MMP Technical Assistance Project (TAP): Submissions welcome Jan. 11 - June 18, 2010
Organizations interested in receiving technical assistance and/or training from MMP can submit a brief proposal through a Request for Proposals process outlining their technical assistance and/or training needs, their commitment to provide staff time to support the project and ongoing implementation, and a description of why they need to access this no-cost pool of technical assistance.  MMP aims to provide up to 140 hours of dedicated technical assistance through this project and will spread those hours over as many organizations as possible. The goal is to help programs improve their service delivery and serve as many young people as they can in the highest quality way possible.

Access the RFP here.

Target Store Grants: Next cycle March 1 - May 31, 2010
Target offers program support in the following areas: arts, early childhood reading and family violence prevention. Applications for 2010 funding will be available March 1, 2010, for the May 31 deadline. For more information, click here.

NEW City of Boston Office of Jobs & Community Services (OJCS) - Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), Human Services Funding: Next deadline March 8, 2010
The OJCS administers the human services component of the CDBG, intended to provide services that address economic barriers and contribute to the economic well-being of Boston’s low-income families and individuals. The goal of the CDBG Program is to support the efforts of low-income persons to move out of poverty and improve their quality of life and the City seeks a broad range of direct services through this request for proposals under both the youth and adult services categories. The youth category has an increased emphasis on services that can be shown to (1) help young people succeed in school (or return to school), or (2) avoid the violence that increasingly threatens the welfare of youth in our city. All funded programs must demonstrate coordination with the school system, or, in the case of anti-violence programs, with established prevention and/or re-entry initiatives and proven curricula. All documents pertaining to the grant can be found here, under the CDBG tab on the left side. Documents can be found under the title "CDBG RFP FY2011."

National Endowment for the Arts Access to Artistic Excellence Grants: Due March 11, 2010
The National Endowment for the Arts will provide support for a wide array of artistic creativity, including dance, literature, music, and more, that will preserve diverse cultural heritage and make the arts more widely available in communities throughout the country. Applicants must select one of the following disciplines that is most appropriate to the project: artist communities; dance; design; folk and traditional arts; literature; local arts agencies; media arts; museums; music; musical theater; opera; presenting; theater; and visual arts. Access to Artistic Excellence supports projects for children and youth where the focus is exposure to or appreciation of the arts, whether activities take place in school, after school, during the summer, or in community settings.

To apply, click here.

Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge: Due March 15, 2010
In the Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge, teachers, mentors or other adults work with and supervise teams of eligible students in the creation of a contest entry identifying an issue in the community that needs to "go green" and providing a plan to positively impact that issue and further "green living" in their community. Each team's entry should include the following steps: choosing a topic, writing a problem statement, doing background research, writing a hypothesis, developing a plan, collecting data, drawing a conclusion, reporting the results and explaining how to replicate this project.

For more information, click here.

BJ's Charitable Foundation: Deadline April 9, 2010
The mission of BJ’s Charitable Foundation is to enhance and enrich community programs that primarily benefit children and families. The majority of BJ’s Charitable Foundation giving is focused on organizations that:

• Promote the safety, security and well-being of children and families;
• Support education and health programs;
• Provide community service opportunities; and
• Aid in hunger and disaster relief.

To apply, click here.

American Psychological Foundation Violence Prevention and Intervention Grant: Deadline June 1, 2010
APF's Violence Prevention and Intervention Grant program supports nonprofit organizations or educational institutions that support the implementation of innovative community programs aimed at preventing violence. For more info, click here.

National Endowment for the Arts Learning in the Arts for Children and Youth: Due June 10, 2010
The Learning in the Arts for Children and Youth category offers funding for projects that help children and youth acquire knowledge and understanding of and skills in the arts. Projects must provide participatory learning and engage students with skilled artists, teachers, and excellent art. Funded projects apply national or state arts education standards.

To apply, click here.

Bank of America Neighborhood Excellence Program: Next June 30, 2010
The Neighborhood Excellence Initiative is designed to recognize, nurture and reward the organizations, local heroes and student leaders in the Boston area that are helping their neighborhoods achieve excellence. In Greater Boston, BoA will recognize organizations and individuals addressing pressing needs in the areas of Community Development, Youth Development, and Access to Arts & Culture for the following:

Neighborhood Builders provides $200,000 in grant funding and leadership training over two years to two neighborhood nonprofit organizations working to promote vibrant neighborhoods. The combination of operating support and leadership training helps strengthen the capacity and infrastructure of the selected organizations and promotes the professional development of their leaders.

