Latino Equity Fund

The Latino Equity Fund is a community fund housed at the Boston Foundation dedicated to activating, convening, and supporting the Latinx community across Greater Boston and the Commonwealth. Established in 2013, the Fund serves as a permanent resource to uplift Latinx voices, build cross-sector partnerships, and advance systemic change. For this cycle, the Fund is offering competitive, one-time grants to Latinx-serving nonprofit organizations that strengthen community well-being and economic mobility within the Boston Foundation’s catchment area. This application cycle will award $25,000 grants to 20 organizations. Priority program areas span two broad themes. Under Basic Needs, the Fund will support efforts that advance housing stability, food security, and access to health care, including disabilities assistance, HIV prevention, elder care, mental health and well-being, and substance use services. Under Economic Mobility, the Fund invites proposals for job readiness and career coaching, ESOL and language access, immigrant and refugee workforce integration, and professional credentialing and certification. The Fund seeks to catalyze new partnerships, expand the capacity of the Latinx nonprofit sector, and respond to emerging community needs; organizations that have not previously received support from the Boston Foundation or the Fund are especially encouraged to apply. Geography is tightly defined. Applicants must be headquartered in, deliver the majority of their services in, and focus exclusively on operations within the specified counties: Essex, Middlesex, Suffolk, Plymouth, and Norfolk. Organizations may not maintain offices or provide services outside Massachusetts, and national or regional organizations are ineligible unless the local office has its own EIN. The Fund gives priority consideration to organizations located in or proposing programming for the 13 Latinx hubs identified by the Fund—Lawrence, Methuen, Haverhill, Salem, Lynn, Saugus, Lowell, Framingham, Waltham, Revere, Chelsea, Boston, and Brockton—with particular emphasis on Lawrence and Boston. Eligibility centers on community-based public charities serving Latinx residents within the catchment area. The Fund does not typically consider requests from endowments, private foundations, medical research initiatives, or major capital campaigns; religious activities whose primary purpose is sectarian; political, legislative, or lobbying efforts; primary or secondary schools that charge significant tuition; large institutions already supported by substantial endowments; organizations that infringe on civil liberties; entities that are not 501(c)(3) public charities; or national or regional organizations (and their local affiliates) that lack an independent EIN. Municipalities are generally ineligible, with the exception of public schools in the 13 hub communities. The Fund’s current focus excludes arts programming, land or historic preservation, animal welfare, and research. Applications open September 22, 2025 at 8:00 AM and are due November 3, 2025 at 11:59 PM. Proposals should clearly align with the stated priority areas and geographic requirements. Applications are submitted through the Boston Foundation’s online portal; incomplete or late submissions are not considered. The Fund emphasizes clarity of purpose, community grounding, and feasibility within the one-time award size. Program communication points are provided for both general and grant-cycle questions. Prospective applicants can contact the Fund’s Community Impact Officer via email for cycle-specific information, and may also reach out to the Executive Director. The Fund underscores respect for applicants’ time and encourages organizations to review priorities and eligibility carefully before applying, ensuring strong alignment with the Fund’s mission to advance Nuestro Futuro—Our Future—for Latinx communities in Greater Boston.

Prioritize Latinx-serving organizations not previously funded; ensure headquarters and services are within the five-county catchment; align to basic needs and economic mobility priority areas; proposals for Latinx hubs (esp. Lawrence and Boston) receive priority