Since 2021, we’ve deployed over 40 grants to nonprofits of all sizes to support emergency and capacity-building funding through a social equity lens.
Initiatives We’ve Supported To Date:
Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Initiative
Meal vouchers to support residents and local businesses in Boston’s Chinatown.
Direct to individual emergency funding through a strategic partnership with the Bullpen Project for rental support, medical bills, and other urgent needs.
Environmental clean-up of the Merrimack River, one of the 10 most polluted rivers in the country, in a predominantly minority community.
Conversations about Race to help communities understand and overcome “racial disparities through safe, authentic and effective cross-racial dialogue.”
Funding for pro bono legal services for detained asylum seekers.
Empowering the next generation of Black and Brown social justice leaders.
We intentionally seek to support grassroots organizations and leaders of color whenever possible.
Our diverse portfolio of partner nonprofits work to address society's most pressing issues in Education, Economic Stability, Community Viability, and Individual Wellness.
90%
of funding directly serving or led by people of color
40
nonprofit partner organizations
50k+
Individuals impacted per year by our network of partners
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“Most fundraisers and people working in other areas of philanthropy are friendly, make good conversation, and are good listeners. It’s a job requirement—some stand out for their empathy, not merely kindness but by offering a true spirit of solidarity.
However, traditional approaches to securing philanthropic support are not usually equitable. In nearly 40 years as one of few African Americans in the Boston area with a career focused on individual giving, I have rarely worked where the staff made a concerted effort to make inclusivity a fundraising priority. “
- Bria Gadsden, Co-Founder & Executive Director of Love Your Menses
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“The Social Equity Access Fund gave us new hope in an accessible way. Historically, we had only been able to routinely secure project-based small one-time grants that make it hard to move forward to the next level.
We feel like sustainable growth can happen with people like the Social Equity Access Fund team being trustworthy partners. They understand JAE through and through, want to learn more, and want to grow with us, and it just feels like their efforts and funding support us.
- Michelle Zeitler, Executive Director at Jean Appolon Expressions
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“Most fundraisers and people working in other areas of philanthropy are friendly, make good conversation, and are good listeners. It’s a job requirement—some stand out for their empathy, not merely kindness but by offering a true spirit of solidarity.
However, traditional approaches to securing philanthropic support are not usually equitable. In nearly 40 years as one of few African Americans in the Boston area with a career focused on individual giving, I have rarely worked where the staff made a concerted effort to make inclusivity a fundraising priority.”
- Patricia D. Keenan, VP of Advancement, Community and Equity at Ellis Early Learning
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The unrestricted funding from Social Equity Access Fund allowed Expect Miracles Foundation to partner with Dollar For, an organization that helps patients apply for debt forgiveness for their medical bills. To date, Dollar For has helped eradicate over $500,000 of debt for Samfund grant applicants and recipients. In this partnership, we are able to have a more profound impact on our clients than we could ever achieve on our own. Despite it being a relatively small sum of money, we don't usually have the flexibility of unrestricted funding to make this happen. Without the trust that the Social Equity Access Fund had in us, we could not have broadened our reach and served our community in this way.
- Patricia D. Keenan, Director of Programs & Operations at Expect Miracles Foundation
