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BOSTON - Thursday, February 25, 2021- Mayor Martin J. Walsh and the Boston Resiliency Fund Steering Committee today announced the Boston Resiliency Fund's 28th funding round, totaling $3.85 million in funding to 62 nonprofits in Boston. The organizations in this round of funding work to ensure access to food and other basic needs for Boston residents and to promote public health in the city through community-based outreach and engagement. Since its launch in March of 2020, $34.5 million has been donated to the Boston Resiliency Fund (BRF), and 377 Boston-based organizations have received over $34.1 million in funding.
"The Boston Resiliency Fund has been an invaluable resource in our efforts to
support the critical services that Boston's nonprofits have continued to
provide throughout the pandemic," said Mayor Walsh. "This latest
round of grants is our biggest yet, and serves as our way to support these
organizations for all the work that they do and for providing essential
resources to our community year-round. I also want to thank the Steering
Committee for their steadfast commitment to and oversight of the
Fund."
In November, the Boston Resiliency Fund paused the rapid response grantmaking
it had been doing since late March of last year to evaluate how the Fund
could best serve Boston residents with limited remaining funds. The Fund
received feedback from its non-profit partners that there was still an
overwhelming demand for food and other basic needs, like diapers, formula
and hygiene products, and that there was a need for further education
regarding public health guidance and the safety and importance of the
COVID-19 vaccine. Prioritizing these two focus areas, the BRF Steering
Committee re-opened its grant application to any interested non-profit
serving Boston residents. There were 137 applications seeking over $19
million in aid for this funding round.
Of the 62 organizations awarded funds, 47% identify as led by a person of
color, 66% as woman-led, and 30% as immigrant-led. Additionally, 42%
identify as Black- or African-American-led, 18% as Hispanic- or Latinx-led,
13% as Asian- or Pacific Islander-led, and 18% as LGBTQI-led. Overall, 55%
of all BRF grantees to receive funding to date identify as being led by a
person of color, and 60% of grantees identify as woman-led.
After this round of grants, the Fund has a remaining balance of approximately
$400,000. The Boston Resiliency Fund, while not actively fundraising since
the spring of 2020, has continued to receive donations from generous
residents and groups around Boston. This will be the final round of BRF
grants under Mayor Walsh's leadership, and grantmaking will pause in
anticipation of the mayoral transition. Grantmaking may resume in the
future in order to equitably allocate any remaining balance. The BRF is
hosted by the
Boston Charitable Trust Fund, an existing 501(c)(3) designated trust fund
managed by the City of Boston's Treasury Department. The
Boston Resiliency Fund Steering Committee includes Jack Connors, Jr., Anne
Klibanski, MD, President and CEO of Mass General Brigham, and Jeffrey
Leiden, MD, Ph.D., Executive Chairman of Vertex Pharmaceuticals.
"Omega Men In Action, Inc. (OMIA) is a non-profit organization established to
uplift and enhance opportunities for youth and families within the greater
Boston communities. A key program is our emergency food pantry, which
provides bi-monthly food distribution to families across Dorchester,
Mattapan, Roxbury, Hyde Park and Jamaica Plain," said Michael Munn,
Board Member of Omega Men in Action. "The enormously appreciated
assistance and funding that we received from the Boston Resiliency Fund is
a Godsend. In addition to enabling the expansion of our food pantry, it
will allow us to upgrade our refrigeration capacity, augment our delivery
service to seniors, and distribute additional facemasks, hand sanitizer and
other PPE."
"We are so grateful, once again, to the Boston Resiliency Fund for their
generous support of our mission of providing access to healthy food to
those impacted by COVID-19. This grant will allow us to cover our delivery
fees so that we can expand home delivery of all of our products for at-risk
customers, leveling the playing field for those who have been
disproportionately impacted by the pandemic," said Doug Rauch, Founder
and President of Daily Table. "With this funding, the BRF has
continued to show its deep commitment to food justice during these
difficult times."
"Vaccine is love and is one way we can control this pandemic," said Heloisa
Galvão, Director of Brazilian Women's Group. "This vaccination
campaign is a collective effort to save lives and build the health of our
community back. Vaccine NOW."
