Riley Foundation

Mabel Louise Riley Foundation 2025 Grant Guidelines

Program Interests

The Mabel Louise Riley Foundation is a general-purpose foundation with a special interest in supporting the needs of low-income children and youth and their families.  The foundation supports a broad range of programs, particularly in the areas of education and human services, and neighborhood revitalization.  Current more specialized areas of interest include:

  • Arts access programs for underserved communities
  • Support for foster care children and those aging out of the system
  • Vocational Education and job training
  • Affordable housing and shelter for vulnerable families

Types of Support and Grant Size

Grants are made in support of new projects and organizations, program expansion, and for capital projects.  The trustees are interested in leveraging their grants by funding programs that can become self-sufficient or may serve as a model in other geographic areas.

One-year grants normally fall in the range of $50,000 to $100,000.

Geographic Limitations

The Foundation supports nonprofit organizations headquartered in, and most constituents served in the City of Boston and its neighborhoods.

Eligibility and Waiting Periods

  • Requests are considered only from 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations incorporated under the laws of Massachusetts and operating exclusively for charitable purposes.  The registered address of the organization must be in Massachusetts and, if not, a fiscal agent must be obtained.
  • Applicants whose formal grant requests have been denied must wait one full year before reapplying.
  • Grant recipients must wait two full years before submitting a new letter of intent.

Normal Exclusions

  • Multi-year support
  • Unrestricted operating support
  • Support to defray annual deficits or to build endowments
  • Support for governmental agencies other than schools, for political purposes, or for individuals
  • Support for organizations incorporated outside of Massachusetts
  • Smaller programs for which the Foundation would be the sole source for a project support (this restriction does not apply to the Small Grants Program)
  • Sponsorships

Application Procedures

The Riley Foundation uses a two-step application process beginning with letters of intent (LOI), followed by full proposals.  Any eligible applicant is invited to submit an LOI.  Full proposals are accepted by invitation only.

Letters of Intent (LOI)

Upcoming 2025 LOI Deadlines:

July 15, 2025

  • Funding requests to the Mabel Louise Riley Foundation are now being submitted through an online grants system. Prior to submitting a LOI, applicants need to complete a one-time registration. You will need to supply your contact information and create a password to log in to the system. The foundation prefers that the primary contact person complete the registration. If you have not yet submitted an online application through the GMA Foundations portal, you may register at any time.
  • If your organization has moved to a new location since creating your log-in or undergoes a change of address during the grantmaking cycle you have submitted for, please update the portal accordingly or contact foundation staff.
  • Click Here to Begin your LOI
    ACCESS CODE: rileyloi
  • After you log in, click APPLY, then enter the access code “rileyloi” in the box labeled “Access Code.” Then click the “Riley LOI Apply” button to start your LOI.  Be sure to keep the password you will create where you or others in your organization can find it again for future use. If you have previously registered and submitted an online application to any GMA-affiliated foundation, use the same username and password – but be sure to enter the access code, “rileyloi” for this submission.
     
  • Important: If you want to exit your LOI before it is complete, click on “Save LOI” at the bottom of the screen. You can then come back later and continue to work on your LOI by signing in with your password and clicking “edit” your draft. There is also a “print packet” button if you wish to create a printable document for internal review. When your LOI is complete, click the “Submit LOI” button. A new screen will then appear, confirming receipt of your LOI.
  • All LOIs must be received by midnight of the LOI deadline.
  • Please contact Nsaunders@gmafoundations.com for tech support.
  • All organizations will be notified of their status (either invited to submit a full proposal or declined) within four months of the LOI deadline.

Full Proposals

Submission of a full proposal is by invitation only. Those invited will receive a full set of instructions to assist in preparing the proposal.

Proposal Deadlines

Grant meetings of the Foundation occur in for March, June, September, and December.  If a formal grant proposal is invited, it will be considered by the trustees at the next quarterly grant meeting.  All formal grant proposals should be submitted at least forty-five (45) days prior to the scheduled quarterly grant meeting.

If a proposal is granted, a final report deadline will be provided, which is usually two months following the end of the requested grant period. Documents that are required include: