The Grow grant program is geared towards groups who have some experience implementing a project in their community. Grow grants support groups to deepen their work by further developing a community vision, lowering barriers to participation, identifying new stakeholders and working to bring more voices and lived experiences into core decision-making processes.
Grow grants prioritize support for community groups who represent a broad range of voices in their community and who are not being reached by other funders. The Grassroots Fund interprets the word 'environment' broadly and provides funding for a wide range of activities. To see the kinds of projects that have received past Grow funding, please see our interactive Grantee Map.
For a summary of the Grow grant program and to determine your group's fit, you can watch a short overview video (~7 min) here.
Deadlines: Third Tuesday in March & September. For 2025, this is March 18 and September 16. Funding decisions are generally announced at the end of June and the end of December. Paperwork to process grants is sent within ~3-4 weeks of the grant announcement. Depending on the group’s tax status and chosen payment method, funds are typically in hand ~2-3 weeks after all paperwork has been completed.
Grant size: $1,000 - $4,000. We highly recommend groups seek the full $4,000, if they can use it. Partial funding is possible.
Direct questions to: Mary Jones at mary@grassrootsfund.org if you cannot find the answers to your questions on this page.
Scroll down to "How to submit an application" to find instructions on submitting an application.
Eligibility guidelines
The Grow grant program is focused on community-based, local initiatives. For the Grassroots Fund that means that:
We only fund:
- groups doing local, grassroots work in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island or Vermont
- Note that groups do NOT need to have formal tax status or a fiscal sponsor. A group only needs a bank account in the group's name (see FAQs below to learn how to set that up).
We prioritize:
- groups that are volunteer-driven or have no more than 2 full-time paid staff (80 hrs/week)
- groups that have an approximate annual operating budget under $100,000 (see 2022 update below)
We don't fund:
- Individuals
- National or international work
- Lobbying or partisan political activity
- Acquisition of land and/or buildings
- Studies with no follow-up action
- Publication of books or reports
- Micro-, mini-, re-granting programs
- Retroactive (pre-dating application submission) expenses
Please note:
- Groups are able to receive up to two grants from the same grant program per calendar year, as long as each individual grant is for a different project and received in a different grant round. For example, a group could be awarded a Spring Grow grant to fund their food access work (such as a community garden) and another Grow grant in the Fall for their tenant organizing work (such as “Know Your Rights” workshops).
- Groups may receive funding from different grant programs (for the same or a different project) per calendar year. However, groups may only have one application under consideration at a time. For example, a group receiving a Seed grant in March would be eligible to apply for a Grow grant in the Fall. However, a group applying for a Grow grant in the Fall would not be able to submit a Seed grant in November, before their Grow application is decided on (Fall Grow decisions are made at the end of December).
- In order to best serve the grassroots groups doing the important work in their communities, the Grassroots Fund wanted to clarify that some of the guidelines are flexible while others remain strictly followed. For instance, acknowledging that cost of living varies widely across communities, our guideline that groups must have a budget under $100,000 for Seed and Grow serves as an approximation of a grassroots groups’ operating budget while the guideline that only groups in New England states are eligible for funding remains strictly followed.
Review process
Community Grant Readers: Grow grant applications are submitted to the Grassroots Fund’s online system each March and September. They are then assigned to our volunteer Community Grant Readers, who represent different issue, identity, geographic, and other perspectives from across the region. We allow anyone to sign up to be a grant reader, and especially encourage our applicants and grantees to participate in the process. Community Grant Readers provide comments on the applicantions they are assigned to and provide scores for six different categories on a scoring rubric. To view the rubric grant readers use to evaluate applications, please see here. Note that lower scores translate to partial funding recommendations, at various levels.
Staff: Grassroots Fund staff conduct phone interviews with applicant groups and request more information based on the readers' questions or concerns. Staff scores the applicants using the same scoring rubric as the readers and provides comments on each category. An overall staff recommendation (e.g. “Recommend Fund,” “Recommend Not Fund,” “Discuss”) is also provided based on reader scores and comments. Staff categorizes applications as “Recommend Fund” or “Recommend Not Fund” if overall Reader score and staff score align at a particular funding level. Staff categorizes applications as “Discuss” if there is: a discrepancy between overall reader and staff score, a wide range of reader scores for the application, or a specific question or concern about how the application fits with our guidelines.
Grantmaking Committee: Approximately 12 grassroots leaders are selected to serve on the Grantmaking Committee (GMC). The committee is balanced and representative based on factors including geographic location, age, gender, sexuality, socioeconomic status, and race/ethnicity. The GMC is tasked with making funding decisions for applications that were marked “Discuss.” They also approve the recommendations for applications marked “Recommend Fund” and “Recommend Not Fund.” GMC discussions are led by a participant facilitator, and although staff are present, they do not have a vote on funding decisions. The GMC makes all final funding decisions in the Grow round, which staff bring to the Grassroots Fund Board of Directors for final approval of the total dollar amount.
Notification: All applicants are notified of the final decision via email. When you are approved for funding, you will be asked to sign a grant agreement letter ahead of receiving the funding.
