MassDREAMS (Delivering Real Equity and Mortgage Stability)
Down payment and closing cost grants for first-time homebuyers in Massachusetts communities that were hit the hardest by the economic effects of COVID-19
About MassDREAMS:
MassDREAMS is made possible by federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, which provides assistance to states to mitigate the economic effects of the pandemic.
MassDREAMS is a Massachusetts program that provides down payment and closing cost grants to first-time homebuyers who meet the program’s eligibility criteria and who currently live in one of the 29 communities that were disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic: Attleboro, Barnstable, Boston, Brockton, Chelsea, Chicopee, Everett, Fall River, Fitchburg, Framingham, Haverhill, Holyoke, Lawrence, Leominster, Lowell, Lynn, Malden, Methuen, New Bedford, Peabody, Pittsfield, Quincy, Randolph, Revere, Salem, Springfield, Taunton, Westfield and Worcester.
Important Note: MassDREAMS grants are only available to eligible first-time home buyers who purchase a property using a first mortgage loan from MassHousing or the Massachusetts Housing Partnership (MHP).
How much assistance is available?
- Up to $50,000 for homebuyers earning up to 100% of the area median income (AMI)
- Up to $35,000 for homebuyers earning between 100.01% and 135% of area median income
Eligibility:
To be eligible for MassDREAMS Homebuyer Grants, you must:
- Be a first-time homebuyer
- Purchase a home in any Massachusetts community, using a MassHousing or MHP mortgage
- Currently reside in one of the 29 Disproportionately Impacted Communities* in Massachusetts
- Buy a single-family home, condominium or 2-, 3- or 4-family home, which will be your primary residence
- Meet income and other eligibility criteria, which vary by location
To learn more about MassDREAMS and to see if you might be eligible, visit mymasshome.org. This website is administered by the Citizens Housing and Planning Association and jointly funded by MassHousing and MHP.
*The Disproportionately Impacted Communities in Massachusetts are
- Attleboro
- Barnstable
- Boston
- Brockton
- Chelsea
- Chicopee
- Everett
- Fall River
- Fitchburg
- Framingham
- Haverhill
- Holyoke
- Lawrence
- Leominster
- Lowell
- Lynn
- Malden
- Methuen
- New Bedford
- Peabody
- Pittsfield
- Quincy
- Randolph
- Revere
- Salem
- Springfield
- Taunton
- Westfield
- Worcester
How to Apply for a MassDREAMS Grant:
- Go to www.mymasshome.org and select Down Payment Assistance > MassDREAMS
- Complete the questionnaire. If you meet the initial qualifying criteria, you will receive an eligibility letter via email
- Contact a lender that partners with MassHousing or the Mass. Housing Partnership on MassDREAMS and provide them with your eligibility letter
- Work with the lender to apply for a MassHousing or MHP home mortgage loan
MassDREAMS Lenders:
MassHousing has partnered with lenders across Massachusetts to provide MassDREAMS grants to help certain first-time homebuyers in communities disproportionately impacted by the pandemic with their down payment and closing costs. If you have a MassDREAMS eligibility letter, contact one of these lenders. Don’t have an eligibility letter? Go to MyMassHome.org and click Down Payment Assistance > MassDREAMS.
Academy Mortgage Corp. | AnnieMac Home Mortgage | Avidia Bank | Bangor Savings Bank | BankFive | Bank of Canton | Bank of England | Bay Equity Home Loans | Bay State Savings Bank | BayCoast Mortgage Company | Bluestone Bank | Bristol County Savings Bank | Caliber Home Loans | Cambridge Savings Bank | Cape Cod Five | The Cooperative Bank | CrossCountry Mortgage, Inc. | Dean Co-Operative Bank | Dedham Savings | Draper and Kramer | Eastern Bank | Easthampton Savings Bank | Embrace Home Loans | Envoy Mortgage Ltd. | Evolve Bank & Trust | Fairway Independent Mortgage Corp. | Fidelity Cooperative Bank | First Citizens Federal CU | First Home Mortgage Corp. | Guaranteed Rate Affinity, LLC | Guaranteed Rate, Inc. | Guild Mortgage | HarborOne Mortgage, LLC | Holyoke Credit Union | HomeBridge Financial Services | Homespire Mortgage | Hometown Bank | Inland Bank and Trust | Leader Bank | Merrimack Valley Credit Union | Millbury FCU | Mortgage Equity Partners | Mortgage Network, Inc. | Movement Mortgage | MSA Mortgage | Needham Bank | NewFed Mortgage Corp. | NFM Lending, Inc. | Norcom Mortgage | Northpoint Mortgage, Inc. | PrimeLending | Pulte Mortgage | Radius Financial Group Inc. | Republic State Mortgage Co. | Rockland Trust Company | Salem Five Mortgage Company, LLC. | Shamrock Home Loans | Sierra Pacific Mortgage Company | St. Anne’s Credit Union | StonehamBank | Total Mortgage | Wakefield Co-Operative Bank | Webster Bank | William Raveis Mortgage
“MassDREAMS (Delivering Real Equity and Mortgage Stability).” MassDREAMS Grants for Homebuyers, 12 Sept. 2022, https://www.masshousing.com/en/home-ownership/homebuyers/massdreams.