URGENT NEEDS FUND
Our Urgent Needs Fund ensures funds are consistently available to respond to emergency needs in Cambridge, whenever they arise.
As of July 2025, federal budget cuts are dismantling our social safety net and pushing many Cambridge families, elders, and children into crisis. This fund supports eligible nonprofits that are lifelines to our most vulnerable neighbors so they can continue delivering vital community services. Just before SNAP benefits expired on November 1, 2025, CCF partnered with the City to commit $500K, including $250K from our Urgent Needs Fund, to shore up local food pantries and distribute grocery gift cards directly to SNAP-eligible residents and families. Read a recent letter from our president about the Foundation’s response to intensifying community needs.
This fund is made possible by the collective giving of our neighbors. To make a gift to the Urgent Needs Fund, visit our donation page.
Looking for food resources? Find support here.
Funding process
Eligibility
To expedite the distribution of funds, CCF’s Programs and Grantmaking team directly engages with eligible organizations. Recipients of Urgent Needs funds are identified and selected based on these ongoing conversations. The following definition of urgent needs guides our funding decisions: work that addresses immediate and critical challenges affecting the community’s ability to meet basic human needs and achieve stability, prioritizing organizations that are both responding to clearly defined acute or short-term needs and committed to long-term pathways out of crisis.
Additional consideration is given to organizations responding to emerging or worsening needs in response to:
- Cuts or reductions in federal or state funding (ex. SNAP, housing vouchers, immigrant services programs)
- Increases in demand for crisis services without corresponding funding
- Shifts in local demographics or cost of living impacting vulnerable populations, including immigrant communities
Frequently Asked Questions
CCF Programs and Grantmaking team identifies eligible organizations based on the definition above. If your organization has questions about eligibility, please email Christina Turner, [email protected].
No, at this time Urgent Needs grants are only awarded to community organizations.
Urgent needs funding comes from the generous collective giving of people like you! Donations can be made here.
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