Massachusetts Diversity Equity and Inclusion Grants

This program provides financial assistance to cannabis entrepreneurs in Massachusetts, specifically targeting pre-licensed businesses and licensed establishments owned by individuals from social equity backgrounds, to support their entry, operational needs, and growth in the cannabis industry.

The Expand Massachusetts Stories Grant - Open Track offers funding up to $20,000 for projects that amplify under-recognized narratives and voices in Massachusetts. Focused on using humanities tools such as inquiry, contextualization, and reflection, this grant seeks to enhance public understanding of the diverse histories and experiences within the state. Projects eligible for funding include oral histories, community-centered museum exhibitions, and other humanities-focused initiatives. The grant is competitive, with applications reviewed based on their contribution to a more inclusive narrative of Massachusetts.

This fellowship provides $10,000 to support AAPI women and gender-expansive individuals in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, or Georgia who are dedicated to creating impactful civic projects in their communities, along with mentorship and skills training.

The Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation is offering grants ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 to nonprofit organizations, public agencies, and community organizations that provide services to improve the quality of life for residents of specific towns, with a focus on low-income and underserved individuals, in areas such as arts, culture, education, environment, health, and social services, while prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The City of Boston has launched the Third Annual Community Empowerment Grants, offering a total of $500,000 to strengthen capacity and expand programming for organizations supporting men and boys across Boston’s neighborhoods. Administered by the Mayor’s Office of Black Male Advancement (BMA), these grants provide up to $20,000 per organization to enhance programs aimed at empowering Black men and boys. Applications are open now and must be submitted by January 6, 2024, at 5:00 PM. The grants focus on seven key areas: Mentoring and Out-of-School Time, Youth and Young Adult Pathways, Housing Mobility, Economic Inclusion and Wealth Building, Workforce Training and Development, Fatherhood Engagement, and Mental Health and Wellness. Programs in these areas should foster social, economic, and emotional wellbeing for men and boys, providing pathways to success in education, housing, employment, and mental health. Building on the success of prior grant cycles, this year’s initiative introduces enhanced capacity-building support through the BMA Capacity Building and Impact Institute and mentoring opportunities in collaboration with Mass Mentoring. These programs offer personalized coaching, nonprofit training, and expert resources to help grantees amplify their impact and build long-term sustainability. To further promote collaboration, the BMA will facilitate a community of practice for grantees to share insights and strategies. Eligible applicants must be Boston-based organizations with a demonstrated history of positively impacting Black men and boys. Interested organizations can attend a virtual information session on December 11, 2024, at 12:00 PM via Zoom, with registration available on the BMA website. For further questions, applicants may contact the City of Boston grants team at [email protected]. In previous cycles, $1.5 million in Community Empowerment Grants has been awarded to 115 community-based organizations. This ongoing investment aligns with the BMA's mission to create equitable opportunities and lasting change for Black men and boys across Boston. For more details on this and other grant opportunities, visit www.boston.gov/grants.

The Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts's Flexible Funding 2024 program offers general operating support to nonprofits benefiting the region. This initiative aligns directly with the foundation's mission to foster equity and opportunity in Western Massachusetts by providing unrestricted financial support. The program's core aim is to sustain the day-to-day operations of organizations, allowing them to focus directly on their missions without the burden of highly restricted funding. This approach reflects the foundation's strategic priority to strengthen the nonprofit sector by providing flexible, trust-based philanthropy. The program primarily targets smaller, newer, non-traditional, or fiscally sponsored organizations that have historically lacked substantial institutional philanthropy. It also prioritizes organizations deeply rooted in their communities, recognizing their essential role in local impact. While not explicitly stating "expected outcomes" or "measurable results" in a quantitative sense, the program's design implies an outcome of increased organizational stability, capacity, and effectiveness for these beneficiaries. The theory of change suggests that by providing flexible funding to these specific organizations, the foundation can catalyze greater community well-being and progress towards its equity goals. The foundation's strategic vision forms the cornerstone for establishing the priority support areas for Flexible Funding. These areas are designed to increase equity and opportunity and include: racial justice; accessible and more affordable post-secondary education and training; a strong start for all children; a vibrant local arts and creativity ecosystem; financial resiliency (Springfield only); and family economic resiliency (Franklin County only). These focus areas clearly articulate the foundation's strategic priorities and direct funding towards issues that are central to its broader theory of change for regional development and social justice. Flexible Funding provides grants of up to $30,000 for a grant period of January 1, 2025, to December 31, 2025. Eligibility requires IRS-designated 501(c)(3) status or a fiscal sponsor, and organizations must be located in and serve residents of Franklin, Hampden, and/or Hampshire counties. There is a strong preference for organizations with operating budgets less than $5 million, and organizations with budgets over $10 million are ineligible, reinforcing the focus on smaller, community-based entities. This emphasis on local and less-resourced organizations highlights the foundation's commitment to equitable resource distribution and supporting the foundational elements of a thriving community.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to nonprofit organizations in Massachusetts for reentry programs aimed at helping young adults transition successfully from incarceration to the community, thereby reducing recidivism and enhancing public safety.

The Connection, Health, & Equity through Food (CHEF) Grant Program is a collaborative initiative across Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Eastern Massachusetts, and Upstate New York, administered by the Maine Council on Aging. The program's core mission is to increase older adults’ equitable access to healthy food and social connection, aligning with a broader goal of addressing systemic issues like food insecurity and social isolation. This grant program seeks to support older adults by fostering programmatic infrastructure, expanding existing programs, and launching innovative new initiatives that cater to their food and social connection needs. The target beneficiaries of the CHEF Grant Program are primarily older adults, with a specific focus on underserved and marginalized populations. These include BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color), LGBTQ+, women, veterans, people living with disabilities, and individuals residing in rural communities. The program's impact goals are centered on enhancing the quality of life for these older adults by improving their access to nutritious food and opportunities for social engagement. Projects that serve diverse older people, veterans, and older people living with disabilities are given priority. The CHEF program prioritizes finding solutions to the root causes of food insecurity and social isolation. These root causes include poverty, transportation barriers, rurality, and language barriers. While the grant does not explicitly detail the foundation's strategic priorities or a formal theory of change, the emphasis on equitable access, addressing systemic issues, and supporting vulnerable populations suggests a strategy focused on community-based interventions and empowerment. The program's design indicates a theory that by investing in local organizations and initiatives, significant improvements can be made in the well-being of older adults. Expected outcomes include increased access to healthy food for older adults, enhanced social connections within communities, and a reduction in the prevalence of food insecurity and social isolation among the target populations. While specific measurable results are not explicitly outlined, the program's focus on data for older people served (50.1% of the overall population served) suggests an intent to track the reach and impact on the primary beneficiary group. The grant duration is not mentioned, but the anticipated grant size of $2,000 – $10,000 for most grants indicates support for projects with tangible, localized impacts.

This grant provides funding for public readings and discussions of Frederick Douglass's iconic speech in Massachusetts, aimed at nonprofit educational institutions, government organizations, and federally recognized tribes serving local residents.

This program provides financial support to projects that enhance economic resilience, diversity, and sustainability in the Cape Cod region, targeting local organizations and initiatives focused on housing, entrepreneurship, workforce education, infrastructure, and climate resilience.

This funding opportunity is designed for consulting firms to help the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center create and implement a comprehensive strategy for enhancing diversity, equity, and inclusion within its organization and programs.

Targeting projects led by members from historically excluded communities, this track offers specialized support including workshops and direct consultations. Focusing on equity and inclusion within Massachusetts narratives, the grant promotes projects that reinterpret recognized histories or highlight new stories. The funding, up to $20,000, supports up to 15 selected projects through a non-competitive review process, fostering equitable representation in the state’s cultural narrative. LOI April 5th

This grant provides funding for community-driven projects in New Bedford, Massachusetts, that enhance public spaces and promote cultural preservation, inclusivity, and engagement among residents and visitors.

