LOWELL, Mass. – The Greater Lowell Community Foundation, a philanthropic organization comprised of over 390 funds, currently totaling over $55 million, dedicated to improving the quality of life in 21 neighboring cities and towns, announced that NETSCOUT, a leading provider of service assurance, security, and business analytics, has awarded its Heart of Giving community program’s seventh grant through the Greater Lowell Community Foundation. The annual grant program builds relationships with nonprofit organizations and engages employees in learning about service opportunities in the communities of Greater Lowell.

“Giving back to the community in which it operates amplifies a company’s greater purpose and NETSCOUT demonstrates this commitment to supporting important local causes,” said Jay Linnehan, president and CEO, Greater Lowell Community Foundation. “Connecting philanthropic businesses and individuals to the needs of their communities is at the heart of our work. We are proud to be in the 7^th year of the NETSCOUT Heart of Giving Community Grant at the Greater Lowell Community Foundation.”

“One of our ESG pillars is to fulfill our mission as Guardians of the Connected World by helping to bridge the digital divide,” said Michael Szabados, chief operating officer at NETSCOUT. “Our employees are actively engaged in the GLCF grant program, and selected Lowell Association for the Blind’s Braille embosser project for this year’s award.  Helping blind and visually impaired users to fully experience important online resources is one way we can support digital inclusion in our community.”

“The Lowell Association for the Blind would like to thank NETSCOUT for this grant that allowed us to get a new embosser which can print and do Braille on the same document, as well as the Greater Lowell Community Foundation for their hard work and assistance in making this grant available,” said Elizabeth Cannon, Executive Director, LAB. “The embosser can also do tactile graphics, and it is amazing to hear our clients when they feel the graphics.  It’s always ‘that’s so cool!’”

The Grant Process
From reading a grant proposal to learning about the organizations in the community and filtering through the worthy applications in order to select the finalists, and participating in work sessions with the Greater Lowell Community Foundation, employees have the opportunity to learn how nonprofits are addressing important issues in the community. From the grant submissions, three finalists were selected and invited to virtually present to NETSCOUT corporate headquarters and share how their organizations would best serve the community, how they would use the grant funds, and their ideas for employee community service projects.

The NETSCOUT Heart of Giving global philanthropy program includes disaster relief, community service projects, employee matching gifts and volunteer grants, and corporate charitable contributions.

About Lowell Association for the Blind
Lowell Association for the Blind (LAB) is a nonprofit, community-based organization dedicated to working with the blind and visually impaired. Established in 1923, the Association has been serving the Greater Lowell/ Merrimack Valley community for over 91 years. LAB is supported by contributions from memorial donations, grants from foundations, and program funding. The office in downtown Lowell provides 4,000 sq. feet of easily accessible space for meetings, adaptive equipment training, Braille lessons and a radio/recording studio.

About NETSCOUT
NETSCOUT SYSTEMS, INC. (NASDAQ: NTCT) helps assure digital business services against security, availability, and performance disruptions. Our market and technology leadership stems from combining our patented smart data technology with smart analytics. We provide real-time, pervasive visibility and insights customers need to accelerate and secure their digital transformation. Omnis® Cyber Intelligence delivers the fastest and most scalable network security solution available on the market. NETSCOUT nGenius® service assurance solutions provide real-time, contextual analysis of service, network, and application performance. And Arbor® Smart DDoS Protection by NETSCOUT products help protect against attacks that threaten availability and advanced threats that infiltrate networks to steal critical business assets. To learn more about improving service, network, and application performance in physical or virtual data centers or in the cloud, and how NETSCOUT’s security and performance solutions can help you move forward with confidence, visit www.netscout.com or follow @NETSCOUT on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.

©2021 NETSCOUT SYSTEMS, INC. All rights reserved. NETSCOUT, the NETSCOUT logo, Guardians of the Connected World, Adaptive Service Intelligence, Arbor, ATLAS, Cyber Threat Horizon, InfiniStream, nGenius, nGeniusONE, and Omnis are registered trademarks or trademarks of NETSCOUT SYSTEMS, INC., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners.

About Greater Lowell Community Foundation
Established in 1997, the Greater Lowell Community Foundation (GLCF) is a philanthropic organization comprised of more than 390 funds dedicated to improving the quality of life in 21 neighboring cities and towns. With financial assets of more than $55 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 $25 million to the Greater Lowell community. To learn more, visit: www.glcfoundation.org.

