A.C. Ratshesky Foundation Grant: Active Learning

The A.C. Ratshesky Foundation Grant focuses on supporting economically disadvantaged individuals and families through active learning programs for preteens and teens. It prioritizes initiatives that foster skills development and self-sufficiency, offering grants ranging from $10,000 to $25,000. Eligible organizations must serve the Metro Boston area and demonstrate a commitment to youth development. The foundation does not support individuals or large-scale initiatives but values programs that provide meaningful, hands-on learning experiences.

Please see FAQ for Active Learning
The A. C. Ratshesky Foundation is particularly interested in supporting youth-serving organizations or programs with the following design elements:

• Real-world relevanceIll-defined problemSustained investigationMultiple sources/perspectivesCollaborationReflectionInterdisciplinary perspective
• Organizational and Program Size

The foundation seeks to support organizations where a small grant will make a meaningful contribution toward the development of a program or organization. Grant requests for $10,000 toward a program budget of $150,000 or from organization with an annual budget of $1 million, for example, are typically ranked a higher priority than requests to support a $300,000 program from large organizations with relatively strong fundraising capacity and many sources of funding.
Grant Range
The foundation expects to make 20-30 grants per year ranging from $10,000 to $25,000.
Types of Support
Most of the foundation’s grantmaking will support programs providing direct services. It will only consider requests for general operating support when an organization’s primary goals are in direct alignment with the foundation’s mission. The foundation makes occasional multi-year grants at its discretion but does not solicit requests for multi-year funding.

Eligibility

Grants are restricted to organizations serving Metro Boston communities within Route 128.Organizations must be designated as tax exempt under Section 501 (c)(3) of the IRS Code and must be classified as “not a private foundation” under Section 509 (a) of the Code.The foundation will consider only one application from an organization in any calendar year.Organizations whose requests for funding have been denied are expected to wait one full year before being reconsidered for support.

Ineligibility

The foundation does not normally support:
individualsnational organizationcapital campaigns, endowments or fundraising activitiesconferenceswebsitesresearchmunicipal, state or federal agenciesreligious instruction or worship serviceshealth programscommunity organizing/public policy advocacygrants to replace government fundingprivate schools, parochial schools, public schools, including pilot and charter schoolsschool-based programs, tutoring programs or college access programstreatment and recovery programssummer camps or short-term or seasonal programs for children and youthcriminal justice or re-entry programsfamily stabilization or crisis intervention programsmentoring, case management, social servicescollege access programs

501(c)(3) organizations (not private foundations) serving Metro Boston communities within Route 128; one application per organization per year. Does not fund schools, summer camps, research, capital campaigns, or religious instruction.