The Boston Foundation announces over $1 million in grants as part of the Open Door Grants program

Boston – The Boston Foundation today announced $1,050,000 in grants to 22 organizations as part of the Foundation’s Open Door Grants program. Open Door Grants support dozens of organizations each year whose work does not qualify for funding from the Foundation’s strategic grantmaking. Applications are accepted twice each year, and grant partners receive $50,000 in general operating support over two years.

“The Open Door Grants program continues to provide an opportunity for the Boston Foundation to partner with and learn from remarkable, community-led and -serving organizations in Greater Boston,” said M. Lee Pelton, President and CEO of the Boston Foundation. “In addition, the program continues to be on the leading edge of our participatory grantmaking work, bringing together a broad cross-section of Foundation staff with current and past Boston Neighborhood Fellows, in a shared decision-making environment that we plan to expand.”

Eighty-one percent of the organizations selected in this round of grants have BIPOC (Black/ Indigenous/People of Color) leaders, and nearly two-thirds (64%) have majority-BIPOC staff. While some of the nonprofit partners selected in this cycle had received grants from the Foundation for their work in support of COVID-19 relief or other initiatives in the past, 20 percent of the grantees had never received a Boston Foundation grant before.

The Open Door Grants program has awarded nearly $11.4 million to nonprofits serving Greater Boston since its inception in 2016.

Open Door Grant Recipients: Fall/Winter cycle:

All grants are for general operating support of $50,000 distributed over two years unless otherwise indicated. City or neighborhood listing represents where the organization is headquartered.

African Cultural Services Inc. (Waltham): A general operating support grant to African Cultural Services Inc., which lifts up African immigrant youth and their families to succeed in life through educational assistance, visual and performing arts, and cultural connections.

Asian Women for Health, Inc. (Somerville): A general operating support grant to Asian Women for Health, Inc., a peer-led, community-based network dedicated to advancing Asian women's health and wellbeing through education, advocacy and support.

Beat The Odds (Dorchester): A general operating support grant to Beat The Odds, which provides a safe space where under-resourced youth from Boston have access to the creative tools necessary to inspire self-awareness and encourage mental health and healing from mental health trauma through music and arts.

DEAFinitely, Inc. (Newton): A general operating support grant to DEAFinitely, Inc., which empowers Deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind, deaf-disabled and hearing youth representing multi-lingual, cultural, racial and socioeconomic diversity to spark social change through mentoring, performing arts and American Sign Language.

DeeDee’s Cry (Roxbury): A general operating support grant to DeeDee’s Cry, which provides resources and education on the importance of mental health and wellness within communities of color. 

Ecumenical Social Action Committee, Inc. (Jamaica Plain): A general operating support grant to Ecumenical Social Action Committee, Inc., which strives to improve the quality of life for the elderly through innovative homeownership, education, and community service programs.

Ethos (Jamaica Plain): A general operating support grant to Ethos which promotes the independence, dignity, and well-being of the elderly and disabled through the coordination and delivery of high-quality, affordable home and community-based care.

Everett LGBTQ+ Youth Space and Resource (Everett): A general operating support grant to Everett LGBTQ+ Youth Space and Resource, which aims to facilitate equity in access to resources and education and the safety and well-being of Greater Boston's LGTBQ+ residents. 

Innovators For Purpose (Cambridge): A $25,000 general operating support grant to Innovators for Purpose, which motivates high-potential diverse young people, especially those from underrepresented groups (BIPOC, children of first-generation immigrants and low-income families), to develop the skills and mindsets to become tomorrow's innovators who will imagine and build a better world.

Justice For Housing (Jamaica Plain): A general operating support grant to Justice For Housing, a grassroots organization committed to ending housing discrimination and homelessness for individuals impacted by the criminal justice system and ending the incarceration of women and girls.

La Vida Inc. (Lynn): A general operating support grant to La Vida Inc., which helps low-income, high-achieving Lynn students attend great colleges and universities with minimal debt.

Mandela Yoga Project, Inc. (Cambridge): A $25,000 general operating support grant to Mandela Yoga Project Inc, a nonprofit which scales the delivery of a new system of free yoga designed to address stress, racial trauma, and chronic health conditions in public health crisis communities.

Massachusetts Alliance Against Predatory Lending (Worcester): A general operating support grant to Massachusetts Alliance Against Predatory Lending, which informs and empowers homeowners (pre- and post-foreclosure) to end and reverse foreclosures and their harm.

Massachusetts Center for Native American Awareness, Inc. (Boston): A general operating support grant to Massachusetts Center for Native American Awareness, Inc., which assists Native American residents with basic needs, educational expenses and resources to dispel inaccurate information about Native Americans, and works towards racial equality by addressing inequities across the region.

New Beginnings Reentry Services, Inc. (Roxbury): A general operating support grant to New Beginnings Reentry Services, Inc., which works to reduce recidivism by advocating for and providing services to women who are reentering local neighborhoods and communities.

New Democracy Coalition (Boston): A general operating support grant to New Democracy Coalition, a membership organization with a mission to renew civic life and expand opportunities for all to participate in the democratic process, focusing on engaging historically disenfranchised communities. 

Our Space Our Place, Inc. (Boston): A general operating support grant to Our Space Our Place, Inc., which prepares blind youth for their future as productive and successful adults by promoting their self-confidence, determination and social and independent living skills.

Respond, Inc. (Somerville): A general operating support grant to Respond, Inc., an organization that partners with individuals, families, and communities to end the serious public health issue of domestic violence.

The Right to Immigration Institute Inc. (Waltham): A general operating support grant to The Right to Immigration Institute, which seeks to facilitate organic community advocacy by providing community leaders with the resources, knowledge and practical experience in immigration law and dynamics to make sure that no one--from any community--must face the immigration system alone.

Transformational Prison Project (Boston): A general operating support grant to Transformational Prison Project, which provides spaces where those who have been harmed and those who have done the harming can come together.

Victory Human Services (Brockton): A general operating support grant to Victory Human Services, which provides quality in-home supports for the elderly and individuals with disabilities. 

Women Survivors of Homicide Movement, Inc. (Roslindale): A general operating support grant to Women Survivors of Homicide Movement, Inc., which empowers and supports women of color as they advocate for their loved one's unsolved murder.