Eligibility:

Geographic Focus

Eligible Organizations primarily serve communities historically excluded from institutional philanthropy in Essex, Middlesex, Norfolk, Plymouth and Suffolk counties with a focus on the communities of greatest need. 

These communities include: Boston (East Boston, Dorchester, Mattapan, Roxbury), Chelsea, Everett, Revere, Lynn, Brockton, and Lowell.

Other Criteria

An eligible applicant would also meet the following criteria:

• Has a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit designation from the IRS or operates under the fiscal sponsorship of a tax-exempt nonprofit;
• Has been operating for at least three years;
• Engages in year-round programming;
• Aligns with the strategic vision of the Boston Foundation;
• Does not discriminate in the hiring of staff or the provision of services on the basis of race, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, national origin or disability;
• Responds to an essential need by providing resources that restore health, wellness, safety and belonging for struggling individuals or families; and
• Has not received a Safety Net Grant in 2026.

Priority Areas

Priority Area 1: Food Security and Nutrition Access

Support may include efforts that help residents obtain consistent, culturally appropriate, and dignified access to food, particularly when public benefits are reduced, delayed, denied, stolen, or insufficient.

Examples may include: 

• Emergency groceries and prepared meals
• Food delivery
• Community fridges
• Food pantries
• Culturally specific food distribution
• SNAP, WIC, SUN Bucks, and school meal enrollment
• Benefits recertification and navigation assistance 

Priority Area 2: Health Care, Mental Health, and Behavioral Health Access

Support may include organizations working to prevent interruptions in health coverage or care and helping marginalized residents access essential health services.

Examples may include: 

• Primary and preventive health care
• Reproductive and maternal health services
• Mental health and substance-use services
• MassHealth and Health Connector navigation
• Culturally and linguistically responsive mental health and trauma services 

The Foundation is particularly interested in approaches that recognize connections between physical health, behavioral health, housing, food access, legal services, and public benefits navigation. 

Priority Area 3: Housing Stabilization and Homelessness Prevention

Support may include organizations helping residents remain safely housed, avoid eviction, leave unsafe or overcrowded living conditions, or transition from emergency shelter into stable housing.

Examples may include: 

• Eviction prevention
• Rental arrears assistance
• Utility assistance
• RAFT and HomeBASE navigation
• Emergency shelter assistance 

Priority Area 4: Direct Cash Assistance

Direct cash assistance may be used as a flexible tool to help residents meet urgent basic needs such as food, housing, utilities, transportation, or medical expenses.

Examples may include: 

• Direct payments to landlords or other vendors
• Grocery gift cards
• General-purpose gift cards
• Other forms of flexible financial assistance that allow residents to address immediate basic needs 

Priority Populations & Applicant Expectations

Organizations serving people most likely to be harmed by benefit losses, administrative red tape, high living costs, and discrimination — particularly households facing multiple, overlapping forms of hardship. This includes BIPOC residents, immigrants, women, pregnant people, children and caregivers, LGBTQ+ individuals, people with disabilities, older adults, and people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

Applicants should show:

• Who they serve and what specific barriers those residents face
• How the proposed support will reduce immediate harm
• Priority given to groups serving people at the intersection of two or more priority populations, or addressing two or more core needs

Exclusions

The Boston Foundation does not make grants for capital construction costs, endowments, medical or academic research, scholarships, sectarian or religious purposes, or to support candidates for political office. Private non-operating foundations, 501(c)(4) organizations, and Section 501(a)(3) Type III Non-functionally Integrated organizations are not eligible to apply. In addition, grants are not made to individual persons. 

Who Is Involved in Making a Funding Decision?

The Safety Net Grants team uses a version of participatory grantmaking—the practice of centering affected communities in grant-making decisions by giving them the power to decide which organizations to fund. In early rounds of the SNG program, a mixture of staff and community reviewers guided our review process and final grant decisions were approved by our board. Now, Safety Net Grant applications are reviewed in a 100 percent community-led process. Community reviewers represent a diverse group of nonprofit leaders in Greater Boston and are responsible for the final grant recommendations for the program.