Local Heroes recognizes and honors five community heroes per year in each of the selected markets whose achievements and leadership on local issues contributes significantly to neighborhood vitality. Recipients will be able to direct a $5,000 contribution to an eligible nonprofit of their choice and will be celebrated at a public ceremony.

To learn more, visit www.bankofamerica.com/neighborhoodexcellence.

Jane's Trust program: Next deadline July 15, 2010
Jane’s Trust will make grants to address important issues in the Trust’s fields of interest and areas of geographical focus. The Trustees are interested particularly in organizations and projects that primarily benefit underserved populations and disadvantaged communities.  The Trust will fund both projects and general operating costs, as well as support collaborations among nonprofit organizations and the Trust welcomes collaborative applications. For more information, click here.

Wal-Mart State Giving Program: Next deadline Aug. 20, 2010
The Wal-Mart Foundation has four areas of focus: education, workforce development/economic opportunity, health and wellness, and environmental sustainability. For more information, visit http://walmartstores.com/CommunityGiving.

Cabot Family Charitable Trust: Next deadline Sept. 1, 2010
The Cabot Family Charitable Trust makes grant awards to nonprofit organizations working in the arts and culture, education and youth development, environment and conservation, health and human services, and for the public benefit. The trust provides funding for general support, as well as for specific programs and activities and capital campaigns. For more information, visit www.cabwel.com.

Paul and Edith Babson Foundation: Next deadline Sept. 9, 2010
The areas for funding consideration include: entrepreneurship and economic development; culture, education and leadership development; and environment and community building. For more information, visit http://www.babsonfoundations.org/peguidelines.htm.

Verizon Foundation: Next funding cycle Jan. 1 - Oct. 31, 2010
The Verizon Foundation supports programs that address the following focus areas:

• education
• literacy
• domestic violence prevention, and
• technology for healthcare and healthcare accessibility

To apply, click here.

Palm Foundation Cash Grant: Next deadline Dec. 1, 2010
The Palm Foundation will make cash grants to non-profit organizations that focus on issues directly related to the education of youth at risk—particularly those that have also submitted applications to the Palm Foundation for product donations and anticipate the need for financial assistance to support their product-donation proposals. In additions, preference will be given to organizations with a strong underserved outreach component. The Foundation is particularly interested in supporting the following organizations and programs:

1. Magnet and alternative schools and/or programs/organizations/institutions serving disadvantaged youth; and
2. Projects that assist children with special education needs (e.g. autism, cognitive disabilities) and programs that support student progress (e.g. the development and implementation of individualized education plans for children in foster care).

For more information, click here.

Yawkey Foundations Scholars Program: Next deadline Feb. 2011
The Yawkey Scholars Program is a need-based, college scholarship program for students with unique life circumstances who participated in a sustained mentoring relationship during high school. There are several requirements for this scholarship - most notably a student must live in and graduate from a high school in one of the following counties: Barnstable, Bristol, Dukes, Essex, Middlesex, Nantucket, Norfolk, Plymouth, Suffolk, or Worcester. For more info, click here.

Bank of America Philanthropic Management: Deadlines vary
Separate from the funding Bank of America gives through its corporate Foundation, Bank of America Philanthropic Management serves as trustee, co-trustee or agent to a wide variety of discretionary charitable foundations. These foundations' donors have granted Bank of America the authority to design their grantmaking programs and carry out the philanthropic mission of the foundations. For a complete listing of these nearly 100 foundations, as well as detailed information about the grant making focus of each, go to https://www.bankofamerica.com/philanthropic.

Mabel Louise Riley Foundation: Deadlines quarterly
The Foundation's current priorities include:

• Education and social services for disadvantaged children and adolescents.
• Community development that will benefit low-income and minority neighborhoods, including job development and training, housing, historic preservation, the urban environment, and the arts.
• Citywide efforts in Boston and vicinity that will produce cultural improvements and benefits.
• Grants that, despite some risk, offer a potential of high impact or significant new benefits for a community. The Foundation is especially interested in leveraging its grants by funding a new program that can become self-sufficient or may serve as models for other areas.
• Preschool reading programs.
• Improvement of race relations and safety issues.

