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A Message from the President and CEO
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Greetings!
This past weekend I celebrated Memorial Day, as did Americans across the nation, by remembering and honoring all the brave military men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice to ensure our freedom. But it was different. The typical parades and festivities did not happen. Instead, across the country, state by state, we battled the war of COVID-19. A war with its own soldiers fighting for our freedom. A war with its own casualties.
Freedom is not free unless there’s nothing left to lose – and I pray that’s not true for anyone. So in the days to come, as we begin to “reopen”, let’s exercise that freedom with the appropriate responsibility to not only ourselves, but to our family, friends and neighbors.
Please use your freedom wisely.
Be smart, be safe & be well.
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Join us for GLCF's Annual Meeting
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5 - 6 p.m.
Wed., June 10
VIRTUAL
(link will be sent to registrants prior to the event)
Jeff joined Philanthropy MA as Executive Director in mid-2010 and was named Chief Executive Officer in 2016. Jeff currently serves as the chair of the board of the United Philanthropy Forum. He served on the board of the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network for 7 years, four as Treasurer, and was named in 2018 as an Emeritus board member. In addition, Jeff was a member of the Leadership Team of the national D5 Coalition on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Philanthropy.
Prior to Philanthropy MA, Jeff served as Executive Director of StageSource, the Greater Boston Theatre Alliance, worked at the Huntington Theatre Company in a number of positions, and was General Manager at the New Repertory Theatre. Additionally, Jeff has served as Chair of the Arts Services Coalition of Boston, as Board Treasurer of Massachusetts Advocates for Arts Sciences and Humanities (precursor to MassCreative), and as a member of The Boston Foundation Arts and Culture Advisory Committee and the Massachusetts Cultural Council's Advisor Corps. In 2007, Jeff was one of 56 arts leaders to attend the Executive Program for Nonprofit Leadership-Arts at Stanford University Graduate School of Business Center for Social Innovation. In 2011, Jeff was awarded the StageSource Theatre Hero Award for his long-time service to the Greater Boston theatre community.
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GLCF awards $531,000 in grants to nine local nonprofits
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In its latest round of funding through the COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund, the Greater Lowell Community Foundation (GLCF) has awarded $531,000 to nine nonprofits.
The money, which came from the statewide Massachusetts COVID-19 Relief Fund, will support nonprofits in Greater Lowell that are working to provide food and housing, support for individuals with disabilities, frontline workers and immigrants, as well as other essential needs for vulnerable populations in need.
“These grants are critical to our ability to support local nonprofits on the frontlines of this pandemic,” said GLCF President & CEO Jay Linnehan. “We are very grateful to the Massachusetts COVID-19 Relief Fund and its donors for providing this support to our community in this incredible time of need.”
PHOTO: Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association (CMAA) received a recent grant to reduce food insecurity from funds from Massachusetts COVID-19 Relief Fund. This client was grateful to receive supplies delivered by CMAA staff.
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Cox Bridge Lighting to Honor Healthcare Workers, First Responders and Essential Personnel
From May 10 - 16, the Cox Bridge was turned blue to honor the Healthcare Workers, First Responders and Essential Personnel that are making extraordinary efforts to keep us safe during the Coronavirus pandemic.
This bridge, a gateway between Centralville and downtown Lowell, was illuminated with 200+ LED lights in 2018 to celebrate connections and to recognize the importance of waterways in the founding of the city.
The Greater Lowell Community Foundation and the Lowell Waterways Vitality Initiative thank the generous donors and local contractors that created this colorful display and Lowell landmark. Lighting the bridge in blue represents a visible way to say thanks to our courageous Healthcare Workers, First Responders and Essential Personnel.
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NETSCOUT Awards Grants to Nonprofits Leading COVID-19 Efforts in Partnership with GLCF
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GLCF announced that
NETSCOUT, a leading provider of service assurance, security, and business analytics, has awarded its Heart of Giving community program’s sixth grant through the Greater Lowell Community Foundation Center for Business Philanthropy. The annual grant program builds relationships with nonprofit organizations and engages employees in learning about service opportunities in the communities of Greater Lowell, Massachusetts.
The four 2020 NETSCOUT Heart of Giving Grant recipients, selected by NETSCOUT from area nonprofits serving the community during the COVID-19 pandemic, include:
- Boys & Girls Club of Greater Lowell – provide grab and go meals, activity kits and family care packages
- Clear Path for Veterans New England (Devens) – distribute emergency food boxes to military and veteran families
- Hidden Battles (Greater Lowell) –mission is to preserve the healthy minds of military, veterans, law enforcement, fire, EMS, dispatch, and nursing through treatment and counseling for depression, suicidal tendencies, and PTSD
- Westford Fire and EMS (Town of Westford) – provide personal protective equipment for emergency medical services
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Sunflowers light the way as Carlisle waits out pandemic
(Written by Nancy Shohet West, from a Boston Globe
article
published April 21)
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School had been canceled for weeks to come, and spirits were starting to sag. At home with her two young daughters, Rebecca Bromark of Carlisle wanted to find some way to offer assistance to those who needed it most, “and also do something community-building and hopeful,” she said.