"Agencia ALPHA is thankful for the trust The Boston Resiliency Fund has deposited on
our coalition. As grassroots organizations we are working hard to make sure
our communities have access to the appropriate information about the
COVID-19 vaccine as well to be vaccinated," said Damaris Velasquez,
Director of Programs Agencia ALPHA. "This is a step forward to
empowering our communities to be part of the solution against this
crisis."
"So grateful to Mayor Walsh, Yusufi Vali and the entire Resiliency Fund Team
for their commitment in combating COVID-19 vaccine inequities among
immigrant communities most disproportionately impacted," said Reverend
Dieufort Fleurissaint, Director of Haitian-Americans United. "This
grant will increase our capacity to run a robust and comprehensive COVID-19
educational campaign aimed at dispelling the myths and the misinformation
on the vaccine."
Brazilian Worker's Group, Agencia ALPHA and
Haitian-Americans United are part of the Immigrant COVID-19 Vaccine
Campaign, coordinated by the Center to Support Immigrant Organizing.
The community-based organizations addressing public health through COVID-19
prevention and vaccine education will receive $763,000.
Another $2.82 million
will be distributed to organizations expanding access to food and other
basic needs and $258,000 will
support organizations working to achieve both priority areas.
About Fresh:
About Fresh will utilize the grant from the Boston Resiliency Fund to fund
an online ordering and food pickup program pilot. The aims of this pilot
are to improve the shopping experience of vulnerable shoppers seeking to
limit their exposure to winter weather and further minimize their potential
exposure to COVID-19.
Black Boston COVID-19 Coalition (BBCC)
Community Support, led by Black Boston COVID-19 Coalition (BBCC): BBCC will
continue to conduct contact and wellness checks, encourage residents to get
tested and support access to vaccination sites for Black residents in
Boston. BBCC will also create and share robust, culturally-competent
messaging and ensure that residents are connected to existing resources.
Boston Chinatown Vaccine Education and Basic
Needs Relief, led by Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center Inc. (BCNC): BCNC, the Asian Community Development Corporation, the Chinese Progressive Association and the Greater Boston Legal Services Asian Outreach Campaign will collaborate to provide essential resources regarding vaccine education and financial relief to the
Chinese-speaking Asian immigrant community in Boston. Coordinating between
organizations will maximize resources and enable them to align messaging
and communication regarding the vaccine.
Boston Girls Empowerment Network: Boston Girls
Empowerment Network's Culturally Responsive Support for Homeless Immigrant
and Refugee Women will work across ethnic communities to coordinate and
boost support services that include rental assistance and housing
placement, immigration services, food and feminine hygiene products, mental
health/wellness and case management support.
Boys and Girls Clubs of Dorchester, Inc.: With the
support of the Boston Resiliency Fund, Boys and Girls Clubs of Dorchester
will increase Dorchester families' access to nutritious food through an
expansion of their current program and through weekly Grab & Go meals.
Funding will be used to support the production and delivery of weekly
grocery boxes to families.
Bridge Over Troubled Waters: Bridge Over
Troubled Waters will use BRF funding to provide homeless, runaway and
at-risk youth, ages 14-24 with safety, food and basic needs, and hope for
the future both through its Boston-based outreach, drop-in and housing
programs.
Bunker Hill Community College Foundation:
Funding from this BRF grant will pay the salary of a delivery driver contracted to BHCC from the New England-based culinary organization Snap Chef. The BRF grant will enable them to continue to leverage the existing online ordering system to increase the accessibility of food through the delivery system developed at the beginning of the pandemic.
Cathedral Church of St. Paul: The Cathedral
Church of St. Paul will continue providing weekly meals to the unhoused
people they serve. Additionally, they will continue to provide water,
access to bathrooms, PPE for staff and guests, phone charging outlets, and
information about and assistance accessing other resources for the unhoused
in the city.
Catholic Charitable Bureau of the Archdiocese of Boston, Inc.:
Catholic Charities will use resources from the Boston Resiliency Fund to
support its two Boston food pantries and to address the continued and
expanded demand for food in low-income communities. The two pantries serve approximately 4,000 people each week.
