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New Commonwealth Racial Equity And Social Justice Fund Inc

Annual Giving
$3.0M
Grant Range
$20K - $0.1M
Decision Time
3mo

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $3,000,000
  • Success Rate: Data not publicly available
  • Decision Time: Approximately 10-12 weeks
  • Grant Range: $20,000 - $150,000
  • Geographic Focus: Massachusetts (statewide, with 64%+ outside Boston)

Contact Details

Website: newcommonwealthfund.org

Email:

  • General inquiries: [email protected]
  • Grant questions: Sidney Bowden at [email protected]

Address: 67 Kemble Street, Suite 3.3, Roxbury, MA 02119

Overview

The New Commonwealth Racial Equity and Social Justice Fund (NCF) was founded in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and following George Floyd's murder by nineteen of Massachusetts' leading Black and Brown executives. Since inception, NCF has committed over $16.3 million to more than 250 Black and Brown-led nonprofits across the Commonwealth. The organization operates with a pioneering "Respect-Based Philanthropy" model designed to disrupt traditional philanthropic power structures that have disenfranchised Black, Latino, and Indigenous leaders for generations. NCF provides multi-year general operating support investments averaging $20,000-$60,000, prioritizing historically underfunded organizations whose leaders are building shared narratives, empowering their communities, and amplifying transparency and accountability.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

NCF has evolved its grantmaking into three tiers based on organizational capacity and scope of work:

  • Incubation: $30,000 grants with potential for renewal, coupled with capacity-building resources
  • System Disruption: Up to $50,000, with opportunities for cohort-based learning
  • System Reckoning: Up to $150,000 for organizations leading significant institutional or legislative policy initiatives in partnership with peer organizations

Immediate-Need Investments: Small grants up to $2,500 for urgent needs (offered on a rolling basis when available)

Phased Investments: Multi-year general operating support (application cycles open periodically; recent cycle closed January 2025 with decisions by March 2025)

Priority Areas

NCF's Five Pillars of Change include:

  1. Economic Empowerment: Workforce development, entrepreneurship, and financial stability
  2. Health Equity: Healthcare access, maternal health, and overall health outcomes
  3. Identity & Culture Narrative: Arts, culture, and community storytelling
  4. Policing & Criminal Justice Reform: Justice system transformation
  5. Youth Development: Programs supporting young people in Black and Brown communities

These original pillars have been folded into larger areas of emphasis to allow flexibility for organizations working across multiple spaces.

What They Don't Fund

  • Organizations outside Massachusetts
  • Non-501(c)(3) organizations (unless operating under fiscal sponsorship of a tax-exempt nonprofit)
  • Organizations not led by or primarily serving Black, Latino, and Indigenous communities

Governance and Leadership

President

  • Dr. Makeeba McCreary - Joined September 2021; leads efforts to uplift Black and Brown communities across Massachusetts. McCreary emphasizes: "Through our giving, we hope to intentionally disrupt the philanthropic sector, lift up the leaders of these organizations, take their guidance, celebrate their brilliance, and treat them as experts."

Board Chair

  • Quincy Miller (Founder) - President of Eastern Bankshares, Vice Chair & President of Eastern Bank. Miller has stated: "Our ask is not just for corporations to cut a one-time check. It's to commit to a multi-year process of giving to this important initiative."

Vice Chair

  • BJ Trach (Founder) - Partner at Latham & Watkins

Notable Board Members

  • Allison Feaster - Boston Celtics
  • Devin McCourty - Studio Analyst, NBC Sports; former New England Patriots captain
  • Manuel Lopes - CEO, Fallon Health
  • Rachel Felix - Healthcare executive
  • Keon Holmes - Managing Director, Cambridge Associates
  • Hilina D. Ajakaiye - Assistant Vice Chancellor for City & Community Relations, UMass Medical School
  • Dr. Gerard Cox - VP People and Culture, Advocates for Human Potential, Inc.
  • Colette Phillips - President & CEO, Colette Phillips Communications
  • Marta T. Rosa - Interim EVP & Special Assistant to the President, MTR Consulting
  • Marie St. Fleur - Principal, St. Fleur Communications

