$500,000 In Grants Awarded to 39 Community Organizations Supporting Black Men and Boys Across Boston Neighborhoods

The Community Empowerment grants aim to build stronger networks across Boston to support and connect Black men and boys to programming and resources

Mayor Michelle Wu and the Office of Black Male Advancement announced the 2026 Community Empowerment Grant awardees, investing $500,000 in 39 community-based organizations across Boston.

These grants support organizations that are leading transformative work to improve outcomes across education, economic opportunity, health, and community safety. The 2026 awardees reflect the depth and strength of grassroots leadership throughout Boston’s neighborhoods.

This investment will support organizations in scaling their programs, expanding their reach, and deepening their impact in the communities they serve. The Community Empowerment Grant program is sustained through the Office of Black Male Advancement’s operating budget and remains a core strategy in the City’s work to advance equity and the Office of Black Male Advancement’s mission.

“Black Male Advancement’s Community Empowerment grants ensure that we as a City are investing in local community organizations and empowering Black men and boys across Boston,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “These grants connect residents to opportunity and deepen critical work across neighborhoods. I'm grateful to the Office of Black Male Advancement for their critical work to ensure Boston is a city for everyone.”

“This investment is about strengthening the ecosystems that surround Black men and boys with opportunity, care, and connection,” said Chief of Equity and Inclusion Mariangely Solis Cervera. “The 39 organizations receiving Community Empowerment Grants are deeply rooted in Boston’s neighborhoods and are doing the everyday, transformational work that helps Black men and boys thrive across education, economic mobility, health, and wellbeing.” 

The BMA Community Empowerment Grants prioritized organizations that expand one of the following seven focus areas:

• Mentoring and Out-of-School Time: providing quality mentoring, literacy and out-of-school time programs when and where they are needed, offering developmentally-appropriate learning environments that support social, emotional and physical wellbeing. 
• Youth and Young Adult Pathways: providing educational and career pathways for youth and young adults navigating their own course to economic prosperity.
• Housing Mobility: providing a continuum of housing opportunities, resources, and supports that effectively result in pathways to affordable housing and homeownership.
• Economic Inclusion and Wealth Building: supporting individuals to achieve financial empowerment and economic mobility.
• Workforce Training and Development: helping unemployed and underemployed individuals attain livable wage jobs and helping businesses with training for employees to support a pipeline of skilled workers.
• Fatherhood Engagement: supporting fatherhood education, case management, and peer-to-peer support to strengthen positive father-child interaction, improve social and economic outcomes for fathers and their families and improve healthy relationships.
• Mental Health and Wellness: helping support and improve the mental health and well-being of men.

“The Community Empowerment Grant is about providing resources where they matter most, directly to community based organizations that are creating opportunities for Black men and boys throughout Boston,” said Frank Farrow, Executive Director of the Office of Black Male Advancement. “The Office of Black Male Advancement is intentional about investing in pathways to advancement and holistic support systems that help Black males not only succeed, but thrive. By strengthening community-rooted solutions, we are building sustained impact and long-term economic mobility for our residents.”

"Investing in community-based organizations is investing in Boston—our people, our neighborhoods, and our future,” said City Councilor Brian Worrell. “These grants empower local changemakers, amplifying the impact of grassroots organizations across our city. This moment calls on us to pursue equity as a collective effort, and these grants show how we can support that effort together."

Youth & Young Adult Pathways

• Beat The Odds (Downtown Boston)
• Bikes Not Bombs, Inc. (Jamaica Plain)
• A Different Path Foundation, Inc. (Roxbury)
• MissionSAFE: A New Beginning, Inc. (Roxbury)
• The Bottom Line, Inc. (Downtown Boston)
• YouthBuild Boston, Inc. (Roxbury)
• Digital Ready, Inc. (Dorchester)
• The Loop Lab (Roxbury)
• The Pathway Initiative, Inc. (Roxbury)

Mentoring and Out-of-School Time

• 617Peak (Dorchester)
• Boston Debate League, Inc. (Downtown Boston)
• Boston Project Ministries, Inc. (Dorchester)
• Concerned Black Men of Massachusetts, Inc. (Roxbury)
• Follow Suit (Roxbury)
• Friends of St. Stephen’s Youth Programs, Inc. (Southend)
• The Clubhouse Network, Inc. (Wharf District)
• WriteBoston (Downtown Boston)
• Youth Guidance Boston (Downtown Boston)
• Boston Partners in Education, Inc. (Downtown Boston)
• Boston's Higher Ground (Downtown Boston)
• Limitless Athletics Corp (Dorchester)

Workforce Training & Development

• Community Mentoring Team (Dorchester)
• New England Center for Arts and Technology, Inc. (South End)
• Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation (Dorchester)
• A Healthier Democracy (Boston)

Fatherhood Engagement

• Family Nurturing Center of Massachusetts, Inc. (Dorchester)
• Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corporation (Dorchester)

Economic Inclusion & Wealth Building

• Dunk the Vote (Circle of Nations Inc.) (Dorchester)
• The Fountain Fund (Boston)
• The Life After Prison (Boston)
• Kings Amongst Kings, Inc. (Mattapan)

Mental Health & Wellness

• Youth Connect (Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston, Inc.) (Roxbury)
• YardTime Inc. (Boston)
• Young Man with a Plan, Inc. (Mattapan)
• Lives Are Meant to Be Changed (Dorchester)
• New England Medical Association (Boston)

Housing Mobility

• Family Movement, Inc. (Boston)
• Breaktime United, Inc. (Boston)
• Justice For Housing, Inc. (Jamaica Plain)

“The Community Empowerment Grant allows Bikes Not Bombs to deepen our commitment to the economic mobility and leadership of Black and brown youth across Boston. By strengthening our organizational capacity, we are better equipped to dismantle systemic barriers and provide the social and technical capital young people need to excel in high-growth career pathways,” said Elijan Evans, CEO of Bikes not Bombs. “This investment directly fuels our ability to build youth power and connect neighborhoods through sustainable, equitable transportation. Together with the Office of Black Male Advancement, we are ensuring that Boston’s young leaders have the tools and agency to drive lasting change within their own communities.” 

“We are deeply grateful to the City of Boston Office of Black Male Advancement for investing in the Community Mentoring Team fulfilling our commitment to mentoring the men living in Boston,” said Bill Moran, Founder and CEO, Community Mentoring Team. “This support allows us to expand long-term mentorship, educational access, and clear pathways into union trade apprenticeships and sustainable careers for Black men across Greater Boston’s underserved communities. Together, we’re building opportunity, stability, and generational success.”

Building on ongoing efforts to strengthen community based organizations, the Office of Black Male Advancement is partnering with Resilia to expand the Office’s Capacity Building and Impact Institute. The Institute will provide year round support and technical assistance to over 150+ community based organizations to drive impact efforts and assist with long-term capacity needs. The Institute will also support a cohort of Community Empowerment grantees to deepen their impact and scale their work.

For more information on the Office of Black Male Advancement’s Community Empowerment Small Grants program, please visit this link.

About the Mayor’s Office of Black Male Advancement:

The Office of Black Male Advancement works to empower Black men and boys, ensuring equitable access to opportunities in the City. Focused on policies, programs, resources, and local and national partnerships, The Office of Black Male Advancement ensures Black men and boys have support to thrive and share in the City’s prosperity. Our office also directs and supports the efforts of the Black Men and Boys Commission and My Brothers Keeper Boston.