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LOWELL – The Greater Lowell Community Foundation (GLCF) announced it deployed a new round of COVID-19 related grants, providing an additional $208,750 to 13 nonprofits in Greater Lowell addressing mental health needs. These grants were part of the latest round of distributions from the GLCF COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund.

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Grants were determined through a competitive process with community members serving on the selection committee. GLCF solicited applications from nonprofits and local programs addressing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health in Greater Lowell.

“GLCF received more than $600K in grant requests for this cycle – the needs are enormous as the community deals with the mental health implications of COVID-19,” said GLCF president & CEO Jay Linnehan. “We are grateful to our volunteer selection committee that used their collective expertise to review many worthy applications to make some hard decisions relating to grant funding.”

The 13 nonprofits receiving grants in the latest round of the GLCF COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund to address mental health needs are:

• Adolescent Consultation Services (Cambridge) for Direct Mental Health Services for Court-Involved Children and their Families in Lowell – $15,000 
• Boys & Girls Club of Greater Lowell for Youth Services – $20,000 
• Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association of Greater Lowell (CMAA) for Supporting Mental Health Among Cambodian Americans – $20,000 
• The Center for Hope and Healing for Providing Culturally-Competent, Inclusive & Gender-Responsive Mental Health Services for BIPOC Youth – $20,000 
• Community Teamwork, Inc. (CTI) for Community Teamwork, Inc.’s Center for Behavioral Health and Development – $20,000 
• Health Law Advocates for Mental Health Advocacy Program for Kids in Lowell – $15,000 
• Lowell Community Health Center for Teen BLOCK Teen Talk Program: Building Resilience among Vulnerable Lowell Youth – $20,000 
• Lowell Council on Aging for Lowell Elder Mental Health Outreach Startup – $15,000 
• Massachusetts Alliance of Portuguese Speakers (MAPS) for MAPS Short-Term COVID Mental Health Initiative – $15,000 

• Operation Delta Dog (Hollis, NH) for PTSD Veteran/Mentor Program in Greater Lowell – $15,000 
• Rise Above Foundation for Activities for Lowell Area Youth in Foster Care – $15,000 
• Wayside Youth & Family Support Network for Creating Capacity for Allyship – $15,000 
• Westford Council on Aging for Mindfulness for Better Health and Mental Health – $3,750

Among the 13 grants funded, Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association of Greater Lowell (CMAA) received a recent $20,000 grant for their program: Supporting Mental Health Among Cambodian Americans. “We are grateful for the grant support from GLCF,” said Vichtcha Kong, Interim Executive Director, CMAA. “Cambodian immigrants and Cambodian American residents of Greater Lowell already cope with intergenerational trauma, so the isolation, stress, and disproportionate impact of the pandemic have had a significant impact within our community. This grant will help us by connecting and providing clinical interventions to support mental health.”

The $208,750 in grant funding includes significant funding from The Klarman Family Foundation who partnered with GLCF and other community foundations across Massachusetts to meet urgent community needs. GLCF continues to target pandemic-related community needs, especially after its recent survey of Greater Lowell nonprofits revealed that 100% of organizations had seen increased mental health challenges since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Many of these grants help to address two challenges the community faces: accessing mental health services and reducing the stigma for the need for these services, explained Jennifer Aradhya, GLCF’s Vice President of Marketing, Programs & Strategy.

Additionally, Operation Delta Dog in Hollis, NH, received a recent grant to support a PTSD Veteran/Mentor Program to combat isolation from the pandemic that has affected veterans significantly. “We are extremely grateful to have funding and support of Greater Lowell Community Foundation to help us continue supporting our veterans,” said Charlotte Troddyn, Executive Director, Operation Delta Dog. “The incorporation of a veteran mentor program will truly have a lasting impact on the mental health of our veteran community.”

Timing for this grant aligned perfectly for Community Teamwork. The organization received a $20,000 grant for the Rita O’Brien Dee Center for Behavioral Health and Development. “This grant could not have come at a better time, and we are so grateful to the Greater Lowell Community Foundation. This meets a critical need and addresses a significant public health issue – children’s mental and behavioral health,” said Karen Frederick, CEO, Community Teamwork. “Now more than ever, it is essential that parents, staff, and partners in our community working directly with children have the capacity, skills, and support to foster children’s healing and posttraumatic growth. The Rita O’Brien Dee Center for Behavioral Health and Development will be a resource for CTI and providers across the community.”  

