BOSTON, MA — The New Commonwealth Fund (NCF) announced today the distribution of $3 million in grants as part of its fifth annual grant cycle. Since its founding, NCF has awarded over $16.3 million through 448 grants to more than 250 organizations dedicated to creating a more equitable Massachusetts. This year’s grant cycle emphasizes larger, strategic investments in organizations positioned to, in addition to their day-to-day direct service, lead transformative policy change within their respective focus areas.

NCF’s evolved grantmaking model is structured into various levels:

• Incubation : Organizations receive $30,000 grants, with the potential for renewal, coupled with capacity-building resources. This year’s Incubation grantees include Boston Education Fund, GenUnity, Educators for Excellence, Haley House, Bottom Line, Thrive Scholars, Action for Boston Community Development, Mabel Center for Immigrant Justice, The Life After Prison, Boston Women’s Heritage Trail, Wampanoag Nation Singers & Dancers, GreenRoots, Inc., Brothers in Arms Men’s Support Circle, Jumpstart for Young Children, The SpaceMakers Society, Families First, Restless Books, Tides for Reproductive Freedom, The Center for Hope and Healing, and Collective Power.
• System Disruption: Organizations receive grants up to $50,000, along with opportunities to engage in cohort-based learning. This year’s awardees include Nectar Community Investments, BECMA, Boston Community Pediatrics, Phoenix Charter Academy, The Calculus Project, Esperanza Academy, Neighborhood Birth Center, Health Equity Compact, Roxbury Community College, Transformational Prison Project, and NECAT.
• System Reckoning Organizations receive substantial grants of up to $150,000, tasked with leading significant institutional or legislative policy initiatives in partnership with peer organizations. Awardees in this category include Boston Impact Initiative, Citizens for Juvenile Justice, 826 Boston, Elevated Thought, A Healthier Democracy, Vital CxNs, Boston University’s Spark! and Project Evident.
  
  

In addition to financial resources, NCF provides substantial capacity building support to its grantees, including topics like Transformative Leadership Development, Data and Impact, Fundraising, Human Resources Compliance and Innovation, Branding and Marketing, Legal and Financial Infrastructure, as well as the ability to convene with other nonprofit leaders across the state in community and networking.

“In our fifth grantmaking year, we are deepening our commitment to the power of leadership and collective action by amplifying a diverse array of resources to cohorts of organizations. We believe this focus will drive synergy with practice, program and regluatory changes to strategically tackle systems that foster inequity” said Dr. Makeeba McCreary, President of the New Commonwealth Fund. “Our evolved approach fosters collaboration, amplifies impact, and ensures that organizations driving crucial policy reform have the resources they need to succeed—even as the broader landscape evolves.”

For more information about the New Commonwealth Fund, its grantees, and its strategic initiatives, please visit newcommonwealthfund.org.