Local Nonprofit Organizations Invited to Apply for Tufts Community Grants

Tufts University is now accepting applications from local nonprofit organizations in its four host communities of Boston, Grafton, Medford and Somerville for awards from the Tufts Community Grants (TCG) program. The TCG program is funded by donations from faculty and staff at Tufts. 

This year, as a result of a matching gift from Cummings Foundation, TCG will be awarding $2,000 grants—up from $1,000 in previous years. Applications can be submitted until 11:59 pm on Tuesday, March 15, 2022.

Applications are available at go.tufts.edu/tcg.

TCG helps eligible 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations that are based in one of Tufts University’s host communities and have had a Tufts faculty, staff, or student volunteer in the last three years. In this way, TCG supports both local organizations and the work of the many Tufts community members who volunteer with these organizations.

“The Tufts Community Grants program is a great way for our faculty and staff to support local nonprofits in our own backyard. These grants will also support the volunteer work that our students, faculty, and staff do in the community,” said Rocco DiRico, executive director of government and community relations. “We’re especially pleased that, thanks to the generosity of Bill Cummings, a Cummings Foundation matching gift allows us to double the impact that this year’s grants will have for organizations that really need our help.”

Bill Cummings, A58, H06, J97P, M97P, founder of Cummings Properties and co-founder of Cummings Foundation, is a business leader, philanthropist, and trustee emeritus who grew up in Medford.

The TCG program is funded by donations from Tufts University faculty and staff through the annual Tufts Community Appeal (TCA), an internal fundraising campaign. Since its founding in 1995, 140 nonprofit organizations have benefited from the TCG.

Last year, the Tufts Community Grants Board awarded a total of $35,000 to organizations in Tufts’ host communities, including five first-time recipients of TCG funds. The grants supported a wide range of programs and projects addressing community needs. For example:

• In Grafton, the Grafton Food Bank received a grant to distribute supermarket gift cards to food-insecure families
• In Boston, Haley House received a grant to help purchase a commercial dishwasher for their soup kitchen
• In Medford, the Mystic River Watershed Association received a grant to translate its anti-littering educational materials into multiple languages
• In Somerville, CASPAR (Cambridge and Somerville Programs for Addiction Recovery) received a grant to purchase clothing essentials for residents of its shelter.

In total, 35 organizations received grants in 2021.

Local nonprofits continue to experience a greater demand for their services as the effects of COVID-19 continue to be felt. TCG is just one of the many ways in which the university continues to assist members of our host communities during the pandemic. During the early months of the outbreak, in support of local hunger relief groups, the university donated the use of freezer and cafeteria space on the Medford/Somerville campus. During Summer 2020, the university awarded emergency response grants to 30 local organizations in its four host communities to aid critical purchases, including personal protective equipment, sanitation equipment, technology, emergency food distribution, and educational supplies. In October 2020, Tufts and the cities of Medford and Somerville announced an innovative COVID-19 pooled testing program to enable the school districts of both cities to administer tests to students, faculty, and staff for approximately one-third of the cost of individual testing.

All questions about the Tufts Community Grants program should be directed to the Government and Community Relations office at Tufts University at CommunityRelations@tufts.edu or 617-627-3780.