Immigrant COVID-19 Vaccine Campaign, led by Center to Support Immigrant Organizing: The Center to Support Immigrant Organizing will collaborate with other
organizations to use this BRF grant to develop messaging, education and
outreach strategy regarding the COVID-19 vaccine.
Central Assembly of God Church, East Boston:
The Central Assembly of God Church will use the Boston Resiliency Fund
grant to continue to close the food insecurity gap experienced by Boston
residents experiencing joblessness.
Chica Project:
BRF funds will help Chica Project continue to provide stipends to Peer
Leaders, and training to mentors as they continue to offer a targeted micro-public
health campaign/community forum that improves public education for Latinx
girls and other young women of color about how to prevent COVID-19.
Community Work Services: Community Work Services will address the
rapidly increasing community need to provide nutritional support to
food-insecure individuals during this public health crisis by delivering
food to families among the most impacted by COVID-19 by partnering with
local church networks across the City of Boston.
Daily Table:
Daily Table will use BRF funding to subsidize the delivery fees for customers
and others who have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. Daily
Table plans to offer free delivery to these customers to ensure access to
healthy, affordable food without additional risk to COVID-19 infection
East Boston Community Soup Kitchen: East Boston
Community Soup Kitchen will use this BRF grant to address the additional
needs of their guests during the COVID-19 pandemic by modifying the way
they provide meals by incorporating a take-out format and increasingly,
gift card distribution. They will use the funds to purchase items from food
warehouses at a discounted rate to provide a good variety of food items to
the soup kitchen's guests.
East Boston Neighborhood of Affordable Housing, East Boston
Neighborhood Health Center and East Boston Social Center: The 'Stronger
Together' team will provide nutritious food relief to East Boston
households (including seniors and families). Their program will continue to
purchase quality fresh produce and culturally appropriate dry goods from
both The Greater Boston Food Bank and Costa Fruit and Produce in
Charlestown.
Eastie Farm:
Eastie Farm will use BRF funding to continue their work providing prepared
meals, dairy, and meat to Boston residents and expand their outreach
efforts.
Elizabeth Stone House, Inc.: Elizabeth Stone House will use BRF funding
to support residents facing housing and food insecurity, ensure
access to critical medical care and opportunities for COVID-19 vaccine
administration, provide safe and hygienic emergency housing and keep
front-line staff protected and able to provide critically important
domestic violence counseling and safety planning services.
Ellie Fund:
Ellie Fund will use this BRF grant to support their Breast Cancer Patient
Services Program, which distinctly serves both curative and metastatic (lifelong) patients, who are immunosuppressed, physically weakened, and more susceptible to contagious illnesses. This program provides essential non-medical services for these patients undergoing costly breast cancer treatment amid the pandemic. Services include nutrition and food assistance, transportation, childcare, house cleaning, and integrative therapies, free of charge.
FamilyAid Boston:
FamilyAid Boston (FAB) will use grant funding to build awareness, education
and support for obtaining vaccines for Boston residents. FAB will provide
vaccination roll-out support with clients.
Family Nurturing Center of Massachusetts: A
third grant from the Boston Resiliency Fund will support the direct aid to
families in Dorchester, Roslindale and Hyde Park in the form of gift cards
for groceries and other basic needs.
Fair Foods Inc:
Fair Foods will use this grant to sustain their weekly efforts at food
distribution sites across the city and continue to grow its $2 dollar bag
sites all over Boston. In addition, Fair Foods has enlisted new and
expanded distribution partners, such as Maverick Landing Community Services
(MLCS) in East Boston and other partners in Dorchester and Mattapan. These
partners pick up food boxes at the Fair Foods warehouse in South Boston and
conduct deliveries across the city.
Fenway Civic Association: (Fiscal Sponsor: Fenway Community Center):
Fenway Civic Association will use BRF funding to support their work with
the Fenway Cares mutual aid collaborative, which serves all Fenway
residents and visitors who attend or sign up for food distributions.
Fenway Civic Association will distribute food boxes and other items,
including hand sanitizer and PPE, in bi-weekly distribution events
and associated deliveries.
