Recent Regional Program Grant Awards

Boys & Girls Club of Assabet Valley, Maynard, MA
A $25,000 grant to enable the Club to serve children in Maynard and surrounding communities during a time of transition and a second $25,000 grant to support the Beyond the Bell after school programs in 2012.

Boys and Girls Clubs of MetroWest, Marlborough, MA
A $28,000 grant to conduct a Capital/Endowment Campaign feasibility study and to produce the supporting collateral material should the campaign go forward.

REACH Beyond Domestic Violence, Inc., Waltham, MA
A $6,000 grant to support the addition of a “Train the Trainer” component to violence prevention education at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School.

Restoration Project, Concord, MA
A $10,000 grant to enable three CASE Collaborative special education students to participate in the upcoming summer and school year programs.

Organizational Capacity and Effectiveness Grants

Concord Museum, Concord, MA
An $18,000 for capital upgrades at the historic Museum which houses one of the oldest and most treasured collections of Americana in the country.

Discovery Museums, Acton, MA
To $12,500 grant to create a new and expanded exhibit at the Science Discovery Museum which explores the science and art of sound.

Framingham History Center, Framingham, MA
A $18,500 grant to send seven staff, board and community representatives to Part II of the Benevon fundraising training designed to help the agency solicit long-term donors.

Massachusetts Audubon Society/Drumlin Farm, Lincoln, MA
A $15,000 grant to pilot a part-time Farmer Educator position to expand, enhance and develop a business plan for the “Know Your Food” program which educates visitors on a variety of topics linking small-scale, local agriculture to environmental conservation.

MetroWest Free Medical Program, Sudbury, MA
To $5,000 grant to purchase a second Cholestech cholesterol testing machine and supplies to enhance a new early detection and prevention focus.

New England Wild Flower Society, Inc., Framingham, MA
A $15,000 grant to produce and install new signage throughout its Garden in the Woods property to reflect the agency’s renewed focus on native New England plants.

Root Cause / Social Innovation Forum, Cambridge, MA
A $50,000 grant to sponsor an SIF grant track around the issue area of Children, Youth and Families in the Metrowest region.

South Middlesex Opportunity Council, Inc., Framingham, MA
A $10,000 grant to increase the hours of one part-time GED teacher to full-time status at the MetroWest Career Center to enhance the program and accommodate more students.

Third Sector New England as fiscal agent for Communities for Restorative Justice, Concord, MA
A $12,000 grant for a series of activities to support the agency as it becomes its own nonprofit entity, including a strategic planning consultation.

Photo courtesy of N.E. Wild Flower Society

Community Building Grants

Hudson Area Arts Alliance, Hudson, MA, $5,000
A second year of support for the Hudson Pathways project, a collaborative public art and humanities initiative that showcases downtown Hudson and the Assabet River Rail Trail.

Pictured left is the mural painted by Hudson school children inside the Rail Trail Tunnel that runs under Route 290 in Hudson.

A Place to Turn, Natick, MA, $5,200
To enable this emergency food pantry to provide its clients with fresh produce on a weekly basis.

Organizational Capacity and Effectiveness Grants

Amazing Things Arts Center, Framingham, MA, $15,000
To repair the leaky roof at the Hollis Street Firehouse, the home of the agency’s cultural arts center, as part of Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund matching grant.

Boys and Girls Clubs of MetroWest, Marlboro, MA, $2,600
To provide staff training on the agency’s database software.

Center for Parents and Teachers, Concord, MA, $10,000
To plan and host 13 parent education workshops during the 2010-11 academic year.

DeCordova Sculpture Park & Museum, Lincoln, MA, $10,000
To help fund a comprehensive strategic planning process.

Employment Options, Marlborough, MA, $15,000
To help support the second year of operation of Furnishing Options, which provides free household goods to families in need.

Framingham Court Mediation Services, Inc., Framingham, MA, $5,000
For a second year of general support to enable the agency to continue to provide free mediation services to parties in small claims, minor criminal and housing/eviction cases in the Framingham, Marlborough and Concord district courts.

Framingham History Center, Framingham, MA, $12,000
To send eight staff, board and community representatives to an intensive two-day fundraising training designed to help the agency solicit long-term donors, and a supplemental grant of $3,500 to help purchase database software to complement the project.

Framingham Public Schools/Framingham Adult ESL Plus, Framingham, MA, $12,000
To fund one evening ESL class during the 2010-11 school year.

MetroWest Free Medical Program, Sudbury, MA, $5,000
For a series of projects and purchases to enhance services at the drop-in center.

Metrowest Nonprofit Network, Framingham, MA, $3,000
To host a full-day, participatory grantwriting workshop for Metrowest nonprofit staff.

Organization for the Assabet River, Concord, MA, $20,000
To support a rebranding and outreach project as OAR expands its river stewardship mandate to include the Concord and Sudbury Rivers.

Parmenter VNA and Community Care, Inc., Wayland, MA, $15,000
To support a capital campaign to expand the agency’s Hospice Residence from six to 10 beds to meet demand and enhance capacity.

Performing Arts Center of Metrowest, Framingham, MA, $9,700
To renovate the Center’s multi-purpose room so it can be used for performances, workshops and classes as a way to build the agency’s capacity.

Sudbury Valley Trustees, Inc., Sudbury, MA, $19,200
To pilot an AmeriCorps volunteer program to support SVT’s work in land stewardship and community outreach.

The Concord Players, Concord, MA, $5,000
To upgrade the sound system at the performance hall at 51 Walden Street in downtown Concord to enhance the Players’ ability to produce quality, large scale musicals.

Youth Development and Opportunity Grants

Concord-Carlisle Community Chest, Concord, MA, $10,000 over 2 years
To help pilot a part-time Youth Coordinator/Commissioner position for the Town of Concord to address a variety of youth issues, including mental health supports.

Discovery Museums, Acton, MA, $15,000
To design the Dream Green: Reinvent Your House exhibit at the Science Discovery Museum, a permanent exhibit that explores the concepts of green design, energy conservation and sustainability.

Framingham Police Department, Framingham, MA, $5,000
To host a program of Youth-Police dialogues to improve communications and understanding between at-risk Framingham teens and law enforcement officers.

Gaining Ground, Inc., Concord, MA, $5,000
To fund the 2010 Farm Team, a summer program that offers high school and college-age volunteers an opportunity to learn firsthand about organic farming, the environment, and community-building while growing fresh produce to donate to area food pantries and meal programs.

Kids Connect, Inc., Natick, MA, $5,000
For general support for this after-school tutoring program.

Manitou Camps Foundation, Wayland, MA, $13,200
To provide start-up funding for Jeff’s Place, a program that supports grieving children.

Preservation of Community Character Assets Grant

Massachusetts Audubon Society, Lincoln, MA, $15,000
For a series of efforts to enhance the mapping and reporting of invasive plant species data in the SUASCO watershed, including the development of a database and web-based map for sharing and analyzing the data.