Catalyst Fund

The Catalyst Fund provides one-time non-renewable grants up to $7,500 for a twelve-month period to help community-based organizations strengthen their capacity to expand access to health and health care in Massachusetts. The Catalyst Fund is intended to help organizations pay for activities that can strengthen their infrastructure, build capacity, or plan for the future, and as its name implies, help spark innovation.

From hiring a trainer on best practices in trauma-informed or equitable service delivery, to crafting a fundraising plan to make fresh produce freely available to families with low income, and for purchasing technology to support health education outreach to residents who speak languages other than English – these small one-time, fast-turnaround grants can make a lasting and outsized impact on organizations and the clients they serve.

As such, the Catalyst Fund grants does not fund ongoing programmatic expenses, or general operating costs, such as salaries.

Since 2002, the Catalyst Fund has distributed nearly $2.5 million in grants to health centers, clinics, health care advocacy groups, and community-based organizations. The Catalyst Fund is made possible entirely with donations from employees of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. Click here to apply.

Update: Revised Catalyst Fund Guidelines go into effect February 2024. Please review the attached guidelines.


The Catalyst Fund does not review applications in December, July and August.
Any applications received during those months will be held until the next deadline. 

For a list of recent grant recipients, click on “Recent Awards” to the left.