Freedom House, Inc.: Freedom House will use the Boston Resiliency
Fund grant to address food insecurity and provide PPE and COVID information
to the community.
Friends of the Children-Boston:
Friends-Boston will use this BRF grant to provide resources in the form of
store credits, allowing direct access to food and household supplies for
children, youth, and family members. They will partner with up to five
bodegas and/or small and mid-size grocers that are walkable to where
families live and that offer a variety of fresh food and household cleaning
supplies.
Fundo Arcu:
Fundo Arcu will use this BRF grant to provide boxes of ethnically competent
food boxes, diapers, cleaning products, laundry products and personal hygiene
products for women and men in the Dominican/Latinx community.
Vaccination Without Barriers/Sin Barreras, led
by Greater Boston Latino Network: With BRF
support, GBLN will strategically realign their ongoing COVID-19 prevention
campaign to focus on vaccination and emerging trends such as viral
variants. The campaign will deepen and expand its focus on prevention and
protection while providing direct resources including, but not limited to,
free masks, food, gift cards, unemployment assistance, eviction prevention
and medical referrals.
Greater Love Community Cares: With the
grant from the Boston Resiliency Fund, Greater Love Community Cares will
provide periodic food distribution and food deliveries to certain seniors
and residents who are home-bound.
Grove Hall Neighborhood Development Corporation:
Grove Hall Neighborhood Development Corporation requested BRF funds to
support their work combating the spread of COVID-19. Grove Hall NDC will
clean local church buildings and non-profit locations who are open for
essential services and provide hand sanitizer for Boston residents.
Haley House:
Haley House will use this BRF grant to continue supporting the increased
level of emergency services they are currently offering. Specifically,
funding will be used to purchase food beyond their donations from the
Greater Boston Food Bank and Lovin' Spoonfuls, take-away materials, extra
cleaning/sanitization supplies, and increased operating costs for increased
services (e.g. trash, utilities for outdoor heaters).
Hawthorne Youth and Community Center, Inc.: The Boston
Resiliency Fund grant will be used to support home delivery of fresh
produce, shelf-stable foods and grocery store gift cards to high-risk residents. Additionally, it will allow for the home delivery of cleaning supplies, PPE, and hygiene items, as well as the distribution of current COVID-19 vaccine information to Highland Park residents. Boston youth will be engaged in food distribution and farming activities.
Hope & Comfort, Inc.: Hope and Comfort will use this BRF grant to distribute hygiene products in Boston.
The primary items distributed will be bars of soap, in order to support
personal hygiene to help contain COVID-19. Soap distributions will be
accompanied by other hygiene products, including toothbrushes, toothpaste,
deodorant, shampoo, and more, to ensure youth and families have
comprehensive hygiene access
Java with Jimmy:
Java with Jimmy will use the BRF grant to continue to curate conversations
that promote CDC, State, and Local guidance to stop the spread of COVID-19.
They will expand their outreach to share information by creating public
service announcements to promote the availability of COVID-19 related services.
Java with Jimmy will also partner with local entities and organizations to
host the "pop up" community giveaways, providing nonperishable
foods and/or gift cards.
John F. Kennedy Family Services: This BRF
grant will allow JFK Family Service Center to add temporary staff and
distribute critical supplies, as well as provide internet-based services to their clients. The JFK CARES project is a continuation of their multi-pronged efforts to provide assistance to meet the basic needs of those struggling during the pandemic.
Lifeboat Boston:
Lifeboat Boston will continue to provide nutritional support to families
with infants through the distribution of infant formula, diapers, cleaning supplies, and hygiene products.
Love You Menses, Inc.: Love Your Menses will continue using Boston
Resiliency Fund grant funds to purchase menstrual hygiene and postpartum
items to support girls, women, and new moms. They will also continue installing
period product dispensers at local community organizations.
Louis D. Brown Peace Institute: The Peace
Institute will use this BRF grant to support The Live in Peace Fund. This
fund ensures that Boston's families, children and seniors get the food
security, clothing and other necessities that they deserve through gift
cards and vouchers.
Madison Park Development Corporation: MPDC will utilize an additional Boston Resiliency Fund grant to sustain its weekly food distribution efforts, currently serving approximately 380 households within its affordable housing portfolio/programs.
