2007 Fall Grants Announced!
In its most recent round of grantmaking the Brookline Community Foundation committed $95,550 to organizations that serve the community. The foundation made grants totaling $350,000 in 2007.
“Our priorities, in the grants program, are to create equal access to community resources and to strengthen our nonprofits,” said Executive Director Molly Paul. “We will be continuing to put the highest priority on services to low income families for the next several years, in keeping with our Strategic Plan, which will be released in February 2008.”
The Public Health Department received two grants to help uninsured people enroll in health plans, and to develop emergency-preparedness plans for social service organizations that serve the vulnerable populations. More than $20,000 was designated to support the newly established Fund for Young Children, which enables access to quality pre-school education and experiences for all young children in Brookline by providing scholarships for preschool programs and extended care for young children. The grant will be matched with $10,000 by a BCF donor, providing this vital initiative with more than $30,000 to help young children in need. Brookline Parent-Child Home program, and new homework centers for Lawrence School were also awarded grants.
The senior residents at Center Communities (100 Centre Street) will receive help to produce their own in-house newsletter. Artbarn will receive a grant to launch a new after-school traveling troupe of players to provide entertainment in nursing homes and assisted living centers. The Commission for Women received support for their annual “Women Who Inspire Us” essay contest and Woman of the Year award.
The Coolidge Corner Theatre will receive a grant to help with their exciting stage expansion in Movie House 1, and the Emerald Necklace Conservancy received support for a pilot woodland restoration project in Olmsted Park, near Leverett Pond.“The Coolidge Corner Theatre and the parks in town are community resources,” said Tom Mendelssohn, Board Chair for the Foundation. “They are the places we gather and become a community.” The Foundation also supports the Safety Net, a program of emergency assistance grants and referrals administered by the Brookline mental Health Center, and, provides office space at below-market rates at its 40 Webster Place location for nonprofit organizations such as the Brookline Education Foundation and the Brookline Mental Health Center. Our guidelines are in the process of being revised. Please check the website for the new grant guidelines at the end of January 2008. The new guidelines will be effective for proposals in the March 2008 grant cycle. |
