Meyer Memorial Trust's grant programs are designed to meet needs identified and brought to our attention by nonprofit organizations and community members. Our grants programs change and grow as we create new opportunities to respond to community needs. More information about each program is available through the links to the left and in the text below.
Responsive Grants are awarded in the areas of social services, health, affordable housing, community development, conservation and environment, public affairs and social benefit, arts and culture, and education. General purpose grants are given for a wide variety of projects in many fields of activity including program expansions, organizational capacity building and capital building and renovation projects.
Final decisions on Responsive Grants proposals are made by trustees at program meetings every month except January, April and August. Final decisions on proposals for capital projects requesting more than $200,000 are made in May and November. Applicants should time their Initial Inquiry submission at least six months before they hope to have a final decision from MMT.
2009 Operating Funds Grants were developed as part of MMT’s response to the economic challenges many nonprofits are facing this year. MMT's Operating Funds grant program is intended to help small- and mid-sized organizations that have been hit particularly hard by the current economic crisis. Additional information on MMT’s economic response can be found in CEO Doug Stamm's recent message on MMT’s blog.
The purpose of this initiative is organizational stability. Organizations for which a cash infusion is not critical to stability, but wish to request funds to maintain or expand current programming, should continue to apply for support through MMT’s Responsive and Grassroots Grant programs, as usual.
Grassroots Grants enable smaller organizations, often without development departments, to compete for MMT grants. While organizations with budgets up to $2 million may apply for Grassroots Grants, historically, 70% of small grants have gone to organizations with budgets of $250,000 or less. Grants of $1,000 to $25,000 are awarded for projects with budgets of up to $150,000. Grassroots Grants fund programs, outreach, equipment, facility expansions or repairs, strategic planning, website development, and more.
Decisions on Grassroots Grants are made by trustees at the program meetings in February, June and October. Deadlines for consideration of proposals are:
March 15th (for decisions made at June meeting)
July 15th (for decisions made at October meeting)
October 15th (for decisions made at February meeting)
Technical Assistance refers to organizational development assistance such as: strategic planning, fundraising consultation, campaign feasibility and succession planning. Technical Assistance proposals should be submitted to the Grassroots Grants program.
Emergency Grants provide expedited consideration of true emergencies. MMT’s emergency fund is intended for sudden, unanticipated and unavoidable challenges that, if not addressed immediately, could threaten an organization’s stability and/or ability to achieve its mission.
