Grant Opportunities 

ECCF disburses approximately $1 million worth of grants annually.  Approximately half of these grants are from donor advised funds which do not solicit grant applications and half are from programs which welcome grant applications. 

We offer eight competitive grant programs through the following funds:  Discretionary Fund, Emergency Fund, First Jobs Fund, Greater Lawrence Summer Fund, Hardscrabble Education Fund, Merrimack Valley General Fund, Webster Family Fund and the Women's Fund.  The grant guidelines provide information on program priorities, applicaton deadlines and proposal requirements. 

Donor Advised Funds are established at ECCF to support the philanthropic interests of the donor. The nonprofits that are awarded grants from these funds are selected by committees chosen by the donor and are not open to grant  proposals.

ECCF also manages a number of scholarship programs  from which grants are disbursed to support the recipients' further education. 

Nonprofit Services

From educational programs to endowment management, we help organizations to better carry out their missions through the following opportunities:  

Capacity Building Activities: 
We host workshops to help strengthen the capacity of Essex County nonprofit organizations. Workshops are based on input from the nonprofits in our service area. Check our home page for upcoming events. 

Endowment Management:
We provide access to highly professional money managers and professional staff who can assist nonprofit boards to set up endowments and other planned giving opportunities.

Online Resources:
Our  staff will provide assistance to nonprofits in finding resources to support all aspects of nonprofit management and fundraising.