Since March of 2019, through grants from the GLCF COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund and the Massachusetts COVID Relief Fund, the foundation has supported more than 130 local nonprofit organizations with grants totaling over $4.8 million. 

About Greater Lowell Community Foundation
Established in 1997, the Greater Lowell Community Foundation (GLCF) is a philanthropic organization comprised of more than 390 funds dedicated to improving the quality of life in 21 neighboring cities and towns. With financial assets of more than $55 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 $25 million to the Greater Lowell community. 

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By Kathy Register

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Lowell, MA – Not all that long ago there was very little wading in our local river waters. In the late 1960s, the Nashua River, which runs through north-central Massachusetts and southeastern New Hampshire, was declared one of the 10 most polluted rivers in the United States. Other regional rivers were so foul-smelling that few people wanted to be near them — much less boat, fish or swim in them.

The water quality of our local rivers and streams has greatly improved over the past 50 years, thanks to state and federal Clean Water Acts and the dedicated work of local organizations like the Nashua River Watershed Association Inc. (NRWA) and OARS. With grants from the Greater Lowell Community Foundation, these two nonprofits continue to monitor the water in nearby rivers and streams, and advocate for their clean up.

“The Nashua River used to change color depending on what color of paper the mills were making that day,” said Martha Morgan, NRWA Water Programs Director. “Locals used to say it was so full of paper pulp and other debris that squirrels could run across it.”

The Assabet, Sudbury and Concord rivers were also heavily polluted, according to Alison Field-Juma, OARS Executive Director. “These were all ‘working’ rivers,” she said. “Factory mills and other industries have been built along their shores since the gunpowder mills of the Revolutionary War.”  

In addition to industrial discharge, rivers were also plagued by “nutrient pollution,” Field-Juma explained. “They were totally green, but not in a good way. These rivers were full of rotting plants, there was sewage and a lot of algae in them, which kills fish. They gave off foul odors and people didn’t like it.”

The Nashua River Watershed Association, Inc. (founded in 1969) and OARS (established in 1986 as the Organization for the Assabet River) were formed to help clean up the rivers and restore healthy ecosystems for humans and wildlife. Providing support for that work is a Water Resources Initiative Grant Fund, part of Greater Lowell Community Foundation’s annual discretionary grant cycle.

“In 1998, with a grant from the Massachusetts Environmental Trust, the Foundation was able to create an endowed fund to protect the water resources in Greater Lowell,” said GLCF President & CEO Jay Linnehan. “The vigilance of our nonprofit partners protects our critical watersheds for future generations. We are grateful for their partnership in improving our community.”

Based in Groton and founded by environmentalists, NRWA is dedicated to cleaning up the Nashua River and its tributaries, and helps protect the land and natural resources in the Nashua River watershed. That area covers 32 communities in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

“Our three main program areas include land, water and environmental education,” explained Morgan.  “We teach youth and adults about water resources and how to be good stewards of the watershed. We preserve the land, too, because everything that happens on land affects the river. Every time it rains, all that run-off goes into our rivers and streams.”

NRWA’s most recent GLCF-grant funded program continues monitoring river-water quality in seven Greater Lowell towns: Ashby, Ayer, Dunstable, Groton, Pepperell, Shirley and Townsend. It also targets aquatic weed control – removing water chestnut – in Pepperell and Groton.

When monitoring the river, trained NRWA volunteers take monthly water samples in designated areas. Volunteers bring their samples to NRWA headquarters, where the water is analyzed. NRWA has a Quality Assurance Plan that’s approved by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP).   

“The state does some river-water testing, but it’s limited,” explained Kath Nelson, NRWA’s Water Monitoring Coordinator. “Our monitoring program supplements MassDEP sampling, and we are able to post a River Report Card days after testing.”

The state also sprays for the invasive water chestnut in the main channel of the Nashua River in Groton and Pepperell, and NRWA conducts “hand-pulls” in the inlets and coves that don’t get sprayed. NRWA summer staff and volunteers go out in canoes and kayaks to hand-pull the water chestnut plants, which, if not properly managed, can clog the river.

