Changemaker Grants

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 825 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. Volunteer groups should identify creative solutions to problems in our communities. Projects should also have the potential for long-term impact.
Changemaker projects should be working towards supporting one of the following (with rare exceptions):

• Health - To create an environment where residents, families, and communities can access the support they need to maintain or improve their health and well-being
• Education - To improve student outcomes and engage families in the education of their children so children have the opportunity for educational attainment and life success
• Financial stability - To connect individuals to opportunities that provide a pathway for economic mobility, ultimately breaking the cycle of poverty
• Basic needs - To provide direct assistance to those in urgent need of basic necessities such as food, clothing, transportation, toiletries, shelter, safety, etc.

To be eligible for Changemaker Grants, groups and organizations must:

• Be all-volunteer
• Have an annual budget/income of $40,000 or less
• Offer projects that are specific, small in scale and with a realistic plan to improve our local community
• Have 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 Wareham

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

Projects should...

• Provide creative solutions to issues that are engaging, community driven, and foster unity through action
• Raise awareness for a specific area of concern
• Be small in scale, but have the potential for long-term impact
• Be specific, innovative and achievable within 1 year
• Engage citizens to address a need or issue of concern aligned with a United Way focus area
• BUILD COMMUNITY!

 All funds are disbursed on a reimbursement only basis. Legal incorporation 501(c)(3) is NOT required.

Beyond the Grant

United Way of Greater New Bedford is a leader in promoting volunteerism throughout the region. Through Changemaker Grants, all-volunteer groups are empowered to create positive change by identifying needs in their communities. In addition to the grants, Changemaker groups are further supported with skill-building workshops, networking opportunities, and the ability to recruit new volunteers to assist with their projects through Volunteer SouthCoast.

Next Grant Cycle

 We recently awarded our 2023 grants. Please check back in early 2024 for the next opportunity to apply.