The Cambridge Public Health Department’s Health Promotion Mini-Grant Program will award up to $25,000 in total funding to projects that promote healthy eating, physical activity, or youth mental health.

Eligible groups for mini-grants include community organizations, schools, businesses, garden and farm programs, and government agencies that serve Cambridge.

A project proposal must address one of the categories below and is only eligible for one type of mini-grant (i.e., healthy eating/physical activity or youth mental health) per funding cycle:

• Healthy Eating and Physical Activity. $1,000 mini-grants are available for projects that promote healthy eating and/or physical activity in children and adults. Up to 13 projects will be funded. Last year’s winning projects included a bike giveaway event, cooking and gardening activities for children, outdoor adventure activities for youth, and a survey of food pantry clients. See the full list of 2022 Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Mini-Grant Winners.
• Youth Mental Health and Wellness. $2,000 mini-grants are available for projects that promote mental health and wellness in Cambridge youth, with a focus on youth age 12-18. Up to six projects will be funded. Last year’s winning projects included a stress reduction program for middle schoolers, mentoring for middle school camp counselors, and trauma training for adults who work with youth. See full list of 2022 Youth Mental Health Mini-Grant Winners.

The health department launched the healthy eating and physical activity mini-grants in 2011 and the youth mental health mini-grants in 2021.

The mini-grants are competitive. All applications are reviewed by representatives from the Cambridge Public Health Department, the Hideo Sasaki Foundation, and other organizations and groups.

“This is the first year we’re administering these two popular awards programs together,” said Josefine Wendel, who oversees population health initiatives at the Cambridge Public Health Department. “We’re excited about partnering with the Sasaki Foundation and expanding the number of projects we can support due to increased funding.”

The mini-grant program is primarily funded by the Cambridge Public Health Department, with a $5,000 contribution this year from the Hideo Sasaki Foundation, a Boston nonprofit. Starting this year, the Hideo Sasaki Foundation will serve as the fiscal agent for the mini-grant program.

The mini-grant guidelines and application are available on the Cambridge Public Health Department website: www.cambridgepublichealth.org/services/mini-grants

The deadline for submission is Tuesday, April 4, 2023.

To learn more about the mini-grant program, contact Dawn Olcott (+1 617 665 3809) at dolcott@cambridgepublichealth.org or Sarah Lincoln (+1 617 665 3874) at salincoln@cambridgepublichealth.org.

Cambridge Public Health Department

The Cambridge Public Health Department (CPHD) protects and promotes the health of everyone in Cambridge through services, information, policies, and regulations. Main focus areas are communicable disease prevention and control, emergency preparedness and community resilience, environmental health, epidemiology, population health initiatives, regulatory enforcement, and school health.

The Hideo Sasaki Foundation

The Hideo Sasaki Foundation believes design has the power to address the most urgent challenges facing us, from social equity to environmental resilience. Design is an agent of change. And yet, access to design—for communities who need it the most—is often limited. Making change requires collective impact. At the intersection of philanthropy, education, and community, the Hideo Sasaki Foundation is committed to advancing the value of design, inviting diverse partners to co-create change.