Black Male Advancement Reopens Community Empowerment Small Grants Applications

The Community Empowerment grants, a $500,000 investment that aims to support non-profit organizations that are committed to empowering and improving outcomes for men and boys in Boston. These grants will help organizations scale up their work and deepen their impact throughout the city’s neighborhoods. The program is sustained by Black Male Advancement’s operating budget.

“I’m grateful to the Office of Black Male Advancement and Commission on Black Men and Boys for their critical work to invest in and empower our communities,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “We’re excited to relaunch these Community Empowerment grants and look forward to partnering with the community in our shared goal to provide multi-faceted, comprehensive programming and support that uplift our Black men and boys across neighborhoods.”

“These grants are critical in ensuring that historically marginalized residents in Boston have access to enriching educational, personal, and professional opportunities,” said Frank Farrow, Executive Director of the Office of Black Male Advancement. “I’m excited to collaborate with local community based organizations and can’t wait to see the continued positive impact the Community Empowerment grants will bring to our Black men and boys across the city.”

This grant aims to increase the capacity of proven and promising programs intentionally contributing to the advancement of men and boys in Boston neighborhoods. Applications are now open and responses are due Friday, January 12, 2024 at 5:00 p.m. 

Grant applicants must be based in Boston, and have a successful track record of working positively with men and boys. Applying organizations may request financial support up to $20,000. 

The Community Empowerment grants will prioritize programs that expand one of the following seven focus areas:

• Mentoring and Out-of-School Time: providing quality mentoring, literacy and out-of-school time programs when and where they are needed, offering developmentally appropriate learning environments that support social emotional and physical wellbeing. 
• Youth and Young Adult Pathways: providing educational and career pathways for youth and young adults navigating their own course to economic prosperity.
• Housing Mobility: providing a continuum of housing opportunities, resources, and supports that are effectively resulting in pathways to affordable housing and homeownership.
• Economic Inclusion and Wealth Building: supporting individuals to experience financial empowerment and economic mobility.
• Workforce Training and Development: helping unemployed and underemployed individuals attain livable wage jobs and helping businesses with training for employees to support a pipeline of skilled workers.
• Fatherhood Engagement: supporting fatherhood education, case management, and peer-to-peer support to strengthen positive father-child interaction, improve social and economic outcomes for fathers and their families and improve healthy relationships.
• Mental Health and Wellness: helping support and improve the mental health and wellbeing of men.

Last year’s BMA community empowerment grants totalling $747,467 were allocated to 60 community-based organizations across Boston that served Black men and boys in neighborhoods throughout the city.

"The Mayor’s Office of Black Male Advancement community empowerment grant gave our young men the opportunity to learn about business entrepreneurship and the power in networking in spaces they wouldn’t normally get the opportunity to be in," said  Royce Veal, Executive Director of Chills Diamond Ring Education Foundation. “Participants were able to start their first phase of developing their business ideas to include: clothing lines, photography, basketball training. This grant allowed us the ability to show our young men that business and home ownership is possible by putting them in front of black male business owners, entrepreneurs and community leaders that have seen success on their journey."

Information Session

Black Male Advancement will hold a virtual information session for interested applicants on Google Meet. 

• Tuesday, December 19, 2023, 12:00 p.m: Google Meet Link.

The Office of Black Male Advancement works to empower Black men & boys and to ensure they have equitable access to opportunities in the City. The Office also focuses on policies, programs, resources, and local and national partnerships. Additionally, BMA directs and supports the efforts of the Black Men and Boys Commission and My Brother’s Keeper Boston. For more information, please visit the BMA website or email bma@boston.gov.

To explore additional funding opportunities offered by the City of Boston, visit www.boston.gov/grants. For questions regarding City of Boston grant programs, please email grants@boston.gov.