Grant reporting
After receiving a grant, a report is due either when all funds are expended or one year from the date of the signed grant agreement letter. You can access the (google form based) grant report form, by clicking the button below. If you have any questions or need a copy of your grant agreement letter, please reach out to Chetana Parmar.
Go to Report form (Google form link will open)
How to submit an application
The Grassroots Fund application is online. You can start your group's application by clicking the button below. Each application has two main sections: group information & project information. If you would like to preview the questions asked in the application, please see here.
All required fields have to be complete before you are able to submit your group's application. The application form does not auto-save and we recommend you regularly hit the Save button to make sure your work is not lost (technology isn't always our friend). You can return to an open application by clicking the Show Action Center button in the top-right (make sure you are logged in). Additional members of your group are able to register with the website and can join your group to get access to an application.
Once you submit an application, you will receive an automated confirmation that we have received the application. Don't hesitate to contact us with any questions along the way.
Start a new Grow grant application
(to return to an existing application, click the Show Action Center button top-right and find saved applications under the Your Applications header. Note that you must be logged into the website for “Show Action Center” to appear.)
Frequently asked questions
Does a group have to have a 501(c)3, incorporated status or a fiscal sponsor to receive funding? (spoiler alert: NO!)
No, the Grassroots Fund does not require that a group has a formal tax exempt status. We fund both informal (unincorporated) groups - we call them “ad hoc” - and formal (incorporated or 501c3 status) groups. The only requirement is that a group must have a checking account in the group’s name or have a fiscal sponsor. This is to ensure that the grant isn't considered personal income for the recipient. Note that a group is allowed to submit an application before having a checking account or a fiscal agent in place.
How can an unincorporated community volunteer group open a bank account in the group's name?
In order to open a bank account to deposit funds, the bank may request an Employee Identification Number (EIN) be assigned for identification purposes. A Community Volunteer Group can request an EIN number online by following these steps:
- Go to this IRS Website
- Click on Apply Online Now (near the bottom of the page)
- Click on Begin Application (near the bottom of the page)
- When you get to the list of the type of group, check the View Additional Types box at the bottom of the list, then hit Continue
- Choose Community or Volunteer Group, then Continue
- Click on the Continue button
- Fill out all of the applicable information for the group
What kind of projects does the Grassroots Fund support?
The Grassroots Fund's Guiding Practices highlight some of the process elements we aim to prioritize in our funding. The Guiding Practices focus on centering just transition, shifting power, equity in participation, accessing resources and connecting across the community. We understand most projects will not be able to excel in all areas, but we seek to engage in conversations about who makes decisions, how priorities are set and who is able to participate. Those are questions we ask ourselves about our own programs & projects as well.
The Fund interprets the word ‘environment’ broadly and will provide funding for a wide range of activities. Please don't hesitate to contact us if you want to discuss a project idea or if you are looking for feedback on an application.
Grassroots Fund grants cannot be used for retroactive expenses (predating the application deadline), lobbying purposes, micro-/re-grant programs, or large capital acquisitions. Grassroots Fund grants are not available for individuals or for-profits.
What is the difference between a Seed grant and a Grow grant?
If you are working to launch a newly evolving project (generally active less than 2 years), go with Seed. If you are an established group with some experience with the project and are looking for support to deepen or broaden the work, then Grow is more appropriate. Don't hesitate to contact us for help deciding between the grant programs.
What should a group do about the grant report if a grant hasn't been spent after one year?
The group should still fill out the Grant Report, which is due one year from the date of the signed grant agreement letter. In the report, you will be asked about any unspent funds and you will have the opportunity to tell us more about the situation. Staff will reach out on a case by case basis to confirm an extention or determine other next steps.
What should a group do if it doesn't need the full grant to complete the work (or disbands before the funds are spent)?
The group should fill out the Grant Report. Contact Chetana Parmar about the next steps to return the remaining money to the Grassroots Fund by check. We will use the funds to support other grassroots groups across the region.
How many times can a group receive funding from the Grassroots Fund?
That depends. There is no set limit. Factors that go into a funding decision include: whether or not the group is deepening its alignment with the Guiding Practices; whether or not the Grassroots Fund is the only source of funding or if there is a (growing) number of sources; and the specific use/need for funding. If you are unsure whether or not your group should apply again, please don't hesitate to contact us.
Why are there demographic questions in the application process?
In Grassroots Fund's commitment to Environmental Justice, we are focusing our efforts in making sure that grant funds are reaching community organizers and organizations whose voices and identities are most often underfunded. This most strongly shows up as we think about what it means to Shift Power. Grantees who have scored high in this particular guiding practice emphasize needing to understand who is in their community and who is in their organization’s leadership. They do so by seeking to understand their leadership’s lived experiences. As our application is built to provide reflection points for groups to think about how they are organizing, we have added additional questions to think about who is present in your group. We also will use this information to better understand who is receiving funding and how we can better focus our efforts to ensure our funding dollars are leading towards greater Environmental Justice.
We similarly ask these questions in our volunteer sign ups to better ensure that the lived experiences of folks who are traditionally left out of decision making spaces are centered in our participatory review process, including our Community Grant Reader program and Grantmaking Committee.
How are grants evaluated?
Community Grant Readers, staff and Grantmaking Committee members evaluate applications using this rubric.