For more information, visit www.rileyfoundation.com

Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation: Deadlines rolling
The Foundation supports local organizations that provide basic human services to residents of eastern Massachusetts. Grant recipients generally provide services in the following areas: affordable housing, homelessness prevention, job readiness, family and children, human services, and community healthcare. The foundation accepts two types of grant requests: Community Grants and Partnership Grants. For more information, click here.

Lego Children's Fund: Deadlines throughout the year
The LEGO Children’s Fund will provide quarterly grants for programs, either in part or in total, with a special interest paid to collaborative efforts and to providing matching funds that leverage new dollars into the receiving organization. The foundation awards grants to organizations, including educational organizations with specific, identifiable needs primarily in these areas of support: early childhood education and development; technology and communication projects that advance learning opportunities; and sport or athletic programs that concentrate on under-served youth. More information can be found at http://www.legochildrensfund.org/Guidelines.html.

Essex County Community Foundation: Deadlines throughout the year
ECCF has a number of different grant making funds with deadlines throughout the year. The details of these funds can be found at http://www.eccf.org/grantguidelines41.html.

Children's Investment Fund Emergency Capital Grant Program: Deadline Rolling
The Children’s Investment Fund has a new grant program to address facility emergencies (for early care, education and out-of-school time programs) designed to help programs survive the challenging economic environment. The program has two funding priorities:

• Building emergencies, such as roof leaks and loss of heat; and repairs or renovations to meet licensing regulations or address health or safety concerns.
• Program consolidation to assist programs to remain financially viable; energy efficient renovations to reduce operating costs and improve the health of children and adults in the program; and facility improvements to meet accreditation standards.

To be eligible, you must be a community based, not-for-profit organization in Boston that serves a minimum of 50 percent low-income children, as defined by the Department of Early Education and Care income eligibility guidelines. More information can be found at http://www.cccif.org/new.htm.

TD Charitable Foundation: Deadline rolling
The TD Charitable Foundation is providing grants to eligible nonprofit organizations for employees to attend classes and courses that will enhance job performance. Organizations must have a mission or a focus that promotes one of the following:

• Affordable housing for low-to-moderate-income individuals;
• Increased economic (small business) development;
• Financial literacy for low and moderate-income youth, individuals, or families; and
• After-school or extracurricular programming for low- and moderate-income children.

Classes and courses must be pertinent to the job the employee performs and they may be one day classes or part of a certification program; attendance at conferences is not eligible.

To apply, click here.

Liberty Mutual Foundation: Deadline rolling
The goals of the Liberty Mutual Foundation Education Initiative are to improve the educational achievement and educational opportunities for disadvantaged youth in the cities of Boston and Lawrence.  Furthermore, the Education Initiative intends to locate and support educational programs that build on prior academic successes. The Liberty Mutual Foundation aims to achieve these goals by taking the following actions:

• Expand academic opportunities for low-income and limited English proficient (LEP) students by funding out-of-school time educational programs, extended learning in-school programs, vocational and technical-training programs and programs that emphasize and highlight the path to further education.
• Support elementary programs that seek to prevent the “achievement gap” by employing results-based curricula and focusing on basic literacy and/or numeracy.
• Broaden educational options for limited English proficient (LEP) students by increasing the number and quality of programs in Boston and Lawrence that provide English language instruction, especially those organizations that exhibit a special focus toward children and adolescents.
• Provide further options for education by expanding the educational alternatives (outside of the public school system) that are available to low-income and non-English speaking students.

To apply, click here.

Bank of America Local Grants: Deadline rolling
The majority of Bank of America's local grant making programs have no deadline; applications are reviewed throughout the year at regularly scheduled local market leadership meetings. To be considered for a local grant, your organization should be aligned with the funding priorities in your market. For information on specific priorities, or to apply, click here.

Brown Rudnick's Community Grants Program: Deadline rolling
Brown Rudnick's Community Grants Program subsidizes small projects designed to improve inner-city education in Boston, Hartford, Providence, New York, or Washington, D.C. To get more information and the full RFP, click here.

The Charles Hayden Foundation: Deadline rolling
The Charles Hayden Foundation seeks to promote the mental, moral and physical development of children and youth ages five to eighteen in the metropolitan area of New York and the City of Boston. Their focus is on those institutions and programs serving youth most at risk of not reaching their full potential, especially youth in low-income communities. For more information, click here.

