

• NCF assists Black and Brown coalitions, organizations, and individuals in the development and implementation of effective asset-building and wealth-creation strategies.

Policing & Criminal Justice Reform

• NCF supports community groups and coalitions working to implement policing policies and practices that deliver accountability, promote equitable outcomes, and eliminate the school-to-prison pipeline and mass incarceration of Black and Brown people.
• We also invest in social systems that promote public safety, offer domestic violence training, and support mental health workers.

Health Equity

• NCF supports community groups (particularly Black and Brown-led) taking action to increase health literacy and equitable access to healthcare resources, increase the number of Black and Brown professionals working in healthcare, and improve the overall health outcomes of Black and Brown communities.

Youth Development

• NCF supports community groups and coalitions in Black and Brown communities that work to eliminate disenfranchising civic practices and voting policies; increase youth empowerment and engagement; improve educational environments and outcomes; and reform inequitable school disciplinary practices that disproportionately affect Black and Brown youth.

Identity and Culture Narrative

• NCF believes deeply that the arts are a critical portal for identity and culture narrations.
• We support creatives in a variety of mediums who uplift shared narratives and support artistic expression in Black and Brown communities.

How We Invest

The New Commonwealth Racial Equity and Social Justice Fund focuses its investment with the following priorities in mind:

• Strategic: Large scale multi-year support
• Responsive: Smaller scale off-cycle support to address the more immediate needs
• Innovative: Special projects, funder coalitions and collaborative projects between multiple organizations.

Pillar Investment

• Multi-year support to impact one or more of our pillars
• On average, pillar investments will be a 2-year commitment and will not exceed $50,000 per year

Moving Image Fund Grants

The goal of LEF New England is to fund the work of independent documentary film and video artists in the region, and to broaden recognition and support for their work, both locally and nationally. It also supports programs that highlight the rich history and ongoing legacy of innovation within New England’s independent film community.

LEF New England launched the Moving Image Fund (MIF) in 2002 to support new film and video work. The Moving Image Fund provides funding across all phases of production, supporting films from the early risk-taking stage, through a film’s completion. In this way, MIF offers a continuum of support for selected projects, while also identifying new talent. Through MIF, LEF New England champions work that is provocative, heartfelt, and challenging in style and substance. Since its inception, LEF’s Moving Image Fund has supported over 300 independent filmmaker projects with approximately $4 million in funding. The overarching goal of LEF New England’s philanthropic investment is to help build a sustainable and strong community of support for artists and their work.Pre-Production FundingLEF invests in documentary film and video projects that demonstrate excellence in technique, originality of vision and voice, and creativity in form. The strongest proposals will be those that clearly articulate the ways in which the proposed project aligns with the program’s funding criteria.Funding Criteria: 

• Quality of cinematic form and technique
• Originality of filmmaker’s voice, vision, and point of view
• Resonance and power of the film’s core idea or story
• Feasibility of production

A maximum of (4) to (6) grants of $5,000 will be awarded to projects in the pre-production phase of development at one June deadline each year.Appropriate Use of Funds: Pre-production funds may be used for research, travel, location scouting, script or storyboard development, experimentation with shooting picture and sound, distribution planning, fundraising, creating a trailer, and schedule and budget development.