The Essex County Community Response Fund is a collaborative effort to provide streamlined, flexible support to organizations that do the critical work of feeding, sheltering, and protecting community members, and strengthening local communities.
Donor Name: Essex County Community Foundation (ECCF)
State: Massachusetts
County: Essex County (MA)
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 02/12/2026
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
ECCF’s Community Response Grants are designed to help address acute community needs and establish mechanisms for longer-term recovery across the local nonprofit ecosystem. There will be multiple rounds of grants with special purposes that respond to evolving needs.
The 2026 round of Community Response Grants can be used for these purposes:
- Essential Needs: General operating support for nonprofit organizations providing access to food, housing or shelter, clothing, and supplies.
- Grant Range: Up to $25,000
- Health and Safety: General operating support for nonprofit organizations providing equitable access to health care (including mental health resources) and/or fostering safety and security for communities at risk.
- Grant Range: Up to $25,000
- Structural Change: Funding for special projects that help nonprofits explore organizational changes as they navigate this uncertain funding and legal environment. Specifically, the Winter 2026 round will offer grants for the following types of projects:
- Modifying operating plans and exploring new models in preparation for upcoming Medicaid policy changes.
- Exploring structured partnerships, mergers, and/or shared services.
- Grant range: up to $25,000
Eligibility Criteria
- Applicants must have 501(c)(3) tax status under the IRS tax code and provide services in Essex County.
- ECCF is committed to non-discrimination. They support organizations that use all reasonable efforts to recruit, hire, train, promote, and serve persons without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, age, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law, except where such status is a bona fide qualification for the service being provided and is related to the organization’s mission.
- Stand-alone programs applying through a fiscal agent may be eligible if they meet the following criteria:
- The fiscal agent provides the 501(c)3 status but not much more
- The program has a separate budget and raises its own funds to cover this budget. Note: If the program has only a small amount of administrative costs covered by the umbrella organization, they are still eligible to apply.
- There is a letter of agreement/understanding between the program and the umbrella organization
- Grants will not be awarded:
- To individuals
- For sectarian or religious purposes. Programs sponsored by religious organizations are eligible, provided that enrollment is open to all and the program is free of mandatory religious instruction, worship, or other sectarian activities.
- For political purposes
- For debt or deficit reduction
- For capital campaigns for buildings, land acquisition, or endowment.
For more information, visit ECCF.