“The Greater Lowell Community Foundation really enables these citizen-science projects to happen,” said Elizabeth Ainsley Campbell, NRWA Executive Director. “Most of our volunteer monitors come back year after year and are very protective of this river. People really want to know what’s happening in their own streams and backyards, and they want a way to help.”

“The Nashua River is looking really good, but the work is never really done,” added Morgan. “We’re keeping an eye on it year after year.”

Based in Concord, OARS was founded by a group of sportsmen and conservationists. Originally focused on the Assabet River, the group added the Concord and Sudbury rivers to its purview in 2011, explained Field-Juma.

“Our focus is to restore the health of the Assabet, Sudbury and Concord rivers through science, advocacy and recreation,” she said. “We cover nearly 400 square miles and have about 35 cities and towns in our watershed.

“Our work is science-based: Our volunteers regularly observe and test the water. When we see a problem, we try to identify it, then work closely with our members and local stakeholders to find a solution.”

As part of OARS’ most recent GLCF-funded project, the group focused on tracking down sources of high bacteria pollution in the lower Concord River in Lowell. “Last year, we noticed elevated bacteria levels in the River Meadow Brook area,” said Field-Juma. “This year, we have refined our survey and added test sites, because it’s not that easy to track down these sources of pollution. There’s no one pipe that’s dumping pollution into the rivers any longer.”

There can be a variety of sources contributing to river pollution, she explained, including poorly maintained septic systems, storm water, wildlife (like Canada geese) and other warm-blooded animals living in the area, and, particularly, dog waste that is not properly disposed of.

High bacteria levels in rivers are very common problems, but they can be addressed, she added. “Our goal is for people to be able to safely enjoy recreation activities in our rivers.

“Thanks to the Greater Lowell Community Foundation, this funding has made all the difference in the world for us to be able to focus on this one part of the community,” said Field-Juma. “We would love for people in Lowell to have access to a clean river.”

About Greater Lowell Community Foundation

Established in 1997, the Greater Lowell Community Foundation (GLCF) is a philanthropic organization comprised of more than 390 funds dedicated to improving the quality of life in 21 neighboring cities and towns. With financial assets of more than $50 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 $25 million to the Greater Lowell community. To learn more, visit: www.glcfoundation.org.

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By Kathy Register

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Recognizing the important role women play in local philanthropy, the Greater Lowell Community Foundation (GLCF) manages a number of independent funds established by women who pool their resources to support their communities. 

Understanding there are a variety of ways women’s groups go about awarding grants to local nonprofits, GLCF supports well-established, endowed funds, such as the 17-year-old Women Working Wonders (WWW) Fund. GLCF also welcomes up-and-coming groups, like 100+ Women Who Care Boston Metrowest, a new collaborative “giving circle” just starting its third year.

“GLCF component funds, like these two philanthropic groups, inspire and empower women to make a difference where they live,” said Jay Linnehan, GLCF’s President & CEO. “GLCF is proud to support these generous women and welcome other groups eager to learn how they can collectively make a difference.”

“As a whole, women control more than half of private wealth in the U.S.,” added Jennifer Aradhya, GLCF’s VP of Marketing & Programs. “So, it makes sense that GLCF sees growth in this area of giving. Women in Greater Lowell are leveraging their resources via strategic donations to have a greater positive impact on the community.”

While Women Working Wonders and 100+ Women Who Care Metrowest operate differently, both groups have a common mission: combining resources to help others.

“One of the great things about Women Working Wonders is that we believe in establishing an endowment fund that will be there for younger women to work with,” explained Carrie Meikle, a WWW board member and co-chair of its grant committee.

“A lot of young women aren’t capable of writing a $5,000 or $10,000 check. But as a group, we can award grants in those amounts,” she said. “It’s a great way of collective giving, and shows how we can really have a positive impact.”

Started in 2004 by a group of 72 women who each gave $500, the WWW Fund has now grown to $1.3 million. But the group’s mission has remained constant: empowering women and girls to effect positive change in the Greater Lowell community.

WWW raises money via individual donations, as well as through its annual fundraiser, Power of the Purse, a fashion show and handbag auction. And in 2019, it launched a very successful 15th anniversary campaign.