Massachusetts Immigrant Collaborative (MIC) Emergency Relief Fund:
MIC will provide access to emergency cash, food assistance and other basic
needs, including diapers, formula, cleaning supplies, and hygiene products.
Funding will be allocated equally across the eleven participating partner
organizations, each of which will distribute assistance according to the
unique cultural and logistical needs of the communities they serve.
Mothers for Justice and Equality, Inc.: Mothers for Justice and Equality, Inc. will use this BRF grant to serve 50 families weekly with a range of $25-$50 per week in groceries or gift cards. On average, the agency delivers groceries to approximately ten elderly or disabled families each week. This service provides access to clients who may be extremely isolated to provide support and resources while we also address food insecurity for families in poverty.
Omega Men in Action:
OMIA will use the Boston Resiliency Fund grant to expand the capacity of
its Emergency Food Pantry. The grant will allow OMIA to immediately provide
access to healthy dietary and hygiene options for the increased number of families who now find themselves in need due to the pandemic.
Park Street Church: Park Street Church will use this BRF grant
to support their Park Street Church Fellowship Center. The warming center
offers four inside shifts, with a thirty-minute sanitization and volunteer-switching break. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served at the center. Hand warmers are also available for those who are waiting or just stopping by. This grant will also support the hiring of a Director and a Trauma Care Facilitator.
Pine Street Inn:
BRF funding will be used to support emergency food distribution for the
formerly homeless tenants living in Pine Street Inn's supportive housing.
Emergency food deliveries will be prioritized for tenants with the most
acute food insecurity and those who are either self-isolating or in
quarantine because they have come into contact with someone with COVID-19
or have contracted COVID-19.
Prince Hall Grand Lodge: Prince Hall will continue to partner with
community health centers to provide free COVID testing to community members
each week and to distribute other critical supplies like face masks and
hand sanitizer. They will execute a community outreach program that will
implement measures and provide literature necessary to prevent, test,
report, and contain COVID-19 within communities of color.
Project Restore Us: Project Restore Us would use this BRF grant
to purchase and distribute food from a collective of restaurants to a
network of community-based organizations that serve the immigrant
population. In building on existing relationships with vendors and food
manufacturers, PRU can bring revenue to restaurants in need while feeding
families at a fair and low price.
Project Bread - The Walk for Hunger, Inc.: Project Bread
will continue to respond effectively to the pandemic by scaling existing programs and initiatives to address food insecurity. Project Bread will use this grant to expand its outreach and awareness efforts and, with the help of UMass Boston's Center for Survey Research, conduct a survey of Boston residents on their knowledge of and perception about SNAP benefits.
Rebel Cause Inc:
This grant will provide direct support to their BIPOC community members for
emergency aid with rent, medical bills, etc. as needed. Rebel Cause also
provides PPE, hygiene and other basic needs supplies to its community
members.
Rescuing Leftover Cuisine, Inc.:
Rescuing Leftover Cuisine will use BRF funding to support their standard
operations of excess food rescue as well as their COVID-19 specific
initiatives. These initiatives reduce wasted food, assist restaurants,
alleviate hunger, and lessen food insecurity.
Shaloh School Oholei Torah: Shaloh House will use BRF funding to support
their Open Food Site, which is the only open meal site in Massachusetts
that provides kosher meals. Shaloh House will use funding to purchase
kosher ingredients needed for the preparation of kosher meals and increase
the number of families and children in need that are served at its Open
Food Site.
South Boston en Accion, Inc.:
South Boston en Accion (SBEA) will circulate and post printed and digital
flyers in English, Spanish and Vietnamese throughout the Mary Ellen
McCormick, the Old Colony, and the D Street/West Broadway public housing
developments to announce the weekly hours when residents can pick up
supplies. On Saturdays, SBEA distributes PPE kits and information, cleaning
and sanitizing supplies, grocery store gift cards, and basic personal
hygiene items.
Sportsmen's Tennis & Enrichment Center: With
the Boston Resiliency Fund grant, Sportsmen's Tennis & Enrichment
Center will provide COVID education and vaccine education targeted for the
community. They plan to have additional vaccine education forums and
continue to provide timely COVID-19 information to keep our families safe
during this challenging period.
