Housing and Shelter Grant

The Franklin Square House Foundation (FSHF), a private foundation based in Belmont, Massachusetts, is accepting applications for its 2025 Shelter Grants. The Foundation’s mission centers on supporting vulnerable populations through targeted capital improvements, especially for transitional housing and emergency shelters in Massachusetts. The Shelter Grants program is a core funding initiative aimed at expanding or preserving safe, secure, and sustainable shelter capacity through direct investments in physical infrastructure and furnishings. Applications for the 2025 Shelter Grant cycle open on June 18, 2025, and must be submitted electronically by 5:00 PM on July 17, 2025. All applicants must first obtain the explicit consent of the Foundation’s Executive Director prior to submission, without which applications will not be reviewed. Once an application is submitted electronically, a hard copy must be mailed to the Foundation's office in Belmont. A final confirmation of receipt will only be issued upon receipt of both versions. Grants are scheduled to be awarded on October 16, 2025, following a review process that includes application vetting and a mandatory site visit during late August to mid-September. Eligible applicants must be 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations operating within a defined geographic region of Massachusetts, including Barnstable, Bristol, Dukes, Nantucket, Essex, Middlesex, Plymouth, Norfolk, and Suffolk counties, and certain parts of Worcester County. Applicants must be in good financial standing with audited financial statements and must not have received a shelter grant in the previous cycle, unless the last grant was for an emergency. Furthermore, applicants must own their facility or have a lease with at least 10 years remaining and must be ready to initiate the proposed project within 90 days of receiving the grant. The maximum award per grant is $100,000. Proposals over $50,000 require a documented one-to-one match from other funding sources. Acceptable uses of grant funds include contractor bids for renovations and vendor pricing for furniture, fixtures, and equipment (FF&E). Estimates are not permitted—actual documented bids are required. Purchases and improvements must have a minimum 10-year useful life. Any premature sale or termination of the lease on a funded facility may result in a prorated grant repayment obligation. The Foundation does not fund operating costs, landscaping, project design or overhead, administration, backup generators, relocation, vehicles, computers, work in progress, permanent housing, developer fees, or contributions to large capital campaigns. The grant review criteria include the creation or preservation of transitional housing units, organizational track record and capacity, quality and readiness of the proposal, and alignment with the Foundation’s mission. A board-led site visit is required, and final funding decisions will be made at the Foundation’s board meeting on October 9, 2025. For questions or to obtain the necessary consent to apply, prospective applicants should contact the Foundation’s Executive Director. The Foundation’s mailing address is PO Box 78037, Belmont, MA 02478, and the contact phone number is 617-312-3400. Applicants are strongly advised to complete all required reports for past grants and prepare thoroughly for the site visit, which mandates attendance by the organization’s Executive Director or COO.

Include all supplemental materials, especially matching fund documentation and a compelling final narrative. Attend to completeness, clarity, and readiness to proceed.