Grants
Each year, The 84 Movement offers its Chapters opportunities to apply for grants to do meaningful youth-led work in their community.
Spring Grant Opportunities
Summary: The 84 Movement is excited to give Chapters multiple opportunities to apply for grants as they implement their programming this year. There will be two rounds, fall and spring, and each round will have two options. One grant option is to engage in a policy, systems, and environmental change (PSE) project focused on tobacco, vaping, and nicotine use prevention. The second grant option is to fund youth-led creative work that incorporates the theme of fighting against the tobacco and vaping industries. These options are available to registered Chapters of The 84 Movement. Chapters are eligible to apply and receive funding for one or both opportunities. We will held a virtual information session to answer questions about these opportunities on Wednesday, February 11, 2026 at 3pm. Register Here.
Eligibility: Applicants must be nonprofit organizations (501c3) or have the fiscal sponsorship of a nonprofit and have at least five youth and one adult advisor or project lead who will work on the project. Registered Chapters of The 84 Movement, including current grant and stipend recipients, are eligible and encouraged to apply for both the PSE and Creative Spark grant opportunities. Groups not involved in The 84 Movement are eligible and encouraged to apply for the Creative Spark grant opportunity. If your group is interested in becoming a Chapter of The 84 Movement, please register at https://www.the84.org/join-us.
About Health Resources in Action (HRiA) and The 84 Movement: The 84 Movement (The 84) is a statewide youth racial justice and tobacco prevention program that promotes youth leadership to improve public health. Specifically, The 84 supports young people in middle and high school to fight the influence of the tobacco and vaping industries in their communities. Chapters of The 84 educate peers and adults on the deceptive marketing practices and racial inequities perpetuated by these industries. The 84 represents the 84% of Massachusetts high school youth who did NOT smoke cigarettes when the program began in 2007. In 2023, that number was 97%. Also, as of 2023, 84% of high school students did NOT vape. The 84 continues to prevent youth nicotine use through a positive youth development approach and builds the capacity of a statewide network of youth committed to reversing the influence of the tobacco and vaping industries. The 84 is comprised of over 70 school- and community- based Chapters representing over 1,000 youth, including a Statewide Leadership Team (SLT) of 20 youth from across MA. Chapters receive training and technical assistance (TA) for racial equity, PSE, and creative grant opportunities. They are also invited to two youth-led statewide events - Youth Power Summit (YPS) and Ending Nicotine Use for the Future (ENUFF) - to unite and train youth on racial and social justice and connect their local work to a broader statewide movement.
The 84 Movement is a program of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) managed in partnership with the Massachusetts Tobacco Cessation and Prevention Program (MTCP) and Health Resources in Action. Funding for these grants is made possible through a partnership with DPH and the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office. For more information, visit The84.org.
Ready to apply?
Our application portal will allow you to apply for the PSE Prevention Project or the Creative Spark Fund. You are welcome to submit two applications if you would like to complete both grant projects. If you would like more information about each of these opportunities, please see below.
Here are the additional documents you may need.
Budget Template - download and submit this with your application to outline how you anticipate the funds being spent
Preview of Application Questions - the portal does allow you to save your progress, but these are here in case you want to see the questions before you start the application
PSE Prevention Project Scoring Rubric - see what our grant evaluators will use to score your application
If you have any questions about the grant application or the grant application process. Please plan to join us at our information session on February 11, 2026 at 3pm.
You can always reach out to 84 Staff at 84Team@hria.org
If you have any questions about accessing or navigating the application portal, you can reach out to grants@hria.org for assistance and troubleshooting.
2026 Spring Grant Funding Timeline
Grants application period opens
January 31
Grant application information session and Q&A
February 11 at 3pm
February 27 at 3pm
March 11
Grant application period CLOSES
Chapters notified if their grant application is funded
March 16
Grant contracts signed and returned to The 84
May 29
Spring Grants Projects are completed
June 12
Spring Grant Final Reports are due
Option One: The PSE Prevention Project
Funding Amount: up to $8,000
Project Timeline: March 16, 2026 - June 12, 2026
Summary: The 84 Movement’s PSE Prevention Project will equip The 84 Chapters with training and resources that will enhance their abilities to create lasting upstream changes in the policies, systems, and environments of their communities as related to youth tobacco-, vaping-, and nicotine-use. Upstream public health means figuring out why something is a problem in the first place, rather than looking at individual behavior to address a problem. For example, it focuses on social inequities like people’s income level, race, immigration status, gender, sexual orientation, etc. Upstream public health also focuses on institutional inequities in government agencies, schools, businesses, nonprofits, and laws and regulations that might be unfairly benefiting certain groups based on their identity. Often, upstream work will point directly to the existence of structural racism.
