Island Foundation New Bedford Grants

The Island Foundation offers grants to support community-focused projects in coastal areas of Maine, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. Priorities include youth education, food insecurity, immigrant assistance, civic engagement, and nonprofit capacity building. The Foundation favors organizations with a strong local presence, especially in New Bedford, and actively seeks proposals that promote social change and inclusion. Interested applicants should contact the Foundation to discuss potential funding opportunities.

Note: To determine if your request could be considered for funding by the Foundation, you may either call or write to the Foundation. If a Letter of Inquiry or Full Proposal is requested, it will be due by the above deadlines. If the above deadlines fall on a weekend, the deadline is the first following workday.
The Foundation supports projects in coastal areas of Maine, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island and selected international locations.
For the last two decades, the Foundation has focused a significant portion of its financial resources on Southeastern Massachusetts, where its office is located. Here the Board seeks to understand how communities grow sustainably and equitably, how to increase educational opportunities, how rural and urban economies are intertwined, and how to best protect working landscapes and the people who rely upon these areas for their livelihoods. In funding in a few specific areas, the Board believes it will have the most impact.
New Bedford Grantmaking
The Foundation works with organizations that promote progressive social change and combat discrimination in all its forms in New Bedford. In this historic city, the Foundation supports youth programs, community development, arts and culture, and basic needs. The Foundation funds groups that have community-wide recognition and support and demonstrate a positive vision for the present and future of New Bedford.
Within the New Bedford program area, the Board currently seeks proposals addressing:
youth educational attainment, life skills, and career preparation, with an emphasis on workforce development for at-risk youth ages 16-24;strategies to address food insecurity;assistance for immigrants;activities that increase civic engagement, access, and inclusion;appreciation for for the history and cultures represented in this community; andprofessional development/capacity building for the nonprofit sector.

Eligibility

The Island Foundation supports 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations in Maine, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. The Board funds some groups outside of these areas when their programs relate to work the Foundation is supporting within its programmatic and geographic priority areas. On a case-by-case basis, the Foundation provides funding to groups without nonprofit status that use a fiscal sponsor.
The Island Foundation accepts both general operating and project-focused grant requests and occasionally makes multi- year grant commitments to organizations it has supported for many years.

Ineligibility

The Foundation does not support proposals outside its priority areas (issue and/or geographic) or requests from individuals, for-profit businesses, or religious groups.