Who should apply?
Non-profit organizations operating in Boston and in New England with proposals which further the interests of Amelia Peabody in the areas of health (human and animal), visual arts, land conservation and historic preservation. The Fund also makes grants in support of capital projects and purchases to non-profit social service and youth service organizations in Massachusetts.

What types of grants are funded?
Capital projects and purchases as stated in our mission statement.

What types of grants are NOT funded?
As a matter of policy, the Amelia Peabody Charitable Fund does not fund individuals, salaries, or operating budgets, start-up organizations, annual fund drives, scholarships, private foundations, or other grant making organizations.  In addition, the trustees do not make unrestricted, emergency or multi-year grants. See exclusion list in the "Guidelines" section.

Can we submit multiple requests?
The trustees consider only one grant request proposal from an organization at a time. 

Can we get feedback on our request before preparing a full proposal?
You may contact the grant office with questions.

Can we present our proposal to you?
No.  Requests are evaluated and funded based on the information in your grant request proposal so that all requests are reviewed and evaluated in a consistent and an impartial manner. If the trustees have questions or require more information to make a decision, you will be contacted.

When is my application due?
The Fund has two deadline dates:

• February 1st (by end of business day)
• July 1st (by end of business day)

How often may we apply?
If your request is not funded, you may re-apply in the second calendar year following a denial. If your grant request is funded, your organization may re-apply in three years, with the exception of:

• Organizations receiving a major grant (as defined by the trustees on a case-by-case basis) may re-apply in four years
• Youth service organizations receiving a grant of any size may re-apply in four years

Can I submit my proposal online? By e-mail? By fax?
No.  Proposals should be sent by mail.

How much does the Amelia Peabody Charitable Fund grant per year?
The amount granted varies from year to year, but is generally in the range of $8-10 million.

How long does it take for a grant to be approved?
Grant-seekers whose complete proposals are received by the February 1st deadline can expect a decision notification by the end of May.  Those whose proposals are received by the July 1st deadline can expect decision notification by the end of October.

What are the most common reasons a grant request proposal is denied?
Please understand that the Amelia Peabody Charitable Fund receives many more grant requests than it can fund.  As a result, many worthy requests, with excellent proposals that meet all of the Fund's criteria cannot be funded.  Some of the reasons are as follows:

• Outside the Fund's mission
• Outside of geographic area – Organization or project is located outside of, or extends beyond New England (or outside of Massachusetts for social service and youth service organizations)
• Amount requested is out of proportion to the need
• Amount requested is out of proportion to the amounts requested from other funders or when considering the relative sizes of the other foundations approached.
• No other funding sources or too early in fund-raising process

Do you publish an annual report?
The Amelia Peabody Charitable Fund does not publish an annual report; however, upon request, we will forward a list of grants awarded during the last two years. 

If the Amelia Peabody Charitable Fund does decide to fund our request, are there additional requirements with which the organization must comply?
If the Amelia Peabody Charitable Fund grants your request, you will be asked to sign and return a simple Grant Agreement that states that the funds will be used in the manner described in your proposal. Also, you will be asked to complete and return a Grant Report form six to twelve months after completion of your project.

If you are re-applying to the Fund, we must have in our possession a complete report of how the previous grant monies were spent, as well as evidence that all previous contract requirements have been met, before the Trustees will consider your new request.

What if we have additional questions?
You may contact the Fund's office if you have questions.

For a printable (PDF) version of Frequently Asked Questions, click here.