Google Grants: Deadline rolling
The Google Grants program supports organizations sharing our philosophy of community service to help the world in areas such as science and technology, education, global public health, the environment, youth advocacy, and the arts. For more information, click here.

The Edith Glick Shoolman Children's Foundation: Deadline quarterly
The Foundation’s primary focus will be to support organizations and programs in the New York and Boston metropolitan areas which provide opportunities for children from birth through the elementary years. For more information, click here.

The McKenzie Foundation: Deadline rolling
The purpose of The McKenzie Foundation is to encourage and support non-profit programs primarily in the areas of education, health, human services, and cultural and environmental concerns. Specffic initiatives include early childhood development, education, the environment, and arts and culture. For more information, click here.

Staples Foundation for Learning: Deadline rolling
The mission of Staples Foundation for Learning is to help fund programs that support or provide job skills and education for all people, with a special emphasis on disadvantaged youth. Interested organizations must be invited to apply by the Staples Foundation. There are deadlines throughout the year. For more information, visit www.staplesfoundation.org.

The Lynch Foundation: Deadline rolling
The Lynch Foundation provides assistance to programs primarily in Massachusetts with an emphasis on education; culture and historic preservation; healthcare and medical research; and religious and educational efforts of the Roman Catholic Church. For more information, click here.

John Hancock Financial Services Offers Support for Programs Serving Boston Youth and Families: Deadline rolling
The mission of John Hancock in the community is to provide the greatest level of support for Boston youth and families most in need. John Hancock serves the community by providing program grants that directly serve Boston youth and families in need. John Hancock does not typically fund general operating support, capital campaigns, building renovations or endowments. For more information, visit www.johnhancock.com/about/community.html.

Muzak Heart and Soul Foundation Music Matters Grants: Next deadline TBA
The Muzak Heart and Soul Foundation’s mission is to redefine and support music education.  Through music education, a child can better achieve his or her full potential and stimulate personal and educational growth. Music Matters Grants for 2010 will focus on educational reform in school music programs and independent music programs. Eligibile recipients are public school programs that qualify for Title I federal funding and serve a minimum of 70% low-income students, and non-profit organizations with music education programs. For more information click here.

Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation Toolbox for Education Grant Program: Next deadline TBA
Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation funds the Lowe’s Toolbox for Education grant program, which has supported thousands of grassroots community and school projects in the communities where Lowe’s does business. This year, the grant program will give priority to projects that address basic needs among schools and parent groups.

To apply, click here.

Northeastern Students4Giving Grants to Programs Supporting Families at Risk: Next deadline TBA
Northeastern Students4Giving (NS4G) is a collaborative effort among Northeastern University students committed to making a positive and lasting impact in the communities where they live and learn. The group makes small grants to community-based nonprofit organizations that address critical economic and social challenges facing the Boston neighborhoods of Mission Hill, Fenway, Roxbury, and the South End. The priority for the 2010 funding cycle is households at risk due to financial insecurity, with preferences to proposals that demonstrate how a small infusion of cash can make a meaningful difference in efforts to support low-income families with dependents in the targeted communities.

To apply, click here.

Bank of America Student Leaders program: Next deadline TBA
The Student Leader program recognizes students - juniors and seniors in high school - with a passion for improving their community.

Student Leaders will participate in:

• An eight-week paid internship at a local charitable organization
• A week-long Student Leadership Summit in Washington, DC to gain valuable civic, social and business leadership skills

Community-minded high school juniors or seniors should apply now. Students living in Suffolk, Essex, Norfolk, Middlesex, Plymouth and Bristol Counties are eligible to apply.

To appply, click here.

National Summer Learning Association Excellence in Summer Learning Award: Next deadline TBA
The Excellence in Summer Learning Award recognizes outstanding summer programs that demonstrate excellence in accelerating academic achievement and promoting healthy development for young people between kindergarten and twelfth grade. The award is given annually based on an application and interview process that elicits information on a program’s history, mission, goals, operations, management, staff development, partnerships, results, and sustainability. The Excellence in Summer Learning Award seeks to find and draw national attention to exemplary programs that provide and expand access to high-quality summer learning experiences for all young people.

To apply, click here.