AT A GLANCE
Application Period
The application will open in Fall 2026.
GRANT OVERVIEW
Making Good Minigrants provide funding for grassroots ideas or projects led by Cambridge residents addressing challenges facing their city. Awardees will receive $500 to enact their idea.
About
CCF’s Making Good Minigrants support new ideas that directly serve and engage Cambridge residents. Providing one-time, $500 grants for small-scale projects that have real impact, minigrants are ideal for early-stage or emerging ideas led by individuals or small groups who want to Make Good in their communities. Unlike the Imagined in Cambridge! Social Innovation Award — which focuses on innovative projects that have already been tested and are ready to grow — Making Good Minigrants are available to anyone who lives in Cambridge and has an idea about how to improve their city.
Apply
The application will open again in Fall 2026.
Frequently asked questions
The Making Good Minigrants program welcomes applications that meet the following criteria:
- The applicant(s) should be based in Cambridge at the time of submission.
- The project must serve Cambridge and benefit those who live in or rely on Cambridge
- Applications are encouraged from individuals, students, and small groups.
- 501c3 tax status is NOT REQUIRED
- Previous CCF Community Fund grant recipients are NOT ELIGIBLE to apply
Applicants do not need to have tested or piloted their idea to qualify for this program. If you have already begun to implement your idea or project, you may want to apply for CCF’s Imagined in Cambridge! Social Innovation Award instead.
Please select the program that is the best fit for your project; applicants can apply for either the Making Good Minigrants program or the Imagined in Cambridge! Award in the Spring 2026 grant cycle, but not both. If you have questions about which program best fits your idea, please email us at [email protected] and we will help you assess.
Currently, there are no specific restrictions on how the grant funds can be used. However, applicants must clearly explain how they intend to use the funding to advance their project and expand its impact.
The review panel for the Minigrants program is looking for ideas that have a clear impact on the city of Cambridge, or on a group within the Cambridge community. Selected projects will address a clear community need, providing benefit to other Cambridge residents. Applicants should also demonstrate an openness to sharing their project and learnings with the broader community.
Applicants are usually notified within about a month after the application deadline. All applicants, whether selected or not, will receive an update once final decisions are made.
The Making Good Minigrants program is for projects that are early-stage ideas or still in the brainstorming phase. The Imagined in Cambridge! Award supports social innovations that have already been tested or piloted and are ready to grow.
If you have questions or need assistance with your application, you can contact the grantmaking team at [email protected].
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