In response to the current COVID-19 pandemic crisis, The Massachusetts Service Alliance (MSA) announces the release of a Request for Proposals for COVID-19 relief efforts. MSA seeks to award grants of up to $4,000 to support volunteer community service projects and volunteer capacity building initiatives needed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The novel coronavirus disease, COVID-19, is creating challenges for many of the nonprofits and public agencies across Massachusetts to meet the needs of their communities. The pandemic and the resulting economic shutdown have had significant effects on the services, operations, and people working and serving in the nonprofit sector.

In particular, organizations that manage volunteers are having to think about how to position, adapt, and optimize their volunteer program to be the most effective in times of uncertainty. In response to these challenges, MSA has created the COVID-19 Resiliency Grants to help organizations achieve their volunteer engagement goals.

This grant is an opportunity for age-friendly stakeholders and communities to mobilize volunteers to support older adults.

MSA is offering COVID-19 Resiliency Grants to organizations that either:

1. Engage volunteers in a community service project. Service projects should:

1. Be based in Massachusetts and engage Massachusetts residents as volunteers;
2. Include meaningful service that addresses an identified community need that has come about as a result of COVID-19;
3. Either be a one-time project or a series of projects that occurs during the grant period which is from October 15, 2020 to April 30, 2020.
4. Recruit a diverse cross-section of the community as volunteers, and be open to volunteers from the general public;
5. Provide volunteers with opportunities for sustained service and ongoing community involvement.

OR

1. Conduct a capacity-building initiative to enhance volunteer programming during this time of COVID-19.  Initiatives should include activities that will help the agency adapt to the changes needed so that volunteers can continue to serve despite the challenges in the current environment related to COVID-19 as well as efforts that will increase efficiencies of the current internal volunteer program structure during this time.

Examples of acceptable initiatives include:

• New recruitment efforts for new volunteers or new roles that have been established;
• A new online platform in order to provide virtual volunteer support;
• Volunteer software or database implementation to better track volunteers now that they are not onsite
• Paid staff support for those working directly with volunteer programs.

For more information, visit the grant announcement page on the MSA website.

 

Grant funding is contingent on the availability of funds from the Corporation for National and Community Service. In the interest of funding high quality projects/initiatives, the total amount of funds to be granted has not been set in advance. Grant payments will be disbursed throughout the grant period as needed through reimbursement requests. Requests for reimbursement must be accompanied by all documentation required by MSA, in compliance with the rules for the administration of funds.

 

The Massachusetts Service Alliance

The Massachusetts Service Alliance (MSA), established in 1991, is a private, nonprofit

organization. As the state commission on volunteerism and service, we foster collaboration and

public-private partnerships at the local, state and federal level to grow volunteerism and service

initiatives in Massachusetts. Our strong partnerships with local, state, and federal agencies allow us

to mobilize funding to advance service and volunteerism through the AmeriCorps, Commonwealth