The Yawkey Foundation supports 501(c)3 tax-exempt nonprofit organizations (fiscal sponsors acceptable) making a meaningful difference in the lives of individuals, families and communities through direct programs and services in its six priority Areas of Giving: Health Care, Education, Human Services, Youth and Amateur Athletics, Arts and Culture, and Conservation and Wildlife.
At this time, the Yawkey Foundation’s primary geographic focus areas are Eastern Massachusetts and Georgetown County, South Carolina. For the purposes of Yawkey Foundation’s grantmaking, the Eastern Massachusetts region encompasses nonprofits providing direct programs and services in cities and towns within the following counties: Suffolk, Norfolk, Bristol, Plymouth, Barnstable, Middlesex and Essex.
Nonprofit organizations seeking to be considered for Yawkey Foundation funding will be required to complete an online Eligibility Quiz and upon completion, may submit an Initial Proposal for a specific Type of Grant. Please note that nonprofits may submit only one Initial Proposal to the Yawkey Foundation in the course of a calendar year, irrespective of the Type of Grant being requested for consideration.
Ineligible Requests:
- Organizations that are not 501(c)(3) public charities, including private operating foundations and 509(a)(3) Type III non-functionally integrated organizations
- Public entities (e.g., school districts, charter/public schools, libraries, government agencies) and nonprofits whose core programming relies on access to or partnership with these entities
- Funding for specific staff positions, stipends, consultants, or recruitment efforts
- Emergency response efforts, events, conferences, sponsorships, advertisements, films, travel, or individual benefit requests
- Intermediaries, pass-through organizations, funder collaboratives, private foundations, or general endowments
- Sectarian activities of faith-based organizations
- Athletic and sports programs not primarily focused on baseball or softball
- Scholarships
- Early education, preschool, or elementary school programs
- Organizations whose direct services primarily benefit individuals or communities outside the United States
The Yawkey Foundation reviews Initial Proposals for three Types of Grants through a highly competitive two-step process. Organizations that have not been previously funded by the Foundations in recent years are encouraged to submit Initial Proposals for Program & Small Capital Grants to familiarize the Foundation with its work before submitting an Initial Proposal for Strategic Investment or Transformational Capital.
Program & Small Capital Grant Initial Proposals
There are four submission periods for Initial Proposals for Program & Small Capital Grants divided between six Areas of Giving categories:
- Youth & Amateur Athletics (January 1, 2025 – January 24, 2025)
- Education (March 1, 2025 – March 21, 2025)
- Conservation & Wildlife (March 1, 2025 – March 21, 2025)
- Human Services (May 1, 2025 – May 23, 2025)
- Arts & Culture (September 8, 2025 – September 26, 2025)
- Health Care (September 8, 2025 – September 26, 2025)
Strategic Investment Grant Initial Proposals
There are two submission periods for Initial Proposals for Strategic Investment Grants, applicable to all Yawkey Foundation Area of Giving categories:
- January 1 – January 24, 2025
- May 1 – May 23, 2025
Transformational Capital Grant Initial Proposals
Initial Proposals for Transformational Capital Grant funding are open on a rolling basis throughout the calendar year for all nonprofits with missions aligned to any of the Yawkey Foundation’s Areas of Giving categories.