Mayor Wu and Office of Veterans' Services Announce Mini-Grant Program

Today Mayor Michelle Wu and the City’s Office of Veterans’ Services announced the launch of the new Bridge the Gap Mini-Grant Program, designed to support veterans, service members, and their families. The mini-grants will be awarded to organizations that support the veteran community of Boston and “bridge the gap” that may exist for veterans after accessing other benefits. Funds will be used to support Boston nonprofits that help veterans with key issue areas, including: housing, transportation, health and wellness, upward economic mobility, legal services, and educational programming. A total of $200,000 is available across the grant program, with individual applicants able to apply for up to $9,999 in funding. Applicants can apply here.

“In Boston we’re working to expand our reach to our veterans by building relationships with local organizations providing crucial services,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “This new grant program will channel funds back into our nonprofits to give our veterans access to the benefits they deserve.”

“The Mayor’s Office of Veterans’ Services is committed to pioneering innovative solutions that bolster the well-being of veterans, service members, and their families, and foster environments where they can thrive. In line with this mission, I am proud to announce the Bridge the Gap Mini-Grant Program, an initiative designed to provide vital support to organizations that are dedicated to serving the veteran and military community of Boston,” said Veterans’ Services Commissioner Robert Santiago. “The Bridge the Gap Mini-Grant Program aims to address the unmet needs of our veterans and their families, bridging the gap that may exist even after accessing other benefits.”

All applications and required documents are due by Friday, May 24, 2024. Grant recipients must:

Be a nonprofit 501(c) (3) tax-exempt organization or have an official fiscal sponsor
Be committed to supporting the quality of life of the veteran community in the City of Boston
Understand the needs facing the diverse veteran community
Be in good financial standing, adhere to all applicable laws and regulations, and be able to provide data that allows for assessment of the impact of the distributed funds
Must have capacity to successfully implement programming that supports the veteran community

Award recipients will be announced by the end of June. More information on services and programming offered by the City’s Office of Veterans’ Services can be found here.