Press Release  AG Campbell Launches New $300,000 Grant Program To Support Eviction Record Sealing And Access To Stable Housing

Boston — As part of her ongoing efforts to address the Commonwealth’s housing crisis, Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell launched a new grant program to support the implementation of Massachusetts’s eviction sealing law. The grant will provide funding to nonprofit organizations that provide legal services to support individuals and families through the eviction sealing process so that more eligible residents are able to seal their records and have a real opportunity for a fresh start.  

“A record of an eviction case, even if the case has been dismissed or was brought in retaliation for a tenant exercising their rights, can have devastating impacts,” said AG Campbell. “I am proud to launch this new grant, which will support organizations helping residents seal their eviction records and open the door to stable housing for thousands of individuals throughout our state.”  

The new grant will leverage $300,000 to fund nonprofit organizations that provide direct legal services to help develop educational materials, conduct targeted outreach to impacted residents and communities, coordinate legal clinics, and support individuals and families through the eviction sealing process. 

An eviction record is a barrier to safe and stable housing that can have a long-term and devastating impact. As soon as an eviction case is filed, a tenant has an eviction record regardless of whether the case was dismissed or filed on unlawful grounds, or whether it occurred many years ago. The state’s new eviction sealing law protects tenants from being marked with an eviction record for life by providing a process for them to petition the court to seal certain records. 

For a thirty-year period from 1988-2018, more than one million eviction cases were filed in Massachusetts. Black renters in Massachusetts are, on average, 2.4 times more likely to have an eviction filed against them than white renters, even though they make up only 11% of the renting adult population. Further, Black women are more likely to have eviction cases filed against them and subsequently dismissed, which results in an eviction record even when they won the case. Lastly, women of color are also disproportionately vulnerable to eviction because of other forms of discrimination, including discrimination against families with children and domestic violence survivors. 

Nonprofit organizations that provide direct legal services are eligible to apply. Grant funds will be awarded in varying amounts up to $75,000, with an anticipated start date of February 1, 2026. The maximum grant period will be 12 months.  

Applications must be received by 5:00 P.M. on December 5, 2025. Interested applicants may access the grant application on the AGO’s Grant Applications Portal. The Office will host a virtual informational webinar at 3:30 P.M. on November 13, 2025, open to all prospective applicants. Applicants may register for the webinar here.  

This grant program was developed by Director Esme Caramello of the AGO’s Housing Affordability Unit, Senior Counselor Jamie Hoag, Senior Advisor for Economic Mobility and Opportunity Sherry Riva, and Grants Unit Director Nathan Gardner, and is managed by Grants Coordinator Anthony Zero and Grants Program Manager Allison Beaufort. 

This grant is AG Campbell’s latest effort to create more affordable housing opportunities amidst a growing nationwide housing crisis. Last spring, AG Campbell launched the Housing Affordability Unit (HAU), which leverages the tools of the Office to expand the availability of housing, and particularly affordable and multi-family housing, throughout the Commonwealth. The Eviction Sealing Grant Program delivers on HAU’s mission by reducing barriers to renting or buying a new home and creating stable housing opportunities for more Massachusetts residents.

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