Community Programs

$3,000 Program/Project Grant 
(Available twice per year—Fall & Spring)

Fall 2024 Application

Deadline will be Thursday, November 21, 2024 by 5:00pm.

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The mission of the Allston/Brighton-Boston College Community Fund is to support programs and services that are available to the people of Allston and Brighton. The Fund Committee seeks applications from organizations, associations, programs, or purposes based in Allston and Brighton. The Committee gives special consideration to the benefit of the potential award on the youth, senior citizens, and the needy in the Allston and Brighton neighborhoods. Beautification projects are also encouraged.

The Fund was established by the former Mayor of Boston, Thomas M. Menino and Rev. J. Donald Monan, former President of and current Chancellor of Boston College.

The purpose of the awards is to supplement existing budgets of established organizations and agencies in order to promote a program or service for which financial support is not otherwise available. Consultants will not be funded. The Fund Committee also considers and makes awards to independent groups who present a worthy proposal or sponsor a worthwhile event.

Interested groups may apply for funding either during the fall or spring cycle.

Please Note:  Only one grant per group or agency will be awarded per year. 

Spring 2024 Grant Recipients

For the Spring 2024 cycle of the Allston Brighton/Boston College Communty Fund a total of $42,569 was distributed to the following 15 organizations:

• Addiction Treatment Center of New England: Recovery Home Front Garden Beautification Project
• Allston Brighton Food Pantry/Brighton Allston Congregational Church: Beyond the Basket: Hygiene, Translation, and Storage for ABFP Guests
  
• Allston Brighton PAUSES: Teen Self-Care Fair
  
• Brazilian Women’s Group: Community Food Baskets “Cesta Basica”
• Brighton Main Streets: Beautification Program
  
• Community Rowing, Inc.: Youth Summer Rowing Program
  
• The Fishing Academy Inc.: 20th Anniversary Support
• Friends of Herter Park: Improved Lighting/Signage/Community Awareness Project - 2024
  
• Penniman Road Community Garden: Integrated Pest Management Project 
  
• Rat City Arts Festival: Rock of Ages
• Shaloh House School: School Vegetable Garden and Micro-farm Educational Programming
  
• Society of St. Vincent de Paul, St. Columbkille Conference: Supplemental Food Security
  
• Spark a Life With Art, Inc.: Annual Spark a Life with Art, Cultural Art Fest
  
• West End House Camp, Inc.: Project Camp 2024
  
• West End House Girls Camp: Camper Scholarships

Boston College Neighborhood Improvement Fund (BCNIF)
(Established in 2015)

Please direct inquiries to:
Anabela Gomes or Jeanne Levesque

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Beginning in the spring of 2015, as part of a package of public benefits related to its Institutional Master Plan, Boston College established a $2,564,000 Neighborhood Improvement Fund (NIF) grant for projects that enhance the public realm and for which public sources of financing may be unavailable or inadequate.

The NIF grant may be used by public or private non-profit entities to implement improvements on public property. Projects may include improvements in public parks and open space, neighborhood beautification, transportation and roadway improvements, public safety projects, public art, and other projects that achieve the objectives of the fund.

Projects should be of broad public benefit to the Allston-Brighton neighborhood, with particular emphasis on the areas of Brighton closest to Boston College (e.g. Lake Street, Foster Street, Cleveland Circle, Commonwealth Avenue, Brighton Center). Applicants will be expected to garner and demonstrate broad community support for their projects as part of the application and review process.

2018-19 Recipients 

$1,104,095 will be awarded to the following organizations:

Allston Village Main Streets: Allston Village Lights Project - $60,000

Allston Brighton CDC & DPW: Bench Project - $20,000

Artists for Humanity: Artistic Bike Racks - $42,846

Boston Parks & Recreation: McKinney Playground Improvements - $750,000

Boston Transportation Department: Two BlueBike Stations - $106,250

Brighton Gateway & Brighton Marine Health Center (Fiscal Agent): Gateway Improvement Project - $100,000

Gardner Pilot Academy & Boston Educational Development Fund (Fiscal Agent): Community Garden & School Grounds Improvement Project - $24,999

2016 Recipients 

$325,798 was awarded to the following organizations:

Artists for Humanity: Brighton High School Sculptural Art Work - $30,798

Allston Village Main Streets: Tree Pit Initiative  - $36,000

Jackson Mann Community School & Council: Playground Initiative  - $100,000

Massachusetts Department of Conservation & Recreation: Chestnut Hill Reservation & Reservoir Improvements - $59,000

VFW Post 669 & Boston Parks & Recreation (Fiscal Agent): Major General George W. Casey Bronze Relief - Casey Memorial Amphitheater - $100,000

2016 NIF Report

2015 Recipients

$446,138 was awarded to the following organizations:

Allston-Brighton Veterans & Brighton Marine Health Center (Fiscal Agent): Medal of Honor Statue for Private First Class Ernest W. Prussman killed during WWII - $90,000

Boston Transportation Department-Boston Bikes: Two Hubway Bike-Share Stations - $95,600

Boston Police Department, District 14: Two Speed Alert Display Board Units - $40,000

Brighton Main Streets, Inc.: Gateway signage and an interactive kiosk that will provide information about local businesses, access to public transit, and a community calendar - $100,000

Friends of Chestnut Hill Reservation & DCR (Fiscal Agent): Two solar-operated trash and recyclable compacting stations and an outdoor drinking fountain (also pet friendly) - $25,000

Friends of McKinney Park & Boston Parks & Recreation (Fiscal Agent): Automated, solar-powered scoreboard, three concrete chess tables, and transformation of the street hockey court so it can also be used for soccer and basketball - $95,538

2015 NIF Report