What is the CSF, and what does it do?
The MIT Community Service Fund raises money from staff and faculty to provide grants for dozens of local community organizations, as well as student-, staff-, and faculty-led service initiatives. 100% of the contributions we raise goes directly to grantees, maximizing the impact of each gift by ensuring that every dollar is providing the greatest possible good.
Our work fosters a culture of philanthropy at MIT and creates new learning and leadership opportunities for our students and colleagues. It builds important neighborhood connections, and advances MIT’s mission of serving the local community, the nation, and the world.
Learn how it works
How we started
The CSF was founded by MIT faculty in 1968 to provide funding and support to MIT student, staff, and faculty volunteers. The goals and principles outlined then remain at the heart of what guides us today:
- Funding projects with educational value to MIT students
- Strengthening mutual understanding and cooperation between MIT and surrounding communities
- Committing to both initial and interim support—not just the short term
- Promoting equality of opportunity within the community through the activities we support
- Directing funding directly to projects and initiatives—not staff salaries or stipends
These principles and goals inspired commitment and engagement within the MIT community; at one point in the late 1980s, more than 80% of MIT employees were active contributors to the CSF.
Where we go next
We’ve formalized a longstanding relationship with our partners at Community Giving, MIT’s workplace giving initiative, combining our resources and streamlining our efforts. Learn more about this new era in MIT community philanthropy and service.
We’re also working shoulder to shoulder with a growing network of service-minded individuals and organizations across the Institute—from the Priscilla King Gray (PKG) Public Service Center to MindHandHeart and beyond—to renew our community’s commitment to its mission of service.
It’s an exciting moment—for CSF, for the Institute, and for the communities we serve. All we need now is your help.
Ready to get started?
