Discretionary Grants

The LGBTQ Fund Grants 2025 are administered by the Greater Lowell Community Foundation (GLCF) to support nonprofit programs and projects that enhance the quality of life for the LGBTQ community in the Greater Lowell region. These grants provide up to $10,000 to eligible organizations delivering essential services such as legal aid, healthcare, education, advocacy, or other high-demand programming for LGBTQ individuals. GLCF assesses each application based on multiple criteria including the applicant organization’s size, location of impact, commitment to Greater Lowell, existing collaborations, organizational impact and reach, programming offered, leadership structure, and financial health. Applicants should clearly demonstrate the importance and relevance of their services to the Greater Lowell region and how the grant would contribute to their organizational mission. To qualify, organizations must either have 501(c)(3) tax status, a qualified fiscal sponsor, or be a congregation, government entity, or educational organization. They must serve one or more cities or towns in the Greater Lowell area, which includes Acton, Ashby, Ayer, Bedford, Billerica, Burlington, Carlisle, Chelmsford, Concord, Dracut, Dunstable, Groton, Littleton, Lowell, Pepperell, Shirley, Tewksbury, Townsend, Tyngsborough, Westford, and Wilmington. Additionally, applicants must provide services without discrimination based on race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, age, or disability. The grant application process is fully online and will open on Tuesday, March 18 at 12:00 PM. Applications must be submitted no later than Friday, April 11 at 12:00 PM. Funding decisions will be communicated to applicants via email in mid-May. Agencies with multiple service sites are advised to submit only one consolidated application. Interested organizations should apply through GLCF’s online portal. New applicants must create an account on the site, while returning applicants can use their existing login credentials. Support resources, including video tutorials, are available on the login page. Once logged in, applicants must select the 2025 Discretionary Grants Cycle to access the application. For questions regarding eligibility or the appropriateness of a proposed project, applicants are encouraged to email GLCF at grants@glcfoundation.org as early as possible. The Foundation may provide guidance via email or arrange a call to discuss specific inquiries.