Who We Are
The William and Bertha Schrafft Charitable Trust is committed to the intellectual, personal and artistic growth of underserved youth ages 6-21 primarily through supporting neighborhood-based education programming throughout the City of Boston. In addition, the Trust has a special interest in building effective pathways to economic independence for underserved populations of the City of New Bedford through education, entrepreneurship and economic development. We strive to support efforts that help young people develop the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in school and lay the foundation for satisfying and productive lives.
Our Interests
The Schrafft Trust provides Program Grants or General Operating Grants to nonprofit 501(C)3 organizations; incorporated in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts which help young people develop the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in school and beyond. We do not provide grants for capital expenditures or scholarships at this time.
The Schrafft Charitable Trust prioritizes small to medium-sized, community-based organizations, charter and district schools in Boston and New Bedford that provide effective youth development, academic enrichment and/or arts and culture programming for underserved populations ages 6-21. We look for organizations led by board members and staff who are representative of the community served and who are actively engaged in diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.
The Trust also funds a small number of organizations in New Bedford that leverage the strengths of the region (e.g. its people, culture, history, agriculture, fishing and seacoast resources) to provide pathways to economic independence for underserved youth or young adult populations.
Guidelines
Program Support Grants are considered for programs which:
Demonstrate caring, consistent, long-term relationships between young people and organization staff or volunteers.
Offer underserved educational, developmental, artistic and/or recreational opportunities during non-school hours (after-school, evenings, weekends and summers).
Provide high quality in-school experiences at charter and district schools with a demonstrated ability to graduate students who subsequently attend and are equipped to succeed in high-performing high schools, colleges, universities and/or apprenticeship programs.
Provide plans for making measurable progress toward well defined goals in a specific timeframe.
Offer evidence of significant impact on the lives of young people.
Reflect the demographics of the community served.
Operating Support Grants are considered for organizations that meet the above criteria and:
Have a history of operating for three years with a record of service to the community
Run a consistently balanced budget
Are Led by an experienced and longstanding leadership team
Are Implementing or about to implement a board-approved strategic plan
Are Planning to expand, improve, or deepen services