Using an upstream approach to their PSE Prevention Projects, grantees will: 1) conduct research, 2) identify key stakeholders, and 3) present their research findings to identified stakeholders at a school board, board of health, government panel, coalition meeting, or town hall. Below are examples of projects that Chapters have successfully implemented using this upstream approach:
While these are examples of successful projects in the past, applicants are welcome to identify their own topic of relevance that addresses tobacco, vaping, and/or nicotine prevention.
Programs will be provided with:
A collection of virtual training resources;
Troubleshooting sessions and technical assistance during monthly meetings to support successful implementation;
The 84 staff feedback during the midway progress report.
Expectations: The 84 Movement’s PSE Prevention Project grants will be given to youth-serving organizations that are interested in incorporating programming that would support lasting upstream changes in the policies, systems, and environments of their communities as related to youth tobacco-, vaping-, and nicotine-use. Grantees will be required to attend monthly meetings to discuss their progress, as well as the Youth Power Summit. Grantees will be required to submit a brief progress report midway through the project, give a presentation to a key stakeholder about their project and proposed solution, and submit a summary of their work as part of the grant’s final report.
The grant will be issued in one payment upon execution of the contract. Funding may be used to pay for staff time, consultants, youth stipends, refreshments, supplies and materials, and transportation.
Required events:
The 84 Movement’s ENUFF Day on Wednesday, March 18, 2026
Virtual monthly meetings for adult advisors and The 84 staff to track project progress
Transportation to and from ENUFF Day will be reimbursed by The 84 Movement separately from grant funds. Please do not budget for this expense in your application.
Grantees might be asked to present a summary of their work during The 84 Movement’s Kickoff to be held in September 2026. This would be a virtual event.
Applications must be submitted by 3:00 PM on Friday, February 27, 2026. Applicants will be notified whether they will receive funding by March 11, 2026. The 84 will host a virtual information session on Wednesday, February 11, 2026 from 3-4pm, where interested applicants will be able to ask questions.
Option Two: The Creative Spark Fund
Funding Amount: up to $4,000
Project Timeline: March 16, 2026 - June 12, 2026
Summary: The 84 Movement Creative Spark Fund will provide funding to Chapters to carry out a creative project of their choosing. The creative project must address an element of The 84’s mission (i.e., addressing racism and discriminatory practices of the tobacco and vaping industries, uplifting youth voices, root cause factors that lead to tobacco and nicotine use, etc.) and can range from:
art murals;
interactive displays;
podcast shows;
music videos;
photography;
other suitable creative project.
Important:
A final version of your creative project must be submitted; including a short summary description of the creative work, including title, creators, content, and intended impact;
Individual audio and visual projects must be posted on an accessible online platform;
You can view previous submissions by visiting The84.org/creative-spark-fund.
The grant will be issued in one payment upon execution of the contract. Funding may be used to pay for staff time, consultants, youth stipends, refreshments, supplies and materials, and transportation.
Required events:
The 84 Movement’s ENUFF Day on Wednesday, March 18, 2026;
One midpoint check-in with The 84 staff to provide support and answer questions.
Transportation to and from the Youth Power Summit will be provided by The 84 Movement separately from grant funds. Please do not budget for this expense in your application.
Grantees might be asked to present their work at The 84 Movement’s Kickoff in September 2026. This will be a virtual event where you can summarize and share their work with other 84 Chapters.
Applications must be submitted by 3:00 PM on Friday, February 27, 2026. Applicants will be notified whether they will receive funding by March 11, 2026. The 84 will host a virtual information session on Wednesday, February 11, 2026 from 3-4pm, where interested applicants will be able to ask questions.
Additional Funding Opportunities
If your Chapter would like to work on a special project but does not have capacity for a mini-grant, we periodically offer additional smaller opportunities throughout the year.