Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Grant Program

Deadline: October 23, 2026

A total of $3.4 million is available for this grant program.

The Office of Grants and Research is making $3.4 million in federal funds available through the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Grant Program. These funds are intended to support programs that address domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault or stalking and to deliver services to survivors of these crimes.  Applicants selected for funding this year will be eligible to receive renewal funding for an additional three years (through 2029).

Eligibility:
The following entities with experience providing services and/or technical assistance to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, or stalking are eligible to apply:

• Massachusetts state agencies
• local and tribal law enforcement
• nonprofits (including faith-based and culturally specific community-based organization)
• public and/or private non-governmental agencies
• federally recognized tribes

Key Dates:
Applicant Assistance Webinar (attendance is recommended but not required): October 1, 2026, 10 a.m. 
Register for the webinar
Deadline to Submit Questions: October 14, 2026, 4:00 p.m.
Application Deadline: October 23, 2026, by 4:00 p.m.

To learn more about our programs and the impact of our work, visit our website at www.mass.gov/ogr.

MassDEP has opened the Stormwater MS4 Municipal Assistance Grant Program for applications.

Awards under this program enable groups of Massachusetts municipalities to expand their efforts to meet requirements for the Small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) General Permits, and to reduce stormwater pollution through coordinated partnerships that emphasize resource sharing.

• Eligible Entities: One or more municipalities in partnership with one or more: Regional Planning Agency, stormwater coalition, and/or similar non-profit acting on behalf of municipal MS4 permit holders
• Application Deadline: Friday, October 9, 2026
• Total Available: $250,000
• Estimated Award Amounts: $20,000 to $75,000 per applicant

Additional information can be found on MassDEP’s website: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/grants-financial-assistance-watersheds-water-quality and COMMBUYS: https://www.commbuys.com/bso/external/bidDetail.sda?docId=BD-27-1045-BWR00-BWR01-133228&external=true&parentUrl=close

Did you know Massachusetts children can get a free $50 headstart on their savings for future education costs?

September is College Savings Month, and I’m joining @economicempowermentma in sharing BabySteps, a free resource from the Massachusetts Treasury that provides $50 when you open a MEFA UFund 529 account for your child before their first birthday or adoption anniversary.

Start your college savings early, and your future self will thank you!

Visit mass.gov/BabySteps to learn more.

On behalf of the Healey-Driscoll Administration, the Executive Office of Public Safety & Security (EOPSS), and the Department of Fire Services (DFS), I am pleased to announce that nearly $2 million in funding is being made available for the SAFE and Senior SAFE grant programs for a second time this year.

The grants support trained firefighter-educators who provide fire and life safety education to children and older adults, as well as resources including teaching supplies, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, and other safety equipment.

The SAFE program, established in 1995, is correlated with a 79% decline in child fire fatalities and has helped raise a fire-safe generation of Massachusetts residents. The Senior SAFE program, established in 2014, provides fire, carbon monoxide, and other life safety education to older adults through senior centers, Councils on Aging, and home visits, including alarm replacement and fall prevention initiatives.

 Following the transition from a calendar-year to a state fiscal year schedule, this marks the second round of SAFE and Senior SAFE grants awarded in 2026.

• The Notice of Funding Opportunity, grant application, and eligibility requirements are available on the Department of Fire Services’ website. Applications must be submitted by 5:00 pm on September 29.

As students and educators head back to the classroom, it’s a great time for Massachusetts schools to put environmental education into action with MassDEP’s Green Team!

The Green Team is a free environmental program for K–12 schools that helps students and educators take meaningful action through waste reduction, reuse, recycling, composting, energy conservation, and pollution prevention. Teachers, administrators, school staff, and parent volunteers can register their schools to participate.

Green Team activities give students hands-on ways to make a difference at school and in their communities. Educators can choose from projects such as conducting a school waste audit, starting a composting program, improving recycling, tracking climate-friendly actions, reducing vehicle idling, or tackling cafeteria food waste.

Registered Green Teams also have access to free lesson plans and classroom activities, educational materials, technical assistance, and downloadable recycling and composting signage. Schools may also be eligible to request recycling bins, composters, wheeled carts, vermicomposting worms, and idle-reduction signs and materials.

Make environmental action part of the school year! Sign up forms and free resources can be found at TheGreenTeam.org.

Information on activities and awards from the 2025-2026 school year can be found on MassDEP’s website: https://www.mass.gov/news/massdep-announces-green-team-awards-for-environmental-leadership-in-pk-12-schools.

MassDEP has opened two watershed and water quality management grant programs for application.

