Everyone has something to offer, and if what you have to contribute is money instead of time, you’re in the right place! For other ways of contributing time, money, or physical resources, check out the Get Involved page.
We accept one-time and recurring donations through our fiscal sponsor, Common Good, a 501(c)(3):
Why donate to MAMAS:
Without neighbors sharing their financial resources, we would be unable to redistribute wealth and support community members. For example, when SNAP benefits were threatened recently, our neighbors contributed thousands of dollars to our community pool to help support grocery gift cards and other assistance for our neighbors.
Since March 2020, we’ve redistributed over $1 million. That’s an impressive number (if we do say so ourselves), and it has helped support our neighbors in times of critical need. And we know that so many of our neighbors still need help. (If that’s you, here’s a link to our hotline.)
2025 Spending Report
Here’s a breakdown of how contributions to our community pool were spent in 2025:
NB: The last category is “Reimbursement Documentation Software,” which is how we collect signed forms and store receipts.
Ways to support
Recurring + One-time Donations
Got a little bit of cash? Recurring donations of any size help us support more neighbors! Just 5 people making a monthly donation of $20 adds up to a household getting consistent support for a year.
No really, just a tiny bit of cash? One-time and recurring donations of all sizes are appreciated – 20 people making $5 donations supports a household just as well as one person contributing $100!
Sponsor a Grocery Pair!
Got plenty of cash? Sponsor a grocery pair for the year. A recurring donation of $100 per month lets our grocery team provide consistent support to a Medford or Somerville household of 1-2; $200 per month supports a household of 3-5; and $300 per month supports a household of 6 or more people. (If you set up an account with our fiscal sponsor, Common Good, you can pay via ACH and help MAMAS save on credit card fees!)
Local Businesses
Got a local business? Consider hosting MAMAS for a fundraising event, or if you’ve got a matching donation program, consider encouraging your employees to donate to MAMAS and submit for your matching donations. (Shoutout to local businesses who’ve helped raise money for MAMAS in the last year, including Porter Square Books in Cambridge, Remnant Brewing in Somerville, and American Flatbread in Somerville!) Reach out to askyourmamas@gmail.com to learn more.
Checks, Donor Advised Funds, & Foundations
Got a foundation? MAMAS is grateful to the James B. Boskey Memorial Foundation for their support of our grocery sweeps program and welcomes the opportunity to apply for additional values-aligned funding. Email mamasmoneyteam@gmail.com with any questions.
Got a donor advised fund or want to send a physical check? We’ll need to notify our fiscal sponsor of a DAF or check contribution in advance – otherwise, the donation will go towards their general fund, rather than MAMAS. If you’re considering a DAF or check donation to MAMAS, please email the information below to askyourmamsas@gmail.com:
Using the account that the check will come from, we’ll need to know:
- First + last name on the account
- Name of the bank / community foundation / issuing institution
- Anticipated transaction amount ($)
After we’ve got the basics, we can send you information on:
- how to fill out the check (including a memo line and who to address it to)
- where to mail the check
- (if your DAF requires it:) Common Good’s tax ID number
We’ll ask for confirmation once you do send it out, and then you’re done!
Questions?
Common Good FAQ
Update information about Common Good and post it here, or add a link to the document explaining the amount of personal information they ask for (ie, third-party payment processor spiel, similar to venmo / paypal / zelle).
Contact us!
- Get involved: If you’d like to get involved with the money team, check out our working group page here.
- Via email: If you have another question that wasn’t answered on this page, please send us an email!
- Via slack: If you’re already a member of our Slack, you can also reach out to us in the #wg-money channel for a faster response.