Applicants must have 501(c)(3) tax status under the IRS tax code and serve residents of the communities of Lawrence, Methuen, and Andover.

Agencies located outside of this geographic area are eligible to apply for funding but must include in their proposals detail on the number of Greater Lawrence youth participating.  It should also be noted that agencies that receive funds from the Dee & King Webster Memorial Fund for Greater Lawrence should reserve these funds for youth from the designated communities.

ECCF is committed to non-discrimination.  We support organizations that use all reasonable efforts to recruit, hire, train, promote, and serve persons without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, age, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law, except where such status is a bona fide qualification for the service being provided and is related to the organization’s mission.

Stand-alone programs applying through a fiscal agent may be eligible if they meet the following criteria:

• The fiscal agent provides the 501(c)3 status but not much more
• The program has a separate budget and raises its own funds to cover this budget.  Note: If the program has only a small amount of administrative costs covered by the umbrella organization, they are still eligible to apply.
• There is a letter of agreement/understanding between the program and the umbrella organization

Grants will not be awarded:

• To individuals
• For sectarian or religious purposes. Note:  the Dee & King Webster Memorial Fund is limited to non-sectarian programming for youth of all religious and ethnic backgrounds.  Programs sponsored by religious organizations are eligible, provided that enrollment is open to all youth and the program is free of mandatory religious instruction, worship, or other sectarian activities.
• For political purposes
• For debt or deficit reduction
• For capital campaigns for buildings, land acquisition, or endowment

To support academic research

In addition to the funding priorities listed above, grant reviewers also look for the following:

• Clearly defined need
• Potential impact of the proposed work on the population served
• Quality of programming
• Proposals that demonstrate the importance of equity and inclusion in organizational leadership, infrastructure, program design, and/or implementation
• Fiscally sound programs/organizations with balanced budgets

ECCF staff, together with the Dee & King Webster Memorial Fund Committee, will review all proposals to the Fund.  The Committee makes grant recommendations to the ECCF Board of Trustees for approval.  We will notify grant recipients by the end of July 2024.

An ECCF staff person or member of the Committee may contact applicants for additional information about a proposal or to arrange a site visit during the review process. 

Grantees of the Dee & King Webster Memorial Fund for Greater Lawrence must submit an interim report at the completion of the first grant year and a final report at the completion of the second grant year.  Reports may be submitted via the application portal and are required to be eligible to apply for the following grant cycle.