Cambridge Opens Nonprofit Grant Round With August 21 Deadline
DATELINE — CAMBRIDGE
The City's Community Development Department opened a new round of nonprofit grant applications this week, with submissions due August 21, while the Community Benefits Advisory Committee gave nonprofits advance notice of a second competitive funding round still to come.
TOWN HALL
The Community Development Department is now accepting applications for its latest round of nonprofit grant funding, with a submission deadline of August 21. Separately, the city's Community Benefits Advisory Committee issued an advance notice that it plans to open another competitive round of grant funding "to address critical needs of Cambridge residents," aimed at community-based nonprofits, though it has not yet set an application window.
Public Works also announced its contractor, Newport Construction, began roadway milling and paving operations the week of July 20 to improve street conditions citywide, weather permitting. The department will hold the fifth of ten planned neighborhood Pop-Up Recycle Center events on Wednesday, July 29, part of an effort to make it easier for residents to dispose of items barred from regular trash pickup. The city also continues Teen Night Live programming for residents ages 14 to 19 at Cambridge youth centers through August 14, and free Tuesday evening concerts at Danehy Park run through the summer.
COMMUNITY & ARTS
The Cambridge Public Library's Valente branch is now open Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m. through July and August, even as the Main Library remains closed on Sundays until September, Library Director Maria McCauley's weekly update noted. The Main Library hosts a Teen Crafternoon on Thursday, July 23, at 2 p.m., letting teens make button pins and paper bead bracelets on a first-come, first-served basis.
The library's outdoor Park Sounds series continues Saturday, July 25, at 2 p.m. with a free performance by the Lion Sisters, a New Hampshire sibling duo blending folk, bluegrass and Irish fiddle traditions, on the Main Library's front lawn. The series, funded by the CPL Foundation in memory of Janet Axelrod, runs through the summer.
ELSEWHERE IN THE NEWS
"This Cambridge ice cream shop was named best-loved in MA," per the Milford Daily News, which reports Business Insider singled out Toscanini's as one of the state's most iconic ice cream spots. AOL also picked up the recognition the same day (read it at https://www.milforddailynews.com/story/entertainment/dining/2026/07/22/toscaninis-best-ice-cream-shop-massachusetts/90992377007/).
"Patch AM: Ready to dance by the Charles at Magazine Beach next month?" Cambridge Patch flagged the MIT Summer Philharmonic Orchestra's July 24 performance as a calendar highlight, per Patch (read it at https://patch.com/massachusetts/cambridge).
COMING UP
Teen Crafternoon at the Main Library is Thursday, July 23, at 2 p.m. The MIT Summer Philharmonic Orchestra performs Friday, July 24. Park Sounds brings the Lion Sisters to the Main Library lawn Saturday, July 25, at 2 p.m. Public Works holds its next Pop-Up Recycle Center event Wednesday, July 29. Teen Night Live sessions for Cambridge teens continue on weekday evenings through August 14, and free Danehy Park concerts continue on Tuesday evenings through the summer.