Eligibility
Applicants must be tax exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and classified as “not a private foundation” under Section 509(a) of the Code.
Geographic Focus
Southeastern New Hampshire and Massachusetts’ Merrimack Valley and North Shore.
Communities within Massachusetts’s Merrimack Valley and North Shore: Andover, Amesbury, Beverly, Boxford, Byfield, Danvers, Dracut, Essex, Gloucester, Georgetown, Groveland, Haverhill, Ipswich, Lynnfield, Lawrence, Marblehead, Manchester, Middleton, Methuen, Merrimack, North Reading, North Andover, Newbury, Newburyport, Peabody, Rockport, Rowley, Swampscott, Salem, South Hamilton, Salisbury, Topsfield, Wenham, West Newbury.
The communities listed above comprised the newspaper’s circulation area and therefore serve as a geographic starting point for the foundation’s funding focus. However, these guidelines are not set in stone. From time-to-time, grants of special interest to the trustees may be made outside of this geographic area.
Funding Interests
The foundation’s priority interests are education, health, human services, community development, and the arts in Lawrence and other towns listed above. Preference is given to program support.
Grant Size and Duration
Grants vary in size, but average from $5,000 to $25,000. Applicants should justify the amount requested. Typically, grants are for one year, although trustees do consider a limited number of multi-year/capital campaign grants at their discretion.
Proposal Deadlines and Meeting Schedule
Trustees meet twice a year in May and November. Deadlines for receipt of complete online proposals are March 1 for consideration at the May meeting and September 1 for consideration at the November meeting. The application portal will open one month before the deadline on February 1 and August 1, respectively. When a deadline falls on the weekend, or a holiday, applications will be due the following business day. All applicants will be notified of the trustees’ decisions shortly after the meetings. Organizations may submit only one application per year, and those who are declined must wait a year before reapplying.
Online Application Procedure
All applicants must submit applications online. The online application follows the Common Proposal designed and published by Philanthropy Massachusetts. Click here to open the grant interface system. The access code for the Rogers Family Foundation application is rogers. For more detailed application instructions, click here.