Lots of families in her town were out walking, she noticed. “And I thought it might be fun to give kids something to look for when they’re out taking walks.”
Bromark had heard of communities that were posting rainbow drawings in windows as a sign of greeting in this era of social distancing, but she sought a different visual.
“I was looking for something that felt kind of summery and would remind us that summer is around the corner and hopefully when it arrives, this whole thing will be ending,” she said. The image that came to mind was sunflowers.
“I wanted it to be a mood lifter, and I also wanted to give people a sense of being involved with something positive and larger than themselves,” Bromark said. She put out the word on a neighborhood listserve and then on a community Facebook group, encouraging residents to use the crafting method of their choice to create a sunflower and put it where a passerby could spot it — from a social distance, of course.
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GALLERY: Sunflowers of Hope in Carlisle
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All photos courtesy of Rebecca Bromark
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Additional GLCF Grant Opportunities
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Women Working Wonders Fund Seeks Request for Proposals
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APPLY BY JUNE 17
The Women Working Wonders Fund supports programs that empower women and girls to effect positive change in the community. Founded in 2004, and funded by women, the Women Working Wonders Fund awards grants each year to nonprofit organizations whose programs/projects assist girls and women in transition, provide leadership opportunities, and beautify the environment.
This year, the Women Working Wonders Fund will award (4) grants at $10,000 each to program/projects that impact the lives of women and girls while advancing your organization's mission.
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2020 Juniper Networks Community Grants Program Seeks Request for Proposals
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APPLY BY JUNE 5
Juniper Networks
will offer a $10,000 grant opportunity through the Greater Lowell Community Foundation to a nonprofit organization for educational technology (including hardware, software, and connectivity) to support youth learning in Lowell, Westford, Chelmsford, Dracut, Tewksbury, Tyngsborough, and Billerica.
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GLCF COVID-19 Emergency Response
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Recent Grants*
Grant requests are accepted on a rolling basis and reviewed regularly to ensure quick decisions and timely support.
- Minuteman Senior Services - purchase of personal protective equipment and seven-day frozen meals packs
- Wilmington Community Fund - support the Wilmington pantry in supplying food products
- Townsend Senior Center/Council on Aging - cover the cost of weekly groceries to vulnerable populations for six weeks
- Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence - Lowell Asian Initiative Against DV essential support for clients
- Minute Man Arc for Human Services, Inc. - Personal Protective Equipment and antibacterial supplies
- Lifting Lowellians Assistance and Mutual Aid (LLAMA) - providing supplies from local ethnic markets to affirm the cultural and religious needs in Lowell
- The North East Educational and Developmental Supports Center, Inc. - purchase of PPE to continue caring for individuals with disabilities in their homes
- South Sudanese Enrichment for Families - support housing expenses for SSEF families during this crisis which includes families in Lowell, Westford, Pepperell, and Littleton.
- Latinx Community Center for Empowerment (LCCE) - support the creation of a guide that includes all of Lowell's resources in Spanish and translating the new information that comes from the City of Lowell
- On The Move, Inc. - purchase of books for two shelters in Lowell for the children living in these homes
- Dracut Council on Aging and Friends of the Dracut Elderly - purchase of 100 “take home kits” for Seniors in Dracut
- New England Paralyzed Veterans of America - support transportation and food distribution to disabled veterans living in Greater Lowell
- Able to Serve - basic food and personal hygiene items for clients
- Burlington Food Pantry - food pantry improvements
GLCF's Massachusetts COVID-19 Relief Fund Grants
The Massachusetts COVID-19 Relief Fund works in concert with regional community foundations and non-profit leaders to support those across the state most impacted by the COVID-19 health crisis, focusing on essential frontline workers and vulnerable populations including the homeless, immigrant populations, people with disabilities and those facing food insecurity. For more information, visit
MACovid19ReliefFund.org
. Note that the Massachusetts COVID-19 Relief Fund does not accept direct applications for support.
- Boys and Girls Club of Greater Lowell - meals for youths
- Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association (CMAA) - reducing food insecurity and providing support of the CMAA Monorom Family Support Program
- Catie’s Closet Inc. - toiletry items and feminine hygiene products for students
- Community Teamwork, Inc. - food, emergency housing, supplies and staffing
- House of Hope - personal protective equipment for staff and residents
- International Institute of Lowell - housing sustainability and support
- Lowell Community Health Center - emergency medical interpreters
- Mill City Grows - community supported agriculture
- Lowell Transitional Living Center - deep cleaning and disinfecting
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Donors
GLCF would like to thank the donors to the GLCF COVID-19 Emergency Response fund for their generosity and solidarity. For the most recent donor list, visit the
GLCF COVID-19 Fund Info Page
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100 Merrimack Street, Suite 202
Lowell, MA 01852
PHONE
978-970-1600
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