The Safety Net Grant Program supports organizations and community groups with providing, adapting, and/or expanding vital services to the Brookline community. Safety Net grants can be used to support a wide range of activities related to increasing access to essential services, supporting organization’s unanticipated operating or program expenses, and/or addressing crises such as fires or pandemics.
Donor Name: Brookline Community Foundation
State: Massachusetts
City: Brookline
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: Ongoing
Details:
Safety Net grants support organizations, projects, and efforts that provide essential services to individuals and families who live, learn, work, and play in the Brookline community. Essential services can include, but are not limited to:
- Direct cash assistance
- Rental assistance
- Food access
- Utility payments
- Child care assistance
- Health care access
- Mental health support
- Public benefit enrolment
- Continuing education
- Other acute financial needs
In the context of this grant program, essential services are defined as being any and all resources essential to promoting and maintaining health, wellness, safety and belonging. Examples include but are not limited to:
- Healthy food
- Safe, stable, and affordable housing
- Access to medical and mental health care
- Primary and continuing education
- Quality affordable childcare or out-of-school time programming
- Social support services
- Language and translation services
Priority Considerations
In alignment with organizational vision and funding priorities, as they review proposals, they will give preference to community organizations and groups that:
- Are working to advance equity, including removing barriers to opportunities, meeting the immediate needs of those impacted by inequities, addressing root causes of inequities such as poverty or racism;
- Are led by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), and/or;
- Focus on BIPOC and other vulnerable populations.
For this grant program, an organization/group is considered BIPOC-led if they meet at least one of the following three criteria:
- The organization/group’s Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer or Board Chair identifies as BIPOC.
- 50% or more of the organization’s leadership staff or program directors identify as BIPOC.
- 50% or more of board members identify as BIPOC.
Eligibility Criteria
- 501(c)(3) non-profits organizations, Town departments or agencies, and community groups can apply for funding. If you are a Town department or agency, please see additional guidelines. Organizations and groups that are currently funded through other BCF grant programs are eligible to apply.
- Proposed projects or programs should directly benefit members of the Brookline community, which we define as those who live, learn, work, or play in Brookline.
- To be eligible, an applicant must be operated and organized so that it does not discriminate in the hiring of staff or provision of services on the basis of race, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, national origin, or disability.
- If an organization or project is new and/or not yet tax-exempt (is not a 501(c)(3) non-profit), an application may be submitted through a fiscal sponsorship. BCF can assist applicants in identifying an appropriate fiscal sponsor. If you are interested in pursuing fiscal sponsorship, please refer to grant FAQs for more information or contact BCF.
- BCF is unable to provide direct support or scholarships to individuals and our grants cannot be used to cover travel costs, political campaigns, or lobbying.
For more information, visit BCF.
