Changemaker Grants (Community Building Mini-Grants Program)

The Changemaker Grants program by the United Way of Greater New Bedford supports all-volunteer groups aiming to positively impact their community. With grants up to $2,500, it empowers local initiatives that promote health, youth opportunities, financial security, and community resilience. Eligible groups must have annual budgets under $40,000 and be inclusive in their missions.

Do you have an idea for changing the world — or at least your corner of it?
For more than 25 years, the United Way has been providing small grants — up to $2,500 — to help ordinary people accomplish extraordinary things to help their neighborhoods and their community.
Since 1995, United Way has provided grant money for 861 different projects that help to build stronger connections between people and that fill an important need — from starting a neighborhood cleanup program to establishing a community garden to providing hygiene items for the region’s homeless.
You don’t have to be part of an established non-profit organization to apply for a Changemaker Grant (formerly the Community Building Mini-Grants Program). These grants go to all-volunteer groups with annual budgets of less than $40,000 that have one thing in common: they have great ideas for building and helping their community. So if you are a member of a neighborhood association, a group of concerned parents, or a small group looking to do big things for your community, we urge you to contact us and apply. The United Way team will help you get started.
Grant Criteria
Projects should be engaging, community driven, solutions-focused, and foster unity through community action. Projects should also have the potential for long-term impact.
Changemaker projects should be working towards supporting one of the following (with rare exceptions):

• Healthy Community - Improving health and wellbeing for all.Youth Opportunity - Helping young people realize their full potential.
• Financial Security - Creating a stronger financial future for every generation.
• Community Resiliency - Addressing urgent needs today for a better tomorrow.

Eligibility

To be eligible for Changemaker Grants, groups and organizations must:Be all-volunteerHave an annual budget/income of $40,000 or lessOffer projects that are specific, small in scale and with a realistic plan to improve our local communityHave an all-inclusive membership and mission, i.e., does not exclude people on the basis of gender, race, religious differences, etc.Be based in New Bedford, Acushnet, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Freetown, Mattapoisett, Marion, Rochester, or WarehamDo I have to be a 501(c) 3 organization to apply?No, you don’t. You can be a member of a neighborhood association, a group of concerned parents, or a small group looking to do big things in Greater New Bedford. As long as you have at least 3 members and are fully volunteer run, you can apply.How we define a group:An established group made up of 3 or more people
A newly formed group made up of 3 or more people
Groups can be made up of children and youth, but must have at least 1 adult member
Can be a “Friends of” group as long as the group can make the case for the need and the distinction is clear
Groups should not be a committee or task force of a larger coalition, initiative, collaboration, or project at another non-profit organization or business

Ineligibility

There are some things we are not able to fund through Changemaker Grants. These include:  Salaried or stipends for group membersRent or utilitiesFood – for sale or nonessential to the projectT-shirts and other promotional items that you plan to sell for fundraising purposesOffice equipment- computers, printers, laptops, etc.Paid advertisingInsurance, Security, Police/Fire DetailApplication/Registration/Membership Dues/FeesScholarships, Pageants, Contests etc.School-based field tripsProjects that are in and of themselves fundraisingCapital Improvements