Greater Lowell Community Foundation announces Racial Equity and Inclusion Grants

Greater Lowell Community Foundation announces Racial Equity and Inclusion Grantsowell, MA – The Greater Lowell Community Foundation (GLCF) announces 10 Racial Equity and Inclusion Grants totaling $84,500 to local nonprofits as part of the 2020 Discretionary Grants Program. These grants collectively work toward creating a better quality of life for all Greater Lowell residents and supporting local nonprofits providing essential programs and services.

The Foundation awarded multiple grants of up to $15,000 that focused on racial equity and inclusion. The grant funding focused on one or more of the following goals:
• Increase understanding of our community’s challenges with racial equity and race relations.
• Provide access to stories and diverse perspectives on the lived experience of racial inequity in Greater Lowell.
• Strengthen relationships among Greater Lowell residents, particularly across racial and ethnic groups.
• Increase awareness of resources and best practices related to advancing racial equity.

“GLCF is focusing on racial equity in grantmaking, and through this grant cycle, the foundation funded 10 racial equity and inclusion grant requests,” said GLCF President and CEO Jay Linnehan. “We have made a multi-year commitment to address social justice in Greater Lowell – it is an investment in our community.”

Among the organizations funded was Free Soil Arts Collective, an arts organization based in Lowell, with a mission to amplify and strengthen the voices of artists of color. They received a $15,000 grant for Hidden in Plain Sight: Stories of Black Lowell, an interview-based documentary theatre piece. “Being Black in Lowell is rarely talked about or lifted in our community discourse,” shared Christa Brown, founder of Free Soil Arts Collective. “This project is needed, particularly now during the world’s renewed focus on racism and racial justice. We look forward to connecting with Black Lowellians far and wide.”

Additionally, Budget Buddies, in Chelmsford, was awarded $7,500 to support a Virtual Financial Empowerment Program for Women with Latinx Community Center for Empowerment. “The mission of Budget Buddies is to see all women achieve financial empowerment, but the pandemic has shown us how much greater the challenges can be for women of color. Job loss and increased caregiving responsibilities have disproportionately impacted Black and Latinx women in the past year,” said Danielle Piskadlo, Executive Director of Budget Buddies. “We’re grateful that the Greater Lowell Community Foundation has recognized these disparities and is partnering with us in their effort to build a more fair and just community for all.”

Lowell’s Project LEARN, Inc. received a grant of $10,000 for Elevating Stories, Changing Narratives – A Student-Led Antiracism Program. “The GLCF Racial Equity & Inclusion grant is the momentum we need in efforts to build on our student’s stories to shape a school-community dialogue around values of inclusion, belonging, and antiracism,” said LZ Nunn, Executive Director of Project LEARN. “Project LEARN is excited to co-create this program with our youth leaders. This grant will allow us to engage over 300 Lowell High School students, educators, and staff in these crucial conversations to promote equity, access and expanding opportunities for students of all backgrounds, cultures, and abilities.”

2020 Discretionary Racial Equity and Inclusion Grants:
· Boys & Girls Club of Greater Lowell (Lowell): Addressing Racial Inequities as a Trauma-Informed Community – $10,000
· Budget Buddies, Inc. (Chelmsford): Virtual Financial Empowerment Program for Women with Latinx Community Center for Empowerment – $7,500
· Building Audacity (Lynn): Say Their Names (in Greater Lowell) – $10,000
· Cambodian American Literary Arts Association (Lowell): Cambodian American Literary Arts Association Community Dialogue and Workshop Series – $13,000
· Cultivate Care Farms (Bolton – serves Greater Lowell): Diversity Training and Consultation – $1,000
· Free Soil Arts Collective (Lowell): Hidden in Plain Sight: Stories of Black Lowell – $15,000
· Kids in Tech, Inc. (Lowell): Afterschool Tech Club Program – $10,000
· Merrimack Valley Housing Partnership (Lowell): Project Genesis Home Buyer Training Program – $7,000
· Project LEARN, Inc. (Lowell): Elevating Stories, Changing Narratives – A Student-Led Antiracism Program – $10,000
· Tewksbury Public Library (Tewksbury): Public Library Libraries Working Towards Social Justice – $1,000

Through the 2020 Discretionary Grants Program, GLCF awarded a total of $152,500 in competitive grants to 30 local nonprofits within the categories of Racial Equity and Inclusion, Children’s Services, Elder Services, and Water Resources initiatives as part of its 2020 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.

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

About Greater Lowell Community Foundation
The Greater Lowell Community Foundation (GLCF), founded in 1997, is a philanthropic organization comprised of over 350 funds, currently totaling over $50MM, dedicated to improving the quality of life in 20 neighboring cities and towns. The Community Foundation annually awards grants and scholarships to hundreds of worthy nonprofits and students. GLCF is powered by the winning combination of donor-directed giving, personal attention from its staff, and an in-depth understanding of local needs. Our donors’ generosity has enabled GLCF to award more than $25 million to the Greater Lowell community.

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PHOTO: GLCF21_ BudgetBuddies.jpg

CAPTION: Budget Buddies, in Chelmsford, was awarded $7,500 a 2020 Discretionary Racial Equity and Inclusion Grant to support a Virtual Financial Empowerment Program for Women with Latinx Community Center for Empowerment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PHOTO: GLCF21_ FreeSoil.jpg

CAPTION: Free S

oil Arts Collective (Lowell) received a 2020 Discretionary Racial Equity and Inclusion Grant to support Hidden in Plain Sight: Stories of Black Lowell, an interview-based documentary theatre piece. Free Soil Arts Collective Founder Christa Brown, on the left, with Kesiah Bascom at a production of Hair Tales.

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