Personal Stories

Belinda Juran and Evan Schapiro: Helping to Maintain and Grow the Merrimack Valley’s Rich Cultural Tradition

As residents of the Merrimack Valley for the past 25 years, Belinda and Evan often took advantage of the rich and diverse cultural opportunities that the region offered. Unlike Boston, where the scene is dominated by large cultural institutions with a large donor base, the Merrimack Valley's arts scene typically consists of a more diverse group of smaller and less well-known organizations. So, Evan and Belinda were especially surprised to learn that the Merrimack Valley did not have a permanently endowed Arts Fund dedicated to the support of local cultural organizations. MORE

Peter S. Stamas: Dedicated to Education in Lowell for 17 Years

Peter’s Passion: Education and civic involvement.
As headmaster of Lowell High School for 17 years, Peter shaped the minds of Lowell’s future leaders and led by example. He believed community services was the way to better our region’s quality of life. More...

How to Apply For a Grant

Discretionary grants for strengthening management capacity of nonprofit organizations, and project grants to conserve watershed resources in Northern Middlesex County are open to all nonprofit organizations and coalitions whose work benefits people and natural resources in the city and towns in our service area.

The city and towns are: Ashby, Ayer, Bedford, Billerica, Burlington, Carlisle, Chelmsford, Concord, Dracut, Dunstable, Groton, Littleton, Lowell, North Reading, Pepperell, Reading, Shirley, Stoneham, Tewksbury, Townsend, Tyngsboro, Wakefield, Westford and Wilmington.

Please carefully follow the instructions below, especially with regards to the submission of the online proposal summary.

The next deadline for discretionary grants and watershed resources applications is March 15 by 5pm. The Community Distribution Committee announces award decisions in May and publicly at the Celebrate Giving! Philanthropy Day event within the same month. To apply for either a capacity or water project grant, please complete the following four steps. Detailed application requirements are included in the downloadable applications.

Step 1:

Download and complete either the
Capacity Grant Application,
Water Project Grant Application,
Leclair Elderly Service Grant Application,
or the Mini-Grant Capacity Application.

Step 2:

Complete the Online Proposal Summary

Step 3:

Print the Online Summary Form (automatically available after completing the online proposal summary), and make sure it is signed by an authorized officer.

Step 4:

Mail a hard copy of:

the application,
the original signed print-out of the online summary form, and
Either the resume of the project manager or an outline of the project manager’s job description, work expectation, and required skills.

All applications must be submitted by conventional postage or ground delivery.

Organizations and coalitions awarded grants will be showcased annually at Celebrate Giving!, our Spring Philanthropy Day conference, which brings donors, community leaders, nonprofit staff, volunteers, and the general public together.

We also invite you to nominate one of more of your volunteers for our annual Volunteer Philanthropy in Action Award. Award winners will be honored at the event and awarded $1,000 to distribute to their favorite nonprofit organization.

If you have any questions, please contact us at (978) 970-1600.