Deadline: 17-Sep-21
The Essex County Community Foundation (ECCF) is seeking applications for its Dee & King Webster Fund for Greater Lawrence to address the opportunity and achievement gaps faced by thousands of youth across Greater Lawrence.
The fund was created in honor of R. Kingman “King” Webster, a Lawrence businessman and philanthropist who passed away in 2015 and who believed in the power of access, opportunity, and education for all youth, especially those living in poverty, and how it can provide them with new paths to success and opportunities to reach their full potential.
Priorities
For the 2021 grant cycle, the Dee & King Webster Memorial Fund will support educational and out-of-school time opportunities for infants and youth aged 0-14 in the Greater Lawrence communities of Lawrence, Methuen, and Andover. The Fund seeks to support organizations that:
- Respond to community needs with high quality programs for infants and youth in Greater Lawrence.
- Offer innovative, effective, and measurable solutions to impact youth in positive, sustainable, and empowering ways.
- Provide young people with engaging and enriching opportunities inside and outside of school that promote skill development, social-emotional health, personal growth, and exposure to new experiences.
Funding Information
- Applicants may apply for a grant of up to $50,000, which must be split into two payments over a two-year grant period. (Please note that the suggested maximum payment in any given year is $37,500.)
Eligibility Criteria
- Applicants must have 501(c)(3) tax status under the IRS tax code and serve residents of the communities of Lawrence, Methuen, and Andover.
- Agencies located outside of this geographic area are eligible to apply for funding but must include in their proposals detail on the number of Greater Lawrence youth participating. It should also be noted that agencies that receive funds from the Dee & King Webster Memorial Fund for Greater Lawrence should reserve these funds for youth from the designated communities.
- ECCF is committed to non-discrimination. They support organizations that use all reasonable efforts to recruit, hire, train, promote, and serve persons without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, age, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law, except where such status is a bona fide qualification for the service being provided and is related to the organization’s mission.
- Stand-alone programs applying through a fiscal agent may be eligible if they meet the following criteria:
- The fiscal agent provides the 501(c)3 status but not much more
- The program has a separate budget and raises its own funds to cover this budget. Note: If the program has only a small amount of administrative costs covered by the umbrella organization, they are still eligible to apply.
- There is a letter of agreement/understanding between the program and the umbrella organization.
For more information, visit https://www.eccf.org/dee-king-webster-fund-for-greater-lawrence/