Reparative Grant Program

Reparative Grant Program is sponsored by Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery Initiative. This fund supports proposals that demonstrate innovative and achievable programs and ideas that address systemic inequities affecting local descendant communities.

Reparative Grant Program - Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery The University recognizes that slavery’s impact affects every aspect of American life and is often demonstrated through systemic racism. As a result, the Report of the Presidential Committee on Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery released a set of recommendations committing to address the enduring consequences of the University’s ties to slavery.

As a part of this commitment, the Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery Initiative launched the Reparative Grant Program in 2023 to implement Recommendation 1: Engage and Support Descendant Communities by Leveraging Harvard’s Excellence in Education and Recommendation 5: Honor, Engage, and Support Native Communities .

This fund supports proposals that demonstrate innovative and achievable programs and ideas that address systemic inequities affecting local descendant communities. Central to the program is co-leadership of projects between community organizations and Harvard partners, including Harvard faculty, staff, students, and alumni.

The program prioritizes communities local to Cambridge and Greater Boston and welcomes ideas that promote reparative work in various sectors, such as education, economic mobility, health, urban planning, and criminal justice. This grant fund cycle is currently closed.

Empowering Descendant Communities to Unlock Democracy Healing Our Land, Inc. in partnership with Harvard College Empowering Descendant Communities to Unlock Democracy A Homeownership Estate Planning Project to Close the Racial Wealth Gap The Initiative on Land, Housing & Property Rights at Boston College Law School and Massachusetts Affordable Housing Alliance in partnership with The Legal Services Center of Harvard Law School A Homeownership Estate Planning Project to Close the Racial Wealth Gap Skilled US: Workforce Development Program (For Boston and Cambridge Unemployed and Underemployed Individuals) Skilled US in partnership with Harvard Graduate School of Education Skilled US: Workforce Development Program (For Boston and Cambridge Unemployed and Underemployed Individuals) A Community Engagement Initiative: Discovering Histories, Nurturing Futures Slave Legacy History Coalition in partnership with Harvard Chaplains A Community Engagement Initiative: Discovering Histories, Nurturing Futures Center for Economic and Social Justice Roxbury Community College in partnership with Harvard University Center for Economic and Social Justice Our Voice, Our Stories, Our Legacy: Celebrating Black Cambridge Youth through the Arts Community Art Center in partnership with Harvard Art Museums Our Voice, Our Stories, Our Legacy: Celebrating Black Cambridge Youth through the Arts Inspire: Investing in Community-Led Scholarship in Community Health Centers Institute for Health Equity Research, Evaluation and Policy, Inc. in partnership with Harvard Medical School Inspire: Investing in Community-Led Scholarship in Community Health Centers Environmental Justice Workforce Development Initiative Economic Mobility and Environmental Justice Saving Our Daughters and Sons Life in partnership with Harvard Undergraduates Sustainability Lab Once Upon a Time in Nubian Square Live Like a Local Tours Boston in partnership with Harvard T.

H. Chan School of Public Health Once Upon a Time in Nubian Square Repair and Prepare Symposium Afrimerican Culture Initiative in partnership with Harold A.

McDougall '67, Professor of Law, Howard University Repair and Prepare Symposium Unitarian Universalist Urban Ministry in partnership with Harvard Faculty of Arts & Sciences Strengthening Support Networks among Native Students in the Greater Boston area University of Massachusetts Foundation in partnership with Harvard T. H.

Chan School of Public Health Strengthening Support Networks among Native Students in the Greater Boston area The Western Nubia Project Internship Parents' Management Incorporated in partnership with Harvard Graduate School of Arts & Sciences The Western Nubia Project Internship Tribal Archives Preservation and University Access Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Historic Preservation Department in partnership with Harvard Divinity School Tribal Archives Preservation and University Access Who Can Apply to the Reparative Grant Program To be eligible, proposals must be co-led by a community organization and a Harvard partner.

Community organizations: Non-profit organizations that have 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status and seek to improve a community’s social and overall health are encouraged to apply. To be eligible for this funding opportunity, the organization must have leadership (staff and/or board) that demonstrates a deep understanding and represents the lived experiences of the communities they serve or intend to serve.

Faculty and staff: All Harvard University benefits-eligible staff (including administrative/professional, support, service, and trades staff) and faculty (including primary, secondary, and adjunct faculty) are eligible to apply.