St. Mary's Center for Women and Children: St.
Mary's Center for Women and Children requested funds to provide three meals
per day to all of those who are in their residential programs across Boston
and provide to those visiting their food pantry in East Boston.
Additionally, funds will be used to purchase cleaning supplies to continue
sanitizing their campus and to support the acquisition of items needed for
the babies and children in their care as well as their mothers (for
example, diapers, feminine hygiene products, formula and toiletries).
The Community Builders: This Boston Resiliency Fund grant will
support a two-part approach to meet the needs of Boston senior residents.
This includes the hiring of a Community Life COVID Coordinator (CLCC) and
inclusive campaigns on COVID-19 prevention strategies and TCB's vaccine-related
efforts.
The Family Van - A Program of Harvard Medical School:
With support from the Boston Resiliency Fund, The Family Van will train
Community Health Workers and volunteers to provide education about the
COVID-19 vaccine and other prevention measures and help clients navigate
health and social service systems so they can follow best practices for preventing the spread of COVID, get tested as appropriate, and get vaccinated.
The Greater Boston Food Bank: The Greater Boston Food Bank will use this BRF grant to support the purchase of food to be distributed to 139 Boston-area food pantries and meals programs. This grant will facilitate the purchase of 825,000 pounds of food, which would provide 750,000 meals to Boston residents in need.
The Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts: The grant will allow the Domestic and Sexual Violence Project staff to purchase weekly bags of food needed by clients in their program.
Transgender Emergency Fund Of MA INC: With a Boston
Resiliency Fund grant, the Transgender Emergency Fund of MA will provide
COVID-19 and vaccine education targeted for their community. The organization
will expand its series of free monthly educational forums. They plan to
have additional vaccine education forums and will continue to provide
timely COVID-19 information to keep families safe during this challenging
period.
United South End Settlements: With a grant
from the Boston Resiliency Fund, USES will be able to extend the duration
and expand the reach of their neighbor2neighbor food delivery program. With
available funds, USES will also be able to purchase diapers and make them
available to interested families.
Urban Guild,Inc. (The Guild): This grant
from BRF will enable The Guild to carry on its pandemic relief work through
the pantry, delivery services, virtual wellness sessions, and
health-related travel vouchers. Funds will support the purchasing and
transport of supplies, the staff and volunteer coordination of the
activities.
Fields Corner Crossroads Collective COVID-19
Response, led by VietAID:
On behalf of the Fields Corner Crossroads Collaborative, which includes Dot
House Health, Boys/Girls Club of Dorchester, Asian American Resource
Workshop, VietAID, New England United for Justice, Louis D. Brown Peace
Institute, Dorchester Youth Collaborative, MassCOSH, and All Dorchester
Sports and Leadership, this group will meet the needs of residents by
continuing to coordinate service referral, increase capacity for food
distribution, and coordinated outreach on vaccine and testing. Funds will
be used to purchase bulk food and supplies for distribution, bring on staff
to increase the availability of food at new sites, and create/distribute
materials on vaccination and testing.
Voice of Tabernacle Multi-Service Center, Inc.
(VTMC): VTMC will use BRF funding to provide emergency food to Haitian
immigrants and refugees impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in Mattapan and
Dorchester. The VTMC emergency food program serves low-income,
Haitian families, and homebound seniors, who are dealing with multiple
issues that are tied to their resettlement process, such as: homelessness,
low English proficiency, poor nutrition, poverty, unemployment, under
employment and unaddressed health care needs.
Wilahmena's Place Inc.: Wilahmena's Place Inc. supports seniors and
other home-bound families who may lack access to farm-fresh fruit and
vegetables with grocery delivery. Through this grant, they can continue to
offer food, personal protective equipment, toiletries, sanitizer, soap,
cleaning supplies, and some gift cards to seniors, students and families in
need.
For more information, please visit: boston.gov/resiliency-fund.
For general inquiries, please email brf@boston.gov.
For a map of locations of all Boston Resiliency Fund grantees, please visit here.
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