Non-profit community organizations in Somerville, Medford, Grafton and Boston’s Chinatown, Mission Hill and Fenway neighborhoods are invited to apply for 2016 grants from the Tufts Neighborhood Service Fund (TNSF).  TNSF collects donations from faculty and staff throughout the year and then awards small grants to community-based, charitable organizations that serve Tufts’ host communities.

Applicants must also have Tufts volunteers actively working with their organizations. In this way, TNSF supports not only community organizations, but also the work of the many Tufts students, staff, faculty, and alumni who volunteer with them.

Last year, 38 programs and projects in Tufts’ host communities were granted awards. The funds supported a wide range of programs and projects in each community including a cancer prevention awareness program for Boston’s Chinese community, transportation for residents in Central Massachusetts to attend nutrition programs, walkie talkies for Medford High School teachers to use while exploring the Middlesex Fells with students and funding for a series of community conversations in Somerville on race and racism.

The Tufts Neighborhood Service Fund is a giving option for members of the Tufts community during the Tufts Community Appeal.  Each year, employees of Tufts University are asked to contribute to charitable organizations that provide service locally, nationally and internationally.

Interested organizations should contact the Tufts University Office of Government & Community Relations at 617-627-3780 to request an application.  Application materials are also available online at: http://communityrelations.tufts.edu/community-programs/tufts-neighborhood-service-fund/tnsf-application/.

Individual grants will be made in amounts ranging from $250 to $2,000.  Applications are due by November 28, 2016 and awards will be announced in January 2017.

About Tufts University

Tufts University, located on campuses in Boston, Medford/Somerville and Grafton, Massachusetts, and in Talloires, France, is recognized among the premier research universities in the United States. Tufts enjoys a global reputation for academic excellence and for the preparation of students as leaders in a wide range of professions. A growing number of innovative teaching and research initiatives span all Tufts campuses, and collaboration among the faculty and students in the undergraduate, graduate and professional programs across the university’s schools is widely encouraged.