Introduction and Background
Sailors’ Snug Harbor of Boston began its formal grantmaking program with a focus on assisting seamen and their families.  In 1970, the Trustees voted to extend eligibility for grants to agencies that serve low-income elderly men and women in the Greater Boston area.  The SSH trustees typically set aside approximately one-half of the Foundation’s annual allocations budget for Elder Programs.  All proposals in this grantmaking area are reviewed at the foundation’s winter meeting.  The deadline for receipt of proposals is December 15, or the first Monday after that date.

Overview and Goals
The focus of this initiative is to help Greater Boston’s low-income elderly population live independently.  Examples of qualified programs include, but are not limited to, the following.  Potential applicants may also find it helpful to review the foundation’s List of Past Grants.

1. Advocacy for and provision of suitable housing for the elderly;

2. Health and social services to help the elderly live independently in their homes for as long as possible;

3. Services, including transportation, which increase elders' access to community health and social services;

4. Improved coordination of services for the elderly, and

5. Technical assistance and training, for both volunteer/family caregivers and human service providers, which will improve the quality of life for the elderly.

Current Grantmaking Preferences
In recent years, relevant and worthwhile requests for SSH’s Elder Program support have greatly exceeded available funds. Rather than further narrowing this program’s funding guidelines, and thereby perhaps screening out interesting new approaches to elder independence, the Trustees have established the following grantmaking preferences to guide their allocations decisions. Potential applicants should please note that, while grantmaking will not be restricted to these areas, proposals falling within these stated preferences are more likely to receive Sailors’ Snug Harbor support:
• A geographic preference for the city of Boston;
• A preference for providing operating funds for existing successful programs;
• An impact preference for organizations and/or programs with fewer funding alternatives, and
• A preference to continue to support past grant recipients.

Application Process
Interested organizations should be willing to facilitate collaboration with other community organizations and must have the capacity to raise additional funds, if needed, in order to carry out the proposed program.  Organizations that received funding from the foundation in prior years are eligible to reapply.  Those applications should include a report on the progress of the funded programs.

Proposals may be submitted at any time, but must be received by 5:00 p.m. on December 15, or the first Monday following that date. Proposals will be reviewed by mid-February and grants will be awarded in March.  We expect that the funded projects would begin by June.

Please submit one copy of your proposal (see How to Apply) to: