How To Apply
STEP 1
Verify Organizational
Eligibility
STEP 2
Review Grant Program
Eligibility
STEP 3
Visit Portal to Apply
STEP 1: Verify Organizational Eligibility
The Foundation funds nonprofit organizations incorporated in Massachusetts that primarily serve people who have been socially, economically, culturally, or racially marginalized.
- It is the policy of the Foundation to only make grants to organizations described in Section 509(a)(1), (2) or (3) (i.e. 501c3 or public charities) or Section 170(c)(1) or 511(a)(2)(B) (governmental entities).
- If an organization does not have its own tax-exempt designation, it must provide proof of tax-exempt designation for a fiscal agent.
- The Foundation does not accept applications from religious institutions, for-profit institutions, or individuals.
- The Foundation does not fund proposals to support direct clinical care, long-term care, hospice, and palliative care, and initiatives focused solely on the care of a particular disease or medical condition.
STEP 2: Review Grant Program Eligibility
Each grant program has specific guidelines and may also have additional eligibility criteria.
- These guidelines outline organizational requirements, project goals, timelines and deadlines, and expected award amounts, among other details required to submit an application.
- All interested applicants should view the grants programs for more details and whether programs are currently accepting proposals.
STEP 3: Visit Portal to Apply
- All proposals must be submitted through our online grantmaking portal.
- Please register and familiarize yourself with the portal before the application deadline to provide enough time to complete the process.
If you have any technical difficulty with the portal, please contact us at [email protected].
Frequently Asked Questions
No, the Foundation does not sponsor events. However, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, the insurance company, does and more information can be found on the BCBSMA website.
Grant dollars can be used for programmatic expenses – including staff support, outreach events, and other program-related requests like materials or translation services.
Yes. The Foundation staff is always available to answer questions. Please see each specific grant program for the appropriate contact.
For Special Initiatives, Advancing Community Driven Mental Health, and Strengthening Voices for Access – please contact Jacquie Anderson at [email protected]
For Racial Justice in Health, Catalyst Fund, Perinatal Health Initiative, and Supporting Health Coverage Enrollment Efforts – please contact Reena Singh at [email protected]
Grant size is different for each grant program. Please see grant guidelines for details.
In keeping with the Foundation's mission to ensure equitable access to health care through grants and policy initiatives, the Foundation keeps costs it incurs for grant partners, and consultants focused on obtaining the services to support its mission. While the Foundation understands that grant partners and consultants have indirect costs, sometimes called "overhead" that are part of what they need to support their work, the Foundation needs to limit its payment for these costs. Such indirect costs typically include administrative expenses related to overall operations and are shared among projects and/or functions, such as executive oversight, accounting, legal services, utilities, and facility maintenance.
It is the Foundation's policy to pay at most 15% of the overall budget for indirect costs.