Grants

Grants

The Lend A Hand Society (LAH) provides grants to help meet the basic emergency needs of low-income individuals and families. Our three programs – emergency assistance, camperships for children, and the book mission — work in partnership with social service agencies in the Greater Boston area. The book mission extends geographically to make grants anywhere in the United States.

LAH works through qualified, tax-exempt, nonprofit human service agencies in greater Boston to provide emergency grants to individuals and familties. Grants are made on a one-time basis per family or individual. LAH doesn’t make grants directly to individuals, nor do we make grants to social service agencies to help pay operating expenses.

LAH makes grants to social service agencies for camperships to help provide children with an educational and growth experience as well as the opportunity to learn and spend time in nature. 

Through the book mission, grants are made for educational institutions and libraries to purchase books to lend to low-income individuals.

Application Procedures

Emergency Assistance Grants:

Nonprofit social service agencies can apply for grants from LAH at any time. Agencies can apply on behalf of their clients online by completing a Nonprofit Agency Emergency Assistance Grant Application. Please include an uploaded cover letter on agency letterhead. The letter should clearly state the purpose of the grant and all other pertinent information.

Nonprofit agencies should submit no more than three requests each month. Please only apply through the above link; no faxed, emailed or mailed requests will be considered. If your request is approved, a check, made out to the payee listed on the application, is sent to the referring case manager. These checks should then be sent on to the payee directly. Checks cannot be made out to clients or case managers.

Example: ABC Agency is approved by LAH to receive a grant to help an individual pay a utility bill. LAH will send the referring case manager a check made payable to the client’s utility company, not to the client receiving assistance.

Referral Criteria:

• Clients must live in the Greater Boston area (inside route 128). This includes neighborhoods in: Arlington, Belmont, Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, Chelsea, Chestnut Hill, Dedham, Dorchester, Jamaica Plain, Lexington, Lynn, Malden, Melrose, Milton, Nahant, Newton, Quincy, Readville, Revere, Roslindale, Saugus, Somerville, South Boston, Stoneham, Wakefield, Waltham, Watertown, Winchester, Winthrop, and Woburn
• Clients should only be referred to LAH once in a lifetime
• Clients must be low-income

Nonprofit Agency Emergency Assistance Grant Application

Campership Grants:

Nonprofit camping agencies can apply for grants for summer camp scholarships for low-income children and teens from the Greater Boston area. The proposal submission deadline is April 1. Please follow the LAH Campership Proposal Submission Guidelines. 

Campership Proposal Submission Guidelines

Nonprofit educational organizations or agencies with educational programs can apply for grants for the purchase of books for lending to low-income people. The proposal submission deadline is October 15 and must be received by mail by the deadline date. Please follow the Book Mission Proposal Submission Guidelines.

Book Mission Proposal Submission Guidelines

Campership and Book Mission grant proposals should be sent by mail to:

Lend A Hand Society
89 South Street
Suite 203
Boston, MA 02111