The Safety Net Grant Program supports organizations and community groups that provide critical access to essential services and emergency assistance for individuals and families, particularly for those who have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.
Donor Name: Brookline Community Foundation (BCF)
State: Massachusetts
City: Brookline
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: All Time
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
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 programs, utility payments, and child care assistance.
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, including those that address social isolation
- Language and translation services
Priority Considerations
In alignment with organizational vision, 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 individual needs of those impacted by inequities, addressing root causes of inequities);
- are led by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color); and/or
- focus on BIPOC and other vulnerable or marginalized populations, including those populations most impacted by the pandemic
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.
Funding Information
- Total amount available to grant: This fiscal year, BCF has $400,000 to distribute to community organizations and groups.
- Maximum Grant Amount: Grant requests are limited to $25,000 or below this year. For reference, the average Safety Net grant awarded in fiscal year 2024 was ~$20,000.
Eligibility Criteria
501(c)(3) nonprofits organizations, Town departments or agencies, and community groups can apply for funding.
For more information, visit BCF.
