TBF meets the moment with $2.625 million in grants to 77 Greater Boston organizations in Safety Net Grants special round
April 28, 2025
Boston—The Boston Foundation, Greater Boston’s community foundation, today announced a special round of $2.625 million in grants to 77 organizations through the Foundation’s Safety Net Grants program. The special round was originally intended to distribute $2 million, but it was expanded with extra support and commitments from TBF’s community of donors.
“I am both humbled by the generous commitments from our donors to expand the pool for this special round of grants and sobered by the level of unmet need during this unprecedented moment in history,” said Lee Pelton, President and CEO of the Boston Foundation. “This is just the latest piece of our continuing commitment to use all of our tools – advocacy, research, convening, grantmaking, and more – to improve lives, strengthen communities, and nurture a city and region where opportunity, justice and equity are extended to everyone.”
More than 500 nonprofit organizations applied for grants during the special round. The grantees were selected by a dedicated group of 57 community reviewers, whose tireless effort made it possible to complete the evaluation process in just six weeks. Community reviewers, who represented a broad cross-section of Massachusetts nonprofits and were compensated for their time and effort, were guided by an established set of funding considerations established for the Safety Net Grants program and adapted for this special round.
“The Safety Net Grants program would not be what it is without the wisdom and commitment of the community leaders who make this a 100% community-led process, coordinated by Candace Burton and Quynh Nguyen of our Safety Net Grants team,” said Orlando Watkins, Vice President and Chief Program Officer at the Boston Foundation. “The best decisions about what Greater Boston needs are informed and made by local leaders who understand the issues, challenges, and opportunities woven into the diversity of every community.”
The new grants are part of the Boston Foundation’s overall strategy to “Meet the Moment” at this critical time, supporting organizations that are responding to the essential needs of marginalized communities and vulnerable residents. TBF plans to offer another round of grants through the Safety Net Grants program in the second half of 2025, with details to be announced in the coming weeks.
Below is an alphabetical list of the grantees and grant amounts in this round. Grantees were eligible to receive awards ranging from $25,000 to $75,000. Where noted by an asterisk, grant payments will be made over two years.
Safety Net Spring 2025 Special Round Grantees
APIs CAN Massachusetts: $50,000*
Asian American Civic Association, Inc.: $25,000
Association for Autism and Neurodiversity, Inc.: $25,000
Association of Haitian Women in Boston: $25,000
Beat The Odds: $25,000
Boston Farms Community Land Trust, Inc.: $50,000*
Boston Home, Inc.: $75,000
Boston Rescue Mission, Inc.: $25,000
Bridge Forward Fund: $25,000
Bryce's Journey, Inc.: $50,000*
Building Audacity: $25,000
Cambridge Women's Center: $25,000
Center to Support Immigrant Organizing: $50,000*
Centre for Faith, Art & Justice: $25,000
Chica Project: $25,000
Children's Services of Roxbury, Inc.: $25,000
Chinese Progressive Association - MA: $25,000
Cocotree Kids, Inc. : $25,000
De Novo: $25,000
Disability Law Center, Inc.: $50,000*
Dorchester Food Co-op: $25,000
East Boston Community Soup Kitchen: $50,000*
Ecumenical Social Action Committee, Inc.: $25,000
Ellie Fund: $25,000
Envisioning Access: $50,000
Ethos: $25,000
Family Van at Harvard Medical School: $50,000
Farm and Community Collaborative, Inc.: $50,000*
Fresh Truck: $25,000
Friends of Indian Senior Citizens Organization: $25,000
FriendshipWorks: $25,000
Furnishing Hope of Massachusetts, Inc.: $25,000
GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders, Inc. (GLAD Law): $50,000*
Gratis Healthcare: $50,000*
Greater Boston Chinese Golden Age Center, Inc.: $50,000*
Greater Boston PFLAG: $25,000
Greater Lynn Senior Services, Inc.: $25,000
Groundwork Somerville: $25,000
Hawthorne Youth and Community Center, Inc.: $25,000
HELP by AMG: $25,000
High Spirit East Community, Inc.: $25,000
Interfaith Social Services Inc.: $25,000
International Institute of New England, Inc.: $25,000
La Alianza Hispana, Inc.: $50,000*
LGBTQ Senior Housing Inc.: $50,000*
Little Brothers - Friends of the Elderly: $25,000
MAB Community Services, Inc.: $75,000
Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, Inc. (MIRA): $50,000*
Massachusetts Immigrant Collaborative: $50,000*
Mattapan Food and Fitness Coalition: $25,000
Merrimack Valley Dream Center: $25,000
Metrowest Worker Center - Casa Do Trabalhador - Casa Del Trabajador: $25,000
Minuteman Senior Services: $25,000
New England Equity Collective: $25,000
New England Innocence Project: $25,000
Next Leadership Development: $25,000
North American Indian Center of Boston, Inc.: $25,000
North Shore Alliance of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Youth (nAGLY): $50,000*
Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church: $25,000
Philippine American Mainstream Advocacy for Nonpartisan Associations (PAMANA): $25,000
Pine Street Inn, Inc.: $50,000*
Play Brigade, Inc.: $75,000
Pocasset Pokanoket Land Trust, Inc.: $25,000
Political Asylum Immigration Representation Project, Inc.: $25,000
Quincy Asian Resources, Inc.: $25,000
Saheli: $25,000
Saint Francis House, Inc.: $50,000*
Silver Lining Mentoring: $25,000
Somali Parents Advocacy Center for Education (SPACE): $25,000
Student Clinic for Immigrant Justice, Inc.: $50,000*
The Innocent Convicts: $25,000
Transgender Emergency Fund of Massachusetts: $50,000*
United South End Settlements: $25,000
Volunteering for Seniors, Inc.: $25,000
Walker, Inc.: $25,000
Waltham Partnership for Youth: $50,000*
Youth Advocacy Foundation, Inc.: $25,000