Harris & Frances Block Foundation Grant Program

The Harris and Frances Block Foundation is a small, family-run foundation established in 2001 to honor the memories of Harris and Frances Block and their daughter Carol Block Maurer. The foundation is guided by family values and a commitment to transformative change on a human scale. Its mission is to pursue equitable solutions to social and environmental issues by working with small and emerging organizations that seek to improve communities and create broader impacts. The foundation’s core values include community, justice, equality, access, and sustainability. It believes that change begins within communities and should be scalable, upholds both social and environmental justice, aspires to a society where everyone’s potential is recognized, promotes equitable access to systems and opportunities, and supports both socially and environmentally sustainable practices. The foundation envisions a future where communities are interconnected, diverse, respectful, and sustainable. The Block Foundation funds small grassroots nonprofit organizations dedicated to fostering just and sustainable communities. It focuses its grantmaking efforts in Vermont, North Carolina, Southwest Virginia, and New York City, which align with the locations of its Board of Trustees. Grants awarded by the foundation range in size but do not exceed $35,000. The foundation supports work in two key areas: environmental issues and food and farm initiatives. It does not fund lobbying, efforts to influence public elections, land acquisition, capital construction, endowments, deficit financing, or scholarships. Only nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations or groups operating under a fiscal sponsor with tax-exempt status are eligible to receive funding. Prospective applicants must first submit a Letter of Inquiry (LOI) through the foundation’s online portal. The foundation reviews LOIs on a continual basis and invites organizations whose projects align with its priorities to submit full proposals for consideration by the Board of Trustees. The grant process is invitation-only and requires a single final report, due approximately nine months after receiving the grant check. Specific reporting instructions and deadlines are provided by the foundation via email about a month before the due date. Eligibility is geographically restricted to Vermont, North Carolina, Southwest Virginia, and New York City. Organizations located outside these areas are not eligible to apply. Decisions on proposals are typically communicated within six weeks of the submission deadline. The foundation’s Board of Trustees comprises two generations of women, including sisters, mothers, and daughters, reflecting its strong family orientation. For further information or inquiries, interested parties may contact the Harris and Frances Block Foundation by phone at (802) 426-2026.