Foundation Trust Announces 2019 Award Recipients
The Foundation Trust is pleased to announce its 2019 charitable funding. In total, more than $280,000 was awarded in grants and scholarships to nonprofit organizations and students in the Greater Boston area.
35 nonprofit organizations representing the 2019 catchment communities of Brockton, Lynn, Medford, Melrose, Revere, and Saugus, in addition to 12 other Massachusetts communities, received awards for their programming in the Foundation Trust’s four funding tracks:
- Overcoming trauma and adversity,
- Empowering high-risk youth and communities,
- Restoring dignity and quality of care for adults living with chronic conditions, and
- Advancing inclusivity in the arts.
Dr. Joseph Spinazzola, Executive Director of the Foundation Trust, shared “This was the Foundation Trust’s inaugural open-solicitation grant cycle. We were pleasantly surprised to receive a substantially higher number of requests than anticipated and are thrilled to support these innovative programs in each of our priority tracks across our target communities.”
Brockton:
- A grant to Luminosity Behavioral Health Services will allow them to pilot a new program using Capoeira to reduce trauma response and build coping skills in at-risk African American and other Brockton-area youth of color.
- A grant to the Bridge Center will offset costs of equine-assisted therapy for adults and transitional aged-youth living with disabilities in Brockton and Bridgewater.
Lynn:
- A gift to the Downtown Lynn Cultural District will contribute to the CityhALL initiative, making art and culture more accessible to the community.
- A grant to the Family and Children’s Service of Greater Lynn, Inc. funded a violence prevention and academic enrichment program, TEEN SCENE, in summer 2019.
- The Foundation Trust grant to the Lynn Home for Women will help build capacity at their residential facility.
- A grant to Portal to Hope will help provide safe haven to youth who have fled violent circumstances.
Medford:
Foundation Trust awards to organizations serving Medford totaled more than $60,000.
- A gift to CACHE Medford will help the organization take steps to develop a community arts center.
- A grant to the Malden YMCA Medford Food Security Program will allow for the expansion of pop-up events for Medford residents and sponsorship of the food pantry at Medford High School and Medford Weekend Grocery Program.
- A grant to the Malden YMCA’s Youth Community Centers in Medford will help at-risk teens learn leadership and work skills.
- A grant to the Medford Public Library will establish a designated room for scheduled use by area social workers, psychologists and related professionals to meet the counseling needs of individuals and families in the Medford community.
- A grant to Neighborhood Counseling and Community Services will allow for an expansion of multilingual offerings and the development of a new therapy group for members for the LGBQ and TGNC communities.
- A grant to Medford Public Schools Center for Citizenship and Social Responsibility will support student-led initiatives to address LGBTQ awareness training.
- Scholarships to Arlington Catholic High School students (residents of Medford or Woburn) overcoming family trauma and chronic medical and mental health challenges will enable them to continue their parochial education.
Melrose:
- A grant to Follow Your Art Community Studio will advance inclusivity in the arts by launching an annual artist in residency program and will subsidize art classes for adults with disabilities.
- A grant to the Melrose Human Rights Commission will support their established Pride event and provide seed money to launch a new speaker series for the community on topics related to empowerment, social justice and overcoming trauma.
- A gift to Mystic Valley Elder Services will support their services for older adults and adults living with disabilities.
- Scholarships to students at Mary of the Annunciation School will enable students facing various forms of adversity including extended parental illness and recent immigration to escape trauma in their native country to receive a parochial education.
Revere:
The community of Revere received the greatest number of awards in 2019, for programs spanning all of the Foundation Trust’s priority tracks. Over $50,000 was awarded to programs serving Revere.
- A gift to the Beachmont Improvement Committee will contribute to the “Stairways to Beachmont” project goal to improve public safety, promote healthier lifestyles, and improve neighborhood connectivity.
- The grant to the MGH Revere Youth Zone will enhance after-school offerings and provide seed funding for a new engineering program.
- A grant to Revere CARES will support the Youth Health Leadership Council’s third Self-Care Fair in February 2020.
- A grant to the Revere Community School will provide scholarships for ESOL courses, allow for new equipment to hold free digital skills trainings for low-income families, and offer free U.S. citizenship classes.
- Grants to Revere High School will support a new restorative justice program and support the school’s Gender and Sexuality Alliance.
- A grant to the Revere Police Activities League supported expansion of the Revere Police Summer Youth Academy, an alternative activity for at-risk and low-income youth.
- Revere Youth in Action will expand their study center providing tutoring and academic access workshops for students grade 6-12.
- Revere Society for Cultural and Historical Preservation will use their gift to enhance awareness of RSCHP and train docents.
- A grant to the Share Your Love Foundation funded a Summer 2019 SAT prep course for first generation Americans
Saugus:
- A grant to Saugus Action Volunteers for the Environment will contribute to the replacement of trees lining the town’s streets
Other Massachusetts Communities:
- Thanks to a gift from the Foundation Trust, the Amesbury Council on Aging was able to purchase iPads for seniors to use in their Greenleaf Supportive Day Program.
- A gift was made to Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston in memory of the Foundation Trust Founder, Dante Dieso.
- In Summer 2019, the Foundation Trust made a gift to the Patton Homestead in Hamilton to support an event commemorating the 75th Anniversary of D-Day.
- Hamilton Council on Aging will use their grant to purchase cell phones for dozens of area seniors in need.
- A gift to New England Homes for the Deaf in Danvers will contribute to services for Deafblind residents.
- Nevins Family of Services will be able to expand their Life Enrichment through Music program for their senior residents thanks to a gift from the Foundation Trust.
- The Essex North Shore Agricultural & Technical School, which also serves students from the 2019 catchment communities, will apply their gift from the Foundation Trust towards a project from the Student Leadership Team related to spreading kindness.
- A gift to IMPACT Boston will allow for implementation of a ten-hour trauma-informed safety and self-defense training course at Mattapan Community Health Center serving women and teen girl survivors.
- 2019 also marked the first season of the Giving Voice: Foundation Trust Drama Series at the Greater Boston Stage Company in Stoneham to advance inclusivity in the arts.
- A gift to the Zen Center North Shore will support their ongoing commitment to well-being through meditation (also serving Revere and Saugus).
Additional Foundation Trust Activities in 2019
As an operating foundation, the Foundation Trust also provides educational outreach and resource-development supporting social services related to its priority tracks of overcoming complex trauma and elevating at-risk youth and communities. During the past year, the Foundation Trust provided training through the Cory Johnson Program for Posttraumatic Healing at Roxbury Presbyterian Church’s Social Impact Center. The Foundation Trust also supported the development and open access dissemination of multiple scholarly journal articles and book chapters on topics related to Complex Trauma and Developmental Trauma Disorder. Most notably, the Foundation Trust developed and launched ComplexTrauma.org, a comprehensive information and resource website for trauma-impacted individuals, families and providers.
About the Foundation Trust
The Foundation Trust, a private operating and philanthropic foundation serving the greater Boston area, supports the important work of small to medium-sized nonprofit organizations. Our vision is to help individuals and communities overcome adversity and be afforded resources that promote recovery and advancement. Learn more at www.foundationtrust.org.