“We raised $250,000 through that campaign,” said Meikle. “Our goal was to push our endowment over the $1 million mark, and we did it.” This year the group plans to award five $10,000 grants to local nonprofits. The 2021 grant application closes on June 17.

100+ Women Who Care Boston Metrowest was founded in 2018 by Amy Gleason, a teacher at Middlesex School in Concord. The group came under the GLCF umbrella in 2021.

Gleason was inspired to form the group after learning about the international “100 Who Care” philanthropic movement. “I started a U.S. nonprofit to support nonprofit organizations in South Africa, but feel strongly about supporting local communities, as well.  

“I read about a Canadian 100 Women Who Care group, and the giving-circle idea appealed to me. Other women and I could have a significant impact on local nonprofits by pooling our resources.”

Unlike Women Working Wonders, 100+ Women Who Care Metrowest doesn’t have an endowment fund, nor does it organize fundraisers. Instead, its 53 members donate $400 each per year, and the group awards quarterly $5,000 grants, said Gleason. As membership grows, so will the size of grants.

The group meets four times per year and votes to award one grant each quarter to a worthy Metrowest nonprofit that addresses a pre-determined theme. “We decide our four themes at the beginning of the year,” she said. “Our grants are unsolicited – they’re like a shot in the arm for these (mostly) small nonprofits. In many cases, the organizations don’t even know we’re looking at them.”

Members of  100+Women Who Care Metrowest range in age from 30 to 85, Gleason added. “What we all have in common is that we want to support local communities, but we also lead very busy lives.”

According to Meikle, for more than 17 years, Women Working Wonders has awarded various grants to large and small organizations. “We try to spread it out as much as we can,” she said.

Last year, WWW donated to Lowell General Hospital’s Cancer Center, to support breast cancer treatment, as well as to Dignity Matters, which provides menstrual-period protection to homeless and low-income women. The group has also supported the Boys & Girls Clubs, and Mill City Grows, which addresses local food insecurity.

100+ Women Who Care Metrowest has awarded nine grants in just over three years, Gleason explained. Grants have been made to nonprofits such as Household Goods in Acton (which gives furnishings to formerly homeless clients setting up households); REACH, a Waltham-based domestic-violence service agency; and most recently Cultivate Care Farms, Bolton Farm-Based Therapy serving Greater Lowell.

“There is something wonderful about getting an unsolicited chunk of money from a group that has looked into your organization and appreciates what you do,” she said. “I wish we were giving more. That’s our goal: To grow our group to 100 members so that we can give $10,000 grants.”

Women Working Wonders is also focused on its future, according to Meikle. “Our board was meant to evolve as the role of women has changed,” she said. “We always ask younger women to join — it’s a good mentoring opportunity.”

But the mentoring goes both ways, she stressed, and the recent pandemic is a perfect example of how quickly things can change.

“COVID-19 has had a huge negative impact on women and girls,” said Meikle. “So, last year, we realized our mission is more important than ever. However, the pandemic totally changed how we could fundraise.”

“Suddenly, we had to figure out how to host Power of the Purse as a virtual event. We had to learn how to market via social media and host an online auction.

“But we did it, and our younger board members made that happen,” said Meikle proudly. “WWW is set up to pass the torch to new female philanthropists.”

For more information about Women Working Wonders (www.womenworkingwondersfund.com) and 100+ Women Who Care Boston Metrowest, visit the GLCF website: 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 390 funds dedicated to improving the quality of life in 21 neighboring cities and towns. With financial assets of more than $50 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 $25 million to the Greater Lowell community.

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PHOTO: GLCF_CCFarms.jpg

Photo Credit: Monica Justesen Photography

Caption:  Cultivate Care Farms in Bolton, a recent 100+ Women Who Care Metrowest Grant Recipient, provides innovative Farm-Based therapy to individuals and families. Pictured: Cultivate Care Farms’ director Megan Moran with therapy cow Nora.

PHOTO: GLCF_LGH_WWF21.jpg

Caption: In 2020, Women Working Wonders (WWW) Fund awarded a  $10,000 grant to Lowell General Hospital’s Cancer Center’s to be used toward the purchase of breast boards. These devices are used to provide a comfortable prone position for women undergoing radiation therapy for breast cancer, which can also ensure a more accurate dose of targeted radiation.