Greater Lawrence Summer Fund Grant

Greater Lawrence Summer Fund Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Essex County Community Foundation
Amount: Up to US $15,000
Last Updated: February 25, 2026

Summary

The Greater Lawrence Summer Fund Grant aims to bridge opportunity gaps for low-income youth in Greater Lawrence by funding enriching summer programs. With over 25 years of experience, it supports initiatives that enhance social, academic, and emotional skills while providing safe alternatives to unhealthy behaviors. The fund prioritizes collaborative educational opportunities, ensuring programs address summer learning loss and promote inclusivity among diverse youth populations, ultimately fostering personal growth and community engagement.

Overview

The Greater Lawrence Summer Fund (GLSF) focuses on closing the opportunity and achievement gaps for thousands of youth in greater Lawrence each year by increasing access to enrichment and academic opportunities during the summer months.For more than 30 years, GLSF has supported high-quality summer programs that: Enhance social, emotional and academic abilitiesPromote safety and physical and mental healthAdvance skills development and reduce summer learning loss Funding Priorities The Greater Lawrence Summer Fund (GLSF) supports enriching summer opportunities for young people in Greater Lawrence by supporting programs that: Provide young people with opportunities for skill development, personal growth, joy, restoration and exposure to new experiences.Provide enriching educational opportunities that reduce summer learning loss and the opportunity gap.Affirm, preserve, and celebrate racial and cultural identityPromote and encourage interaction, communication, and relationship building among youth and staff.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Applicants must have a 501(c)(3) tax status under the IRS tax code and serve residents of the designated communities of Lawrence, Andover, North Andover and Methuen.Limited to summer programs serving youth from the Greater Lawrence communities of Andover, Lawrence, Methuen, and North Andover.ECCF is committed to non-discrimination. We support organizations that use all reasonable efforts to recruit, hire, train, promote and serve persons without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, age, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law, except where such status is a bona fide qualification for the service being provided and is related to the organization's mission.Stand alone programs within umbrella organizations may be eligible if they meet the following criteria:The umbrella organization provides the 501(c)3 status but not much more.The program has a separate budget and raises its own funds to cover this budget. Note: If the program has only a small amount of administrative costs covered by the umbrella organization, they are still eligible to apply.There is a letter of agreement/understanding between the program and the umbrella organization.The program is core to the mission of the umbrella organization and serves a substantial number of the core client population.

Ineligibility

GLSF grants will not be awarded:To individuals. For sectarian or religious purposes. Note: GLSF is limited to non-sectarian programming for youth of all religious and ethnic backgrounds. Programs sponsored by religious organizations are eligible, provided enrollment is open to all youth, and the program is free of mandatory religious instruction, worship, or other sectarian activities. For political purposes. For debt or deficit reduction. For capital campaigns for buildings, land acquisition or endowment. To support academic research.