Senior Leadership Team

  • Yvonne Montilla - Vice President of Program & Operations
  • Nadia Harden - Chief of Staff
  • Heidi Flood - Chief of Fund Development
  • Will Herberich - Chief of Communications
  • Daniela Mira - Director of Program Investments and Capacity Building
  • Sidney Bowden - Senior Manager of Program Investments and Community Partnerships
  • Olivia Chin - Director of Strategic Partnerships
  • Luiza deCamargo - Deputy Chief of Fund Development
  • Lilliam Doriscat - Director of Board and Stakeholder Engagement

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

NCF offers periodic application cycles for their Phased Investments program. Applications are submitted through their online portal at newcommonwealthfund.my.site.com/fundingprograms/s/

Recent Application Timeline Example:

  • Application Opens: December 4, 2024
  • Application Office Hours: Multiple sessions in December and early January
  • Application Closes: January 15, 2025 at 5pm EST
  • Decision Deadline: March 2025

NCF staff encourages applicants to attend application office hours and reach out with questions throughout the process.

Eligibility Requirements

  • Must be a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit or operate under fiscal sponsorship of a tax-exempt nonprofit
  • Must be based in Massachusetts
  • Priority given to Black, Latino, and Indigenous-led organizations
  • Organizations of all sizes are eligible; funding amounts may vary based on organizational capacity
  • Applicants should directly specify the communities they serve in their application

Decision Timeline

Approximately 10-12 weeks from application deadline to decision notification (e.g., January deadline with March decisions).

Success Rates

NCF awarded $3 million across 100+ organizations in their 2024 grant cycle. Specific application-to-award ratios are not publicly disclosed.

Reapplication Policy

Specific reapplication policies for unsuccessful applicants are not publicly detailed. Organizations are encouraged to contact Sidney Bowden at [email protected] for guidance on reapplying.

Application Success Factors

NCF's Respect-Based Philanthropy Principles

NCF's unique grantmaking model focuses on six outcomes that distinguish it from traditional philanthropy:

  1. Funding Equity for Leaders: Investing in people, not just "solutions"
  2. Audacious Confidence: Supporting leaders to take bold action
  3. Co-Authorship of Strategy: Treating grantees as partners in determining priorities
  4. Investment in People: Multi-year, unrestricted support for organizational capacity
  5. Culture & Proximity as Genius: Recognizing cultural assets as strengths, not deficits
  6. Proximity, Safety, Authenticity: Building relationships based on respect

What NCF Values

  • Unrestricted Operating Support: NCF prioritizes general operating grants that meet urgent needs and invest in organizational infrastructure
  • Cultural Context: The organization values cultural strengths and lived experiences of Black and Brown leaders
  • Community Specificity: Applicants should clearly identify which communities they serve
  • Multi-Year Vision: Organizations should articulate how they plan to use funds over time
  • Capacity Building: Willingness to engage in training, resources, and infrastructure development

Recent Grant Recipients (2024)

Examples of funded organizations include:

  • LGBT Asylum Task Force
  • The Teacher's Lounge
  • Castle of our Skins
  • Boston Women's Fund
  • Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston
  • Justice for Housing
  • Boston Arts & Music Soul Fest
  • Citizens for Juvenile Justice
  • Massachusetts Women of Color Coalition
  • He Is Me Institute
  • Children's Services of Roxbury
  • Freedom House
  • Louis D. Brown Peace Institute

NCF's Stated Priorities

The 2024 cohort demographics reflect NCF's commitment: 82% are Black or Latino-led, and more than 60% identify leadership as women or nonbinary. More than 64% of grants went to organizations operating outside of Boston, including Brockton, Worcester, and Springfield.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Alignment with pillars is essential: Clearly connect your work to one or more of NCF's Five Pillars of Change, but demonstrate how your work may span multiple areas
  • Leadership matters: Emphasize Black, Latino, or Indigenous leadership within your organization and how you center community voices
  • Be specific about communities served: Don't assume NCF knows who you serve; explicitly name the communities and populations you work with
  • Request unrestricted support: NCF strongly prefers general operating support over project-specific funding
  • Engage with the process: Attend application office hours and reach out to NCF staff with questions; the respect-based model values relationship-building
  • Think capacity building: Be prepared to articulate how you'll use not just the grant funds, but also technical assistance and capacity-building resources
  • Geographic diversity: Organizations outside Greater Boston are strongly encouraged to apply; NCF intentionally funds across all of Massachusetts
  • Focus on dismantling systemic racism: Frame your work in terms of systemic change, not just service delivery

References

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