Purpose and Overview:
The John W. Alden Trust was established under the will of Priscilla Alden in honor of her father. In her will, Miss Alden specified that grant support should be directed toward “organizations providing care and administering to the needs of children who are blind, retarded, disabled or who are either mentally or physically ill … or organizations engaged in medical and scientific research directed toward the prevention or cure of diseases and disabilities particularly affecting children.”
The Alden Trust provides support to organizations serving children and youth (ages 0-24) with physical, mental, or intellectual disabilities; and to organizations engaged in research focused on the prevention or cure of diseases and disabilities affecting children.
Organizations serving high-risk youth who are high-risk by social or environmental factors and/or are engaged in behaviors that increase the likelihood of adverse health outcomes may meet the Trust’s criteria if the youth they serve are experiencing measurable effects from at least two of the following recognized risk factors:
- living at or below the poverty level
- experiencing school failure (having dropped out of high school)
- living in a foster home or group home
- living in a homeless shelter or motel
- having involvement with the juvenile justice system
- are pregnant or parenting
- having known involvement with drugs or alcohol
General Guidelines and Policies:
- Grants are limited to organizations serving youth in Eastern Massachusetts (defined as east of, but not inclusive of Worcester).
- Effective June 1, 2025, only organizations that have received grants from the Alden Trust within the last five years (since June 2020) are eligible for consideration.
- The Trustees meet three times a year – in February, June and October. The application deadlines are: January 5th, May 5th and September 5th.
- Grants will be considered for the following purposes:
- capacity building
- program support
- general operating support (Grants for general operating support will only be considered if the entire organization is focused on serving disabled or high risk youth, as defined above. Organizations where a service/program for disabled or high-risk youth is only one component of several services will not be considered for general operating grants; those organizations should request support for their specific programs/projects.
- capital campaigns
- Two-year (multi-year) grants will be considered.
- Grants generally range in amount from $7,500 – $50,000
- Proposals should be concise and avoid jargon and acronyms that may not be familiar to the reader.
- Applicant organizations that neglect to submit a final report on previous programs supported by the Trust should not expect to receive a favorable response on a current request.
- The Trustees generally will not fund projects as the sole funder as it raises concerns about the sustainability of a program.
- The Trustees will frequently require an applicant organization to seek funds to match a grant from the Trust. Such challenge grants have proven to be an incentive to organizations to develop other funding sources in the community and at the same time, to raise public awareness of their programs and activities.
- The Trustees will pay particular attention to the composition of an organization’s governing board, which should include people from diverse backgrounds, professions and occupations and who are active and visible in the community served.
- Applicant organizations must be a 501c3 tax-exempt charitable organization as defined by the Internal Revenue Service.
Grant Applications:
All applications must be submitted through our online grant portal found here:
Trustees:
Susan T. Monahan
Trustee and Grants Coordinator
22 Cutter Lane
Amesbury, MA 01913
Phone: 978-500-0786
Email: Susan.t.monahan@gmail.com
Emma M. Greene
Managing Director
Philanthropic Solutions
Bank of America Private Bank
100 Federal Street
MA5-100-10-22
Boston, MA 02110