MELROSE NONPROFITS RECEIVE PARTNERSHIP GRANTS FROM THE FOUNDATION TRUST
The Foundation Trust is pleased to announce its 2023 Melrose grant recipients. Since its first grant solicitation cycle in 2019, over $100,000 has been awarded in scholarships and grants to nonprofit organizations serving the Melrose community, including over $37,000 this year.
"Every year, we observe the positive impact funding from the Foundation Trust has on the growth of nonprofits in Melrose and throughout the region,” shared Mayor Paul Brodeur. “This year, I want to extend special thanks to the Trust for their allocation of funds to groups that are working towards inclusivity and enrichment in the City of Melrose."
Recipients were chosen from nonprofits and municipal programs operating in the Foundation Trust’s program areas, including overcoming trauma and adversity, elevating high-risk youth and communities, enriching quality of life for adults living with chronic conditions, and advancing inclusivity in the arts.
Dr. Joseph Spinazzola, Executive Director of the Foundation Trust said, “Melrose is our home. We are committed to supporting its many nonprofit and municipal programs that help its residents and surrounding communities thrive.”
The Foundation Trust is excited to be involved in developing new programming with long-standing local organizations. A grant to the Melrose Alliance Against Violence (MAAV) (http://www.maav.org) will support development and implementation of a new Children’s Domestic Violence Support Group. Crystal Johnson, Executive Director of MAAV said, “The Melrose Alliance Against Violence has found a natural alignment with the Foundation Trust. We admire their approach and response to trauma, especially with high-risk populations. This partnership allows us to better meet the needs of domestic violence survivors and their children. We are grateful to the Foundation Trust for helping us carry out MAAV's mission to end the cycle of abuse.”
A grant to the Melrose Council on Aging (https://www.cityofmelrose.org/council-aging) will support furnishing of the new Milano Senior Center outdoor pavilion. “The Council on Aging is thrilled that the Foundation Trust shares our vision in creating a welcoming outdoor space where community members may gather. The Milano Center pavilion provides cover and shade over the patio that thanks to a generous premier partnership grant from the Foundation Trust, will soon be furnished with outdoor tables, seating, a television, and sound systems. This community space will be a new venue suitable for creative events, receptions, and more,” shared Stacey Minchello, Executive Director of Melrose Council on Aging.
A grant to the Melrose Family YMCA (http://www.ymcametronorth.org) will expand their services for seniors and adults living with disabilities. “We are honored to be a grant recipient of the Foundation Trust. Their support is going to allow us to expand and increase access to our programs for adults with chronic diseases. Programs such as Healthy Heart, Stay Fit, and LIVESTRONG address various ailments and improve the quality of life for participants. Partnering with the Foundation Trust will not only allow us to provide additional health and wellness programs to Melrose Family YMCA members, but also to expand our outreach to those in the Melrose community,” contributed Katelyn Papadopoulos, Executive Director of the Melrose Family YMCA.
In addition, Follow Your Art Community Studies (FYACS) (http://www.fyamelrose.org) received grants supporting two programs: the Foundation Trust Writer Fellowship featuring a rising local Black writer, and the launch of the Emerging Youth Artists Program. This program will award seven local high school students the opportunity for weekly mentorship at Follow Your Art which will culminate in a public art show featuring their work in spring 2024. Kris Rodolico, Executive Director of FYACS said, “The collaborations we have with Foundation Trust help FYACS to fulfill our mission to build a creative community that is open to everyone, and that welcomes and honors diverse voices to engage in creative processes together. We are a stronger organization with a more broad and dynamic community because of the opportunities Foundation Trust provides.”
Melrose was one of two communities including Revere eligible for Foundation Trust partnership grant awards this year. These awards, in addition to small gifts, continuing multi-year awards, and other community outreach total more than $78,000 distributed thus far in 2023 to small and medium-sized nonprofit organizations in the Greater Boston area.