Lowell, MA – The Greater Lowell Community Foundation has awarded $135,500 to 18 nonprofit organizations through its 2018 Discretionary Grants Program.

These grant awards are part of a competitive grant process in which nonprofit organizations apply for funds and an independent committee reviews the proposals and selects awardees.

The Discretionary Grants Program is one of several competitive grant programs offered through the Community Foundation each year.

“New this year, six social education grant requests were funded that will encourage active community leadership to help citizens understand and participate in their social, political, economic and cultural surroundings. The Foundation is proud to support the important work being done by our local nonprofits to strengthen our community.” says Greater Lowell Community Foundation President and CEO Jay Linnehan.

Social Education – $75,000:

• Lowell Community Health Center for Teen BLOCK Lowell Youth-Police Dialogues (YPD) Initiative at $12,500
• Boys & Girls Club of Greater Lowell, Inc. for My Community Matters at $10,000
• History UnErased, Inc. for Greater Lowell Youth Equity Conference at $15,000
• Do-it-Yourself Lowell for Young Ideas Project at $7,500
• Project LEARN, Inc. for Seeing Our World: Youth Voices Matter at $15,000
• UTEC, Inc. for Civic Engagement and Candidate Forums by Impact Young Adults at $15,000

Children’s Services – $15,000:

• Merrimack Repertory Theatre, Inc. for Young Company at $5,000
• Mass Audubon Society, Inc. for TREES: Inspiring Teen Environmental Leaders In Lowell at $5,000
• Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association of Greater Lowell, Inc. for Cambodian Cultural After School Program at $5,000

Leclair Elder Services – $31,000

• The Open Pantry of Greater Lowell, Inc. for Food Pantry at $5,500
• Westford Council on Aging for Helping Meet Unmet Transportation Needs of Older Adults at $4,000
• Massachusetts Alliance of Portuguese Speakers (MAPS) for MAPS Lowell Portuguese-Speaking Senior Outreach & Support Project at $5,500
• Habitat for Humanity North Central Massachusetts for Critical Home Repair for Aging in Place at $5,500
• Mill City Grows for Increasing food access and education for older adults at $5,500
• Lowell Housing Authority for Tech Savvy Seniors at $5,000

Water Resources – $14,500

• Organization for the Assabet River Inc. (OARS) for Three-River Recreation Map at $4,500
• Nashua River Watershed Association for Strengthening Citizen Scientist Teams with Enhanced Focus on River Fish at $5,000
• Merrimack River Watershed Council for Getting Up to Speed on Sewers — A Community Introduction to CSOs at $5,000

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Chelmsford, MA – Nearly 150 business leaders, nonprofit professionals, and community members gathered at the Radisson in Chelmsford for the Greater Lowell Community Foundation’s Annual Meeting, “Road to Recovery,” on June 5, 2018.

The evening’s keynote speaker was Middlesex District Attorney Marian T. Ryan. Ryan is recognized for her leadership on the opioid crisis and her innovative programs that address all aspects of abuse and addiction—prosecution, prevention, and treatment. In 2012, she founded the office’s first Opioid Drug Task Force in the Lowell region. At the meeting, she spoke about local efforts including her work to establish a drug court program in Lowell to assist people in recovery. A major impediment to the program is transportation as participants are travelling from across the region to attend programming and public transport can put participants at risk for relapse.

The Greater Lowell Community Foundation announced a grant to address this need and will partner with a local nonprofit to provide transportation services for drug court participants. “This partnership with the courts is the capstone of a multi-year commitment to fund programs for opioid prevention and treatment and help ensure success for participants. In response to opioid addiction across our region, the Community Foundation has awarded over $160,000 in discretionary funds to support nonprofits,” said Jay Linnehan president and chief executive officer of the Greater Lowell Community Foundation.

The Greater Lowell Community Foundation elected a new director to its board at the meeting. Mark O’Neil of Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union was voted on to the board. The Community Foundation thanked departing board members Joseph Bartolotta and Scott Flagg for their service.

Community Foundation president and chief executive officer, Jay Linnehan, also spoke about the impact of charitable giving on the Greater Lowell Community, citing the $1.6 million in grants awarded by the Community Foundation to students and nonprofits in the last year. Linnehan talked about a commitment to strategic growth in Greater Lowell communities that would build the endowment and allow for increased support of community needs including education and civic engagement.

Several nonprofit organizations from Greater Lowell that are working on opioid abuse prevention and treatment, civic engagement, and education provided information on their services including The Boys & Girls Club of Greater Lowell, Challenge Unlimited at Ironstone Farm, Hidden Battles, Leaders in Lowell, Megan’s House, and Mill Cities Leadership Institute.

Lowell, MA – The Greater Lowell Community Foundation and the Community Foundation of North Central Massachusetts awarded grants to five local towns through the Nashoba Valley Community Healthcare Fund to help improve the health of residents.

The towns of Ashby, Devens, Dunstable, Lancaster, and Shirley each received a grant totaling $15,593 for a Lucas Chest Compression System, which replaces manual chest compressions during CPR. With the awarding of these grants, every community in the Nashoba Valley Healthcare Fund’s service area will now have these state-of-the-art medical devices.

In July 2017, the Pepperell Fire Department saved a heart attack victim’s life using the Lucas System they were able to purchase as a result of being a recipient of a 2017 grant from the Nashoba Valley Healthcare Fund. These five grants will allow for the opportunity to save more lives in more towns in our community.

“The volunteer grant committee once again did a wonderful job prioritizing these important grants for the community,” said Jay Linnehan, President and CEO  of the Greater Lowell Community Foundation.

“These grants will help improve people’s health in the Nashoba region,” said Phil Grzewinski, president of the Community Foundation of North Central Massachusetts.

The Nashoba Valley Community Healthcare Fund provides annual distributions to nonprofit organizations, municipalities, and other agencies to advance the health of residents in local communities. Recipients of the grants were selected by the Fund Advisory Committee, comprised of local leaders in business, healthcare, and education.