Additional information can be found on MassDEP’s website: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/grants-financial-assistance-watersheds-water-quality

Section 604(b) Water Quality Management Planning Grant Program

• Summary: Section 604(b) of the Clean Water Act provides grants to determine the nature, extent, and causes of water quality issues and to develop plans to restore or protect water quality pursuant to the Clean Water Act and Massachusetts Surface Water Quality Standards. Awards will assist in the development of Watershed-Based Plans (WBP) – a holistic framework for watershed management that details impaired waters and the plan to address the source of the pollution causing the impairment.
• Eligible Entities: Regional planning agencies, council of governments, counties, conservation districts, cities and towns ,interstate organizations, federally recognized tribes and organizations with state-wide agricultural capacity building experience.
• Application Deadline: Wednesday, October 7, 2026
• Total Available: $1,800,000

Section 319 Nonpoint Source Implementation Grant Program

• Summary: Section 319 of the Clean Water Act provides grants for implementation projects that address the prevention, control, and abatement of nonpoint source (NPS) pollution. NPS pollution occurs when rainfall or melting snow picks up and carries away natural and human-made pollutants, such as fertilizers, herbicides, construction sediment, nutrients and bacteria from animal waste, and eventually deposits those pollutants into our lakes, rivers, wetlands, coastal waters, and ground waters.
• Eligible Entities: any Massachusetts public or private organization: State and Federally Recognized Tribes, Regional Planning Agencies, Councils of Governments, Counties, Conservation Districts, Cities and Towns, other substate public planning agencies, and interstate agencies.
• Application Deadline: Wednesday, October 28, 2026
• Total Available: $2,500,000

On behalf of the Health Connector, the state’s health insurance marketplace, we are sharing resources about the upcoming 2027 Open Enrollment period.

This year Open Enrollment will begin earlier than in the past, opening on October 23 and running through January 23, 2027. In preparation for the Open Enrollment season, the Health Connector is hosting a series of free public webinars to support residents throughout the process. 

Additionally, the federal government has made changes to who qualifies for help paying for health insurance, and some of these changes will be effective as of January 1st. The Health Connector will be reguarly updating its federal changes webpage, which can be found here  https://www.mahealthconnector.org/updates.

National Grid is utilizing a new digital translation application that will be available at select Customer Assistance events in Massachusetts in September, part of an initiative to enhance support to customers seeking bill support and energy-saving tips across the state.

National Grid’s Customer Advocates have been piloting the TranslateLive app at events in recent weeks, following training on the use of the real-time translation and interpretation tool. The app enhances the reach of National Grid’s Advocate team, some of whom provide dual-language support in English plus Spanish, Portuguese, and Haitian Creole. The tool allows all trained Advocates to:

• Connect with customers face-to-face in their preferred language;
• Increase access to programs and services; and
• Create a more inclusive customer experience in communities statewide.

As the summer cooling season transitions into fall, Advocates will use the TranslateLive app at events across the state, highlighting energy-saving tips and bill support programs. National Grid customers can also speak with energy experts about bill issues, learn ways to lower energy use, and how to access programs such as:

• Payment assistance;
• Budget Plan;
• The Tiered Discount Rate Program; and
• The Arrears Management Program.

Customers unable to attend September’s in-person events (list below) can view the August Bill Assistance Webinar hosted by National Grid’s Advocates, who provided an overview of key customer-focused programs.

Payment Assistance Bundle Helps Manage Energy Bills

National Grid customers can now sign up for the Payment Assistance Bundle, which combines the three helpful solutions below, which make it easier to manage energy costs and pay down past-due amounts over a 12-month period:

• Deferred Payment Agreement: Spread out past-due balance into future monthly payments.
• Automatic Monthly Payments: Automatically deduct payments from your bank account each month and avoid missing due dates.
• Budget Plan: Break down annual energy costs into balanced monthly payments, making it easier to budget and plan expenses.

Residential customers interested in enrolling in the Payment Assistance Bundle or other Bill Assistance program can enroll via their ‘My Account’ login. Visit ngrid.com/hereforyou to learn more about our programs or contact a Customer Service Specialist at 1-800-233-5325.

September 2026 Customer Assistance Events across Massachusetts 

The full list of in-person Customer Assistance events in Massachusetts is included below.  Interested customers are encouraged to visit the Massachusetts event page to confirm dates, times, and locations for all events.

An asterisk (*) has been added to the City/Town name to highlight events where the TranslateLive app will be available.

On behalf of the Healey-Driscoll Administration, I am pleased to share that the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) is rolling out new chip/tap-enabled EBT cards to all clients, replacing the current magstripe-only cards. This marks a major shift in how one access and protect their benefits, and DTA is encouraging constituents to activate their new cards as soon as they arrive in the mail.

DTA and its EBT vendor have mailed a chip/tap EBT card to clients across Massachusetts throughout August. Clients do not need to visit a Transitional Assistance Office (TAO) or call DTA to get one. If you do not have a working card, you can request one through DTA Connect, the EBT Customer Service line (800-997-2555), or by visiting a TAO.

It's easy for you to activate the card: You can either make a purchase with the new card or call the number on the back to set a new PIN. Either action activates the new card and automatically deactivates the old one. You should do this as soon as they get their card and not wait. You have 60 days before the old, non-chip card is automatically deactivated, and DTA is tracking activations daily.

Please visit mass.gov/EBT for more information.

The Healey-Driscoll Administration recently launched a coordinated statewide effort to help MassHealth members keep their health care coverage amid new burdensome Medicaid requirements imposed by President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.  

Federal changes affecting MassHealth (Medicaid) members | Mass.gov