The Boston Foundation FY27 Fall Safety Net Grants are accepting applications from qualifying community-rooted nonprofit organizations meeting urgent basic needs in Greater Boston. This competitive charitable funding round prioritizes food security, health care and behavioral health access, housing stability and homelessness prevention, and direct cash assistance to vulnerable households. It is applicant financial assistance, not procurement.
Individual applicant funding: The current FY27 Fall program page and five-page official FAQ do not publish a binding individual award maximum or award range. Amounts awarded in older rounds, or the amounts of earlier overall grantmaking announcements, must not be substituted for a current individual award. Applicants should confirm their proposed request in the live application.
Eligible applicants and area: IRS-recognized 501(c)(3) charities or organizations under a qualifying tax-exempt fiscal sponsor, operating for at least three years, offering year-round programming and primarily serving residents of Essex, Middlesex, Norfolk, Plymouth or Suffolk counties, Massachusetts. Greater Boston priority communities include East Boston, Dorchester, Mattapan, Roxbury, Chelsea, Everett, Revere, Lynn, Brockton, Lowell and Lawrence. Applicants must align with the funder’s nondiscrimination and essential-needs criteria and must not have received a Safety Net Grant in 2026.
Eligible work: Food pantries, emergency meals, benefits navigation, culturally responsive mental-health and substance-use supports, preventive and maternal care access, eviction prevention, emergency housing-related support, flexible household assistance, and necessary access services such as language assistance and transportation. Organizations serving people facing multiple overlapping hardships receive additional consideration. Flexible operating support connected to immediate needs is contemplated in the official FAQ.
Excluded purposes and applicants: The foundation does not fund capital construction, endowments, medical or academic research, scholarships, sectarian/religious activities, candidate political support, or individual applicants through this program. Private non-operating foundations, 501(c)(4) groups and specified non-functionally integrated supporting organizations are not eligible.
Application and deadline: The FY27 Fall round opened September 15 and closes October 30, 2026; the public official FAQ does not state an exact deadline hour or time zone. Complete the application through The Boston Foundation’s Safety Net Grants page and its linked SmartSimple portal, describing the people served, urgent barriers, intended assistance and impact. Read the official FY27 Fall FAQ and check the portal for any further requirements. Official sources reviewed October 25, 2026.