This grant provides financial support to established livestock farmers in select New England counties to implement regenerative agriculture practices that enhance soil health, water quality, and pollinator habitats.

This funding opportunity supports grassroots community groups with limited resources to launch new environmental projects or significantly shift existing ones, focusing on those that amplify diverse voices and address environmental justice issues.

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) is soliciting proposals for the Northeast Forests and Rivers Fund (NEFRF), a program dedicated to restoring and sustaining healthy rivers, forests, and grasslands to provide habitat for diverse fish and wildlife populations. This initiative aligns with NFWF's broader mission to protect and restore native wildlife species and their habitats, leveraging public and private funding to achieve significant conservation outcomes. The NEFRF, formerly known as the New England Forests and Rivers Fund, represents a strategic investment in the ecological health of the Northeast region, fostering biodiversity and ecosystem resilience. The program's target beneficiaries include various fish and wildlife populations such as river herring, Atlantic salmon, brook trout, wood turtles, golden-winged warblers, New England cottontails, and bobolinks. Beyond wildlife, the program also aims to benefit agricultural producers, particularly those in Historically Underserved and Special Emphasis categories, by helping them design and implement conservation practices. The impact goals are centered on improving habitat quality and connectivity, enhancing forest conditions, and promoting hayfield management conducive to successful grassland bird breeding. NEFRF's priorities and focuses are outlined in NFWF’s Northeast Watersheds Business Plan (March 2023), specifically targeting strategies for Stream and Riparian Habitat, and Upland Forests and Grasslands. Key implementation strategies for 2024 include restoring stream and riparian habitats, improving forest management for age and structural diversity, and promoting hayfield management. A significant portion of funding, approximately $625,000, is set aside for projects that assist agricultural producers in adopting conservation practices beneficial to target species like northeast turtles and golden-winged warblers, while also increasing Farm Bill program participation. Additionally, the program encourages projects that involve community outreach, engagement, collaborative management, and the incorporation of traditional knowledge and community input. Expected outcomes and measurable results include improved habitat for specific fish and wildlife species, enhanced age and structural diversity in forest blocks, successful grassland bird breeding, and increased participation of agricultural producers in conservation programs. Projects are expected to contribute to measurable conservation benefits through community input, co-design processes, and engagement with community-level partners (e.g., municipalities, NGOs, community organizations, community leaders) to ensure project design, implementation, maintenance, and long-term sustainability post-grant award. The grant duration is three years, with projects expected to start no later than six months after the award date. The NFWF's strategic priorities for the NEFRF reflect a theory of change that posits by investing in targeted habitat restoration, improved land management, and community engagement, ecological health will be restored and sustained, benefiting both wildlife and human communities. Funding is provided by a consortium of partners including the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service and Natural Resources Conservation Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Zoetis Foundation, and Sylvamo, underscoring a collaborative approach to conservation. The program encourages a holistic view of conservation, integrating scientific best practices with local community needs and traditional knowledge to achieve robust and lasting environmental improvements across Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, and parts of New York.

The Greylock ABC Fund, managed by the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, invites applications for grants ranging from $1000 to $10,000 to support educational development projects for students of color and/or low socioeconomic status in pre-K through 12 in Northern Berkshire County and Pittsfield, with a focus on multicultural education, academic preparation, child development, tutoring, mentoring, and college preparation.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to independent Federally Qualified Health Centers in Eastern Massachusetts to establish new residency programs for Family Nurse Practitioners, enhancing primary care access in communities with low life expectancy.

Focuses on funding new initiatives or expanding existing workforce training programs and studies in the offshore wind sector, with an emphasis on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEIJ) principles.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to organizations in Massachusetts to develop training programs and improve equipment for residents pursuing careers in essential climate-related jobs.