BRA awards $400,000 in grants to twelve South Boston organizations through new community benefits process
After successful pilot program, standardized application will be used to allocate similar funding going forward
BOSTON – Twelve non-profit organizations operating in South Boston will receive grants, ranging from $20,000 to $80,000, to support their programs. The awards mark the successful completion of a Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) pilot program launched in February to test a new process for allocating discretionary funding from community benefits agreements associated with development projects. The twelve South Boston grant recipients will share a total of $400,000 in funding that stems from the D Street Hotel project, which is currently under construction across from the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center.
The BRA received nearly 40 applications from non-profit organizations seeking funding. BRA staff reviewed the submissions in conjunction with the Office of Workforce Development, an affiliate of the BRA with a strong track record in grant management, to determine the awardees. The grants will support an array of initiatives, from youth empowerment programs to substance abuse prevention work.
The following organizations received grants.
Community Organization
|
Grant Amount
|
Boys and Girls Club of South Boston
|
$80,000
|
Harry McDonough Sailing Center
|
$50,000
|
Massachusetts Iraq and Afghanistan Fallen Heroes Memorial Fund
|
$50,000
|
Catholic Charities Laboure Center
|
$50,000
|
Gavin Foundation, Inc.
|
$30,000
|
South Boston Neighborhood House
|
$20,000
|
Joseph M. Tierney Learning Center
|
$20,000
|
Medicine Wheel Productions
|
$20,000
|
Notre Dame Education Center
|
$20,000
|
South Boston en Accion
|
$20,000
|
South Boston Collaborative Center
|
$20,000
|
Paraclete, Inc.
|
$20,000
|
“We want to level the playing field when it comes to allocating funds from community benefits agreements, and that’s exactly what we’ve done,” said BRA Director Brian Golden. “In the past, there wasn’t a predictable process for awarding this funding. I’m proud that we’re able to support so many impactful organizations with an approach that lends itself to transparency and accountability.”
“I am pleased that the pilot was successful and that this strategy is being adopted as standard