Questions about faculty and staff salary support will be addressed when budgets are reviewed Students: All Harvard undergraduates and graduate students are eligible to apply, as long as they are enrolled during the funding period.

If awarded, students will be fully compensated for the time they devote to the project Postdoctoral researchers, research associates, research scientists, and fellows: All Harvard research professionals are eligible to apply.

An appointment at Harvard University is required, and the appointment must last the duration of the funding period, if awarded Alumni and Harvard-affiliated hospital staff: Alumni and Harvard-affiliated staff are not eligible to apply as primary applicants but are welcome to team up with a primary applicant at a Harvard school, unit, or with a community organization We encourage collaborative proposals that: Support the advancement of descendant communities, preferably in Cambridge or Boston; Incorporate and center the lived experiences and voices of descendant communities; Demonstrate how community organizations and Harvard can work together to create and manage successful reparative initiatives; Propose innovative solutions to persistent, systemic inequities, or extend and amplify existing successful approaches; Clearly advance one or more of the recommendations in the Report of the Presidential Committee on Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery ; and Are aligned with the mission of the H&LS Initiative .

The Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery Initiative: Reparative Grant Program does not fund the following: Projects led by a single individual Capital campaigns/building constructions Harvard employee and faculty salaries (exceptions may be allowed on a case-by-case basis and could include non-exempt overtime as applicable, temporary help by staff, backfilling staff who are working on the project, or faculty summer salary) This grant program offers funding for two project types: Impact Projects : Strategic, multi-year projects with budgets up to $350,000 spread over two years Seed Projects : Proof of concept projects with budgets up to $25,000 for a year The H&LS Initiative is committed to an equitable, thorough, and fair review process to identify the most promising ideas for funding.

A two-stage review process will include input from dedicated community leaders, students, faculty, and staff.

Proposals will be evaluated using the following criteria: Strategic Alignment: Aligns with the mission and values of the H&LS Initiative and the mission of the community organization co-leading the project Equity: Center the needs and voices of communities historically and systematically harmed by slavery Impact: Has clear metrics that allow for measurable impact once implemented Feasibility: Shows the extent to which the project can be efficiently implemented and successfully within the timeframe and budget Sustainability & Scalability: Lays a long-lasting foundation that will continue after the funding period ends (i.e., sustainable) and can be expanded to reach even more people (i.e., scalable) Innovation: Shows creativity in addressing a real-world challenge affecting descendant communities Project Team: Demonstrates a diverse team composed of representatives from descendant communities impacted by the problem that the proposal is designed to address, individuals from community organizations, and individuals from Harvard This grant fund cycle is currently closed.

This grant fund cycle is currently closed. How does this grant program fit with the overall goal of the H&LS Initiative? The H&LS Initiative works to understand and cast light on Harvard’s legacies of slavery and address enduring consequences through purposeful change.

Our work is grounded in Harvard’s educational mission and the Report’s recommendations. This grant program directly advances the mission of the H&LS Initiative by funding innovative and achievable proposals that address inequities affecting descendant communities. Why is there a requirement for co-leadership between community organizations and Harvard partners?

We believe it is essential to work closely with the affected communities in order to impact change , and we aim to establish intentional partnerships to achieve this goal. By connecting the University’s research and intellectual resources with the valuable resources of the community, which are its people, we hope to promote positive and transformative social change. Can any community organization co-lead the project?

We require that community organizations co-leading proposals have 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. However, project teams can certainly pull in other community partners to participate in their proposal. If I have more than one idea, can I submit multiple applications?

Unfortunately, you can’t apply as a co-lead for multiple applications, but you can participate as a team member in as many as you’d like. Will there be an information session for potential applicants? This grant fund cycle is currently closed.

If my organization is not located in Cambridge or Boston, can I still apply for funding? We welcome any proposal that aims to address systemic inequities affecting descendant communities, but we are prioritizing applications focused on the Cambridge or Boston communities. Does funding cover indirect/F&A/overhead costs?

Community organizations co-leading the project can request up to 20% indirect costs as part of the total budget. This can be used to cover essential operational expenses that are not directly related to a specific program or project. Harvard partners are not eligible to request indirect cost funding.

We will provide more information about budget requirements to teams who are invited to submit full proposals. How will funding be distributed between community organizations and Harvard partners? To ensure that funding is allocated fairly and in a way that benefits the community, a minimum of 60% of the available funding must be directed towards community organizations.

This approach is intended to support sustainability and a balanced distribution of resources.