Short-Term General Operating Grants (Massachusetts, New York)

Applications are now being accepted for the Short-Term General Operating Grants.

Donor Name: Peter and Elizabeth Tower Foundation

State: Massachusetts, New York

County: Barnstable County (MA), Dukes County (MA), Erie County (NY), Essex County (MA), Nantucket County (MA), Niagara County (NY)

Type of Grant: Grant

Deadline: 02/13/2026

Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000

Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned

Details:

The Tower Foundation reallocated a significant portion of available grant dollars to a Federal Crisis Response funding initiative. Nonprofits faced reductions or cancelations of federal grants, a squeeze on pass-through state funding, a generally constrained spending climate for school districts and other entities, and threats to the security and well-being of vulnerable communities they serve.

Funding Information

A total of $1.5 million is available in 2026 for Short-Term General Operating Grants, with half of the dollars awarded in each of two application cycles.
They will make 30 awards of $50,000 each (15 awards per application cycle).

Eligibility Criteria

Please note that organizations that were awarded Federal Crisis Response – General Operating grants from the Tower Foundation in 2025 are not eligible for Short-Term General Operating grants in 2026.
They will only make grants to organizations/collaborations currently providing services in one or more of these regions:
- Massachusetts: Barnstable County, Dukes County, Essex County, Nantucket County
- New York: Erie County, Niagara County
Grant partners must currently provide prevention, treatment, and/or recovery services benefitting people aged 26 years or younger from at least one of these populations:
- People with intellectual disabilities (including those on the autism spectrum)
- People with specific learning disabilities
- People with mental illness/mental health challenges
- People with substance use disorders
Applications for this funding opportunity are open to:
- Not-for-profit organizations with a 501(c)(3) designation that are not private foundations; non-501(c)(3) with a fiscal sponsor
Applications for this funding opportunity are NOT open to:
- Colleges/universities; public benefit corporations; government entities; school districts; private/charter schools (organizations that operate schools as a component of their programming are eligible to apply)
The ideal grant partners serve one or more of the populations listed above who also have intersecting identities as members of historically marginalized communities (e.g., Black/AfricanAmerican, Hispanic/Latinx, Native American/Indigenous Peoples, disability, housing insecure, immigrant/refugee, LGBTQIA+).
Current and past grant recipients as well as new-to-us organizations/collaborations meeting the above criteria are welcome to apply.