GLCF awards $321,000 to improve residents’ health in Nashoba Valley

Lowell, MA – The Greater Lowell Community Foundation recently awarded $321,000 in multi-year grants to six local nonprofits from the Nashoba Valley Healthcare Fund to help improve residents’ health in area communities.  

Priority was given to proposals pertaining to prevention of health problems, access to healthcare, elder, youth, and adolescent health, mental health, and health care service provision. This is a competitive grant cycle and recipients of the grants were scored and selected by the Nashoba Valley Community Healthcare Fund selection committee, comprised of local leaders in business, health care, and education.

“The Nashoba Valley Healthcare Fund provides impactful grants to our community,” said Jay Linnehan, president and CEO of the Greater Lowell Community Foundation. “We greatly appreciate the hard work and diligence of the volunteer NVHC selection committee in prioritizing the health needs of residents in our local communities.”

GLCF recognizes investments to improve residents’ health takes time. “Multi-year grants allow new projects time to develop and take root, giving them a better chance of succeeding,” said Jennifer Aradhya, GLCF’s Vice President of Marketing, Programs & Strategy. “This is the first year we have done this approach and we were impressed by the caliber of the nonprofit grant proposals. We are pleased to be able to provide three years of support for their efforts across areas including food insecurity, cancer supports, veteran services, senior care and more.”

Nashoba Valley Healthcare Three-Year Grant Recipients:

  • Clear Path for Veterans New England for Integrative Wrap-Around Support for Nashoba Valley Veterans – $60,000
  • Ellie Fund for Equitable Pathways to Breast Cancer Care in the Nashoba Valley – $60,000
  • Gaining Ground for Sowing Seeds for Hunger Relief in the Nashoba Valley – $36,000
  • Habitat for Humanity North Central Massachusetts, Inc. for a Person Centric Approach to Keeping Seniors Healthy and Safe at Home in the Nashoba Valley – $60,000
  • North Star Family Services, Inc. for North Star Family Services, Inc. for Homeless Families in Nashoba Valley – $45,000
  • Virginia Thurston Healing Garden for Empowering Resilience: Enhancing Psychosocial Cancer Support Services for Nashoba Valley Residents – $60,000

Ellie Fund, headquartered in Needham, received grant funding for their “Equitable Pathways to Breast Cancer Care in the Nashoba Valley” program. “A multi-year grant will allow Ellie Fund to focus on growing our work in Nashoba Valley, not just covering the cost of patient services,” said Danna Remen, Director of Development, Ellie Fund. “A year goes by so quickly, and the relief knowing we can invest our time in process and progress rather than going back to the drawing board for funding to cover patient needs, is completely invaluable. We wish more donors were thinking this way.”

The Nashoba Valley Healthcare Fund provides multi-year distributions to nonprofit organizations, municipalities, and other agencies to advance the health of residents in 9 GLCF communities: Ashby, Ayer, Dunstable, Groton, Littleton, Pepperell, Shirley, Townsend, and Westford.

For more information on the Greater Lowell Community Foundation, please visit www.glcfoundation.org. 

About Greater Lowell Community Foundation

Established in 1997, the Greater Lowell Community Foundation (GLCF) is a philanthropic organization comprised of more than 500 funds dedicated to improving the quality of life in 21 neighboring cities and towns. With financial assets of almost $60 million, GLCF annually awards grants and scholarships to hundreds of worthy nonprofits and students. It is powered by the winning combination of donor-directed giving, personal attention from Foundation staff, and an in-depth understanding of local needs. The generosity of our donors has enabled the Community Foundation to award more than $35 million to the Greater Lowell community.

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Caption: Gaining Ground, in Concord, farmer Avery Indermauer harvests cabbage.  Gaining Ground donates 100% of its harvests to people experiencing food insecurity.  Three-year grant funding from the Greater Lowell Community Foundation will help fund Gaining Ground’s expansion, providing more food for Nashoba Valley residents experiencing food insecurity.