The Boston Foundation announces nearly $1 million in new COVID-19 related grants

Boston– The Boston Foundation today announced $945,000 in new grants from the COVID-19 Response Fund in support of Greater Boston nonprofits providing critical support to communities most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The latest round includes 18 general operating support grants of $25,000 to organizations working with vulnerable populations, including seniors, communities of color, low-income residents, and immigrants—including undocumented immigrants.

The round also includes 12 grants, totaling $495,000, made possible by a gift from the Massachusetts COVID-19 Relief Fund. The Massachusetts COVID-19 Relief Fund supports those across the state most impacted by the COVID-19 health crisis, focusing on essential frontline workers and vulnerable populations including the homeless, immigrant populations, people with disabilities, and those facing food insecurity. The Fund works in concert with regional community foundations and nonprofit leaders who partner with local leaders to understand the response and relief landscape, strategically filling in where gaps are pronounced.

The COVID-19 Response Fund has made grants to 121 organizations. The fund has now distributed $3.2 million in grants in the past six weeks.

“Nonprofits across the region continue to do remarkable work easing the devastating health and social impacts of COVID-19—impacts that have laid bare the long-term inequity that has disadvantaged Blacks, Latinos, and other groups,” said Paul S. Grogan, President and CEO of the Boston Foundation. “We must all continue to provide support to meet current needs and strive to address the longer-term responsibility we have to ensure opportunity, access, and justice for every person who calls this region home.”

To date, the COVID-19 Response Fund at the Boston Foundation has raised more than $7.4 million from more than 700 companies, private and family foundations, donor-advised funds, and individual or group gifts.

Round 6 Grantees List:

Each of the grantees below receives a $25,000, one-time general operating support grant from the COVID-19 Response Fund.

African Bridge Network (ABN) (Newton): to support the Africans in Massachusetts COVID-19 Response campaign, a partnership with a network of African community organizations in the Greater Boston area to educate, empower, connect them to resources, and mobilize supplies for impacted community members. 

Black Ministerial Alliance of Greater Boston (Boston): to help meet the basic needs of individuals and families and keep them safe, healthy, and informed during this pandemic. Support includes the development of resource guides in English and Spanish, emergency grocery cards, cleaning supply kits, and transportation coupons.

Boston Missionary Baptist Community Center (Roxbury): to support the Haitian community in Greater Boston by expanding food distribution, including working with partners in Randolph and Mattapan, and conducting counseling and advocacy to help participants access critical resources.

Brazilian American Center, Inc. (BRACE) (Framingham): to continue helping the immigrant community at BRACE in Framingham, Scalabrini Assistance and Cultural Center in Somerville and Centro Comunitario Scalabrini in Everett. Support includes food baskets, quarantine supplies, and support by phone, including health insurance assistance, COVID test orientation, unemployment application support, and domestic violence resources.

Chelsea Restoration Corporation (Chelsea): to provide targeted housing assistance in both Spanish and English to help homeowners create plans to get through this crisis and keep their homes.

Eastie Farm, Inc. (East Boston): to provide individuals and families with fresh produce, bulk rice, beans, and meat; prepared food for families with sick members; up-to-date neighborhood-specific bilingual information (food, healthcare, financial aid, etc.); multilingual support for online aid application; and moral/spiritual support.

FriendshipWorks (Boston): to support isolated elders in Boston and Brookline with essential needs such as prescriptions and groceries.

Islamic Multi-Service Organization (Roxbury): to support food delivery operations from IMSO’s food pantry to community members, many of whom are immigrants.

Jeremiah Program (Boston): to assist families in efforts to keep their current housing, and distribute essential needs and supplies to Jeremiah Program Boston families, including groceries, cleaning supplies, laundry services, and supplies for infants and young children, such as diapers, wipes, and other items.

Mothers for Justice and Equality, Inc. (Roxbury): to provide support for increased trauma-response for MJE clients, single mothers, heads of households, and young parents. Supports include cash assistance, online workshops, case management, and clinical referrals.

New England Bangladeshi American Foundation (Cambridge): to increase its relief services, including wellness checks, assistance filing unemployment claims, delivering food and toiletries, and disseminating information coming from state and city governments.

Rebel Cause, Inc. (Boston): to support its community members, predominantly people who identify as LGBTQ, and/or are undocumented, with rent and utilities, food, medication, access to therapy and medical services, and other needs as identified.

Resilient Sisterhood Project (Boston): to support equitable reproductive, mental, and physical health care for pregnant Black women during the COVID-19 crisis.

Somali Parents Advocacy Center for Education (SPACE) (Boston): to support the basic needs of Somali parents of children with developmental and intellectual disabilities, as well as Somali elderly and poor with low health literacy who need immediate assistance.

The Innocent Convicts (Boston): to support essential services for senior citizens, individuals and families impacted by wrongful convictions, returning citizens, children, immigrants, and essential workers. Support includes provision of basic food items, counseling, payments for medication and utilities, and delivery of other basic needs.

The Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts (Roxbury): to provide emergency food, personal health items, rental assistance, and displacement solutions, and to disseminate COVID-19 information and related resources to families and individuals, small business owners, and freelance businesses.

UTEC (Lowell): to provide a variety of services to young adults aged 18 to 25 who are currently incarcerated in the Middleton House of Correction. Services include tele-counseling for both the young adults and their families, and basic needs deliveries to families in the community.

Youth in Crisis Ministries (Boston): to distribute food to youth who are high risk and court-involved and their families.

The following grants are made possible by our partnership with the Massachusetts COVID-19 Relief Fund. All grants are for general operating support. Grant amounts are noted with each grantee.

ABCD Malden (Malden) - $40,000: to support ABCD Head Start’s Food and Fuel Fund and to provide housing assistance to local Malden residents.

Asian American Service Association, Inc. (Quincy) - $40,000: to support the Wollaston Senior Center in its efforts to offer phone-based social service supports including wellness checks, referrals, counseling, interpretation, access to emergency resources, and help with the public assistance application process.

Bread of Life (Malden) - $50,000: to expand services, including providing take-out meals four nights a week in Malden, operating low-contact food pantries in Malden and Everett, and providing grocery delivery to senior citizens in public housing and homeless families sheltered in local motels. 

Brockton Interfaith Community (Brockton) - $50,000: To support the Brockton Mutual Aid Fund, providing community members with assistance for housing, food, and other necessities.

Brockton Worker's Alliance (Brockton) - $40,000: to support intake for the MA Undocufund, and serve as an intermediary connecting community members with food banks and health, legal, and housing services.

The Chelsea Collaborative (Chelsea) - $40,000: To support the Collaborative’s housing services and protections for tenants and undocumented families, as well as food distribution to families in need, supports for applying for unemployment and other benefits, and bilingual assistance for accessing medical care, testing, and other medical information.

DOVE, Inc. (Quincy) - $40,000: to support DOVE’s 24/7 emergency shelter program; 24-hour domestic violence hotline; legal assistance around areas of economic safety, housing, and benefits; and immigration services; as well as remote counseling, support groups, and safety planning sessions for victims and survivors of domestic violence.

La Comunidad (Everett) - $35,000: to support the Latino-American community in Everett, including support for filing for unemployment, accessing emergency resources, and addressing immigration issues.

Metro North Housing Corp. (Malden) - $40,000: to support Metro North’s housing for homeless individuals, many of whom are coming from high-risk settings.

Moroccan American Connections in Revere (MACIR) (Revere) - $40,000: to support its work with small Moroccan businesses to ensure access to needed services, and efforts to help undocumented families purchase food, pay bills, and access online classes to qualify for entry-level work-from-home jobs.

Old Colony YMCA (Brockton) - $50,000: to support its work providing shelter to families and individuals experiencing homelessness, as well as those without access to needed food, clothing, and mental health and substance abuse services.

Roca, Inc. (Chelsea) - $30,000: to support ROCA’s efforts to provide housing and food assistance to about 1,000 young adults and their families, as well as provide hygiene supplies (such as diapers) to families with young children.