Grant Information

Funding Structures

3-Year Sustained Grants

A small number of organizations will receive grants of $25,000 to $50,000 per year for three years, allowing grantees to plan with confidence and deliver lasting results. This rolling three-cohort model onboards a new set of organizations each year as prior cohorts graduate, ensuring a steady pipeline of support.

1-Year Grants

The Foundation will continue to award one-year grants ranging from $10,000 to $25,000 to human services organizations, ensuring an impactful number of Merrimack Valley nonprofits are supported each year across the human services category.

Timeline

Fall 2026

We will shift to an invitation-only format but will still be offering one-year grants to Merrimack Valley nonprofit organizations.

  • October 1: Invitations offered
  • November 15: Grant decisions made and organizations notified

2027 Rollout

March 1 — Invitations to apply are sent to organizaations for both the 3-year and 1-year grant funding formats.

May 15 — Grants are awarded and all applicants are notified of the outcome.

** Beginning in 2027, both 1-year and 3-year grants will be awarded once a year in the spring (note: there will no longer be a fall grant cycle).

Eligibility Guidelines

  • Registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit in good standing
  • Primary focus on Health & Human Services — mental health, food security, housing stability, direct social services
  • Located in and serving one or more Merrimack Valley towns of Massachusetts or New Hampshire (occasionally exceptions are made at HFF board’s discretion)*
  • Demonstrated track record of program delivery and measurable outcomes and impact data
  • Willingness to engage in an annual reporting relationship with the Foundation
  • Ability to demonstrate programming with meaningful long-term outcomes for individuals and the community served

For 3-Year Grants Only

  • Annual operating budget of $2,500,000 or below.
  • Open to initial conversation with HFF Human Services program manager to collaborate on goodness of fit for both parties before or within 2 weeks of invitation.
  • Able to outline a strategy for continuing programming after the HFF grant concludes
  • Budget and leadership capacity to absorb and deploy multi-year funding
  • Willing to engage in a collaborative model — beginning with an interview, followed by quarterly updates

*SERVICE AREA — MERRIMACK VALLEY TOWNS OF MASSACHUSETTS & NEW HAMPSHIRE

MA: Bedford, Billerica, Boxborough, Boxford, Burlington, Carlisle, Chelmsford, Concord, Dracut, Dunstable, Georgetown, Groveland, Haverhill, Lawrence, Lexington, Lincoln, Littleton, Lowell, Maynard, Merrimac, Methuen, Newbury, Newburyport, North Andover, Rowley, Salisbury, Stow, Tewksbury, Tyngsborough, West Newbury, Westford, Wilmington, Woburn.

NH: Allenstown, Amherst, Atkinson, Auburn, Bedford, Boscawen, Bow, Brookline, Candia, Canterbury, Chester, Chichester, Concord, Deerfield, Derry, Dunbarton, Epsom, Goffstown, Hampstead, Henniker, Hollis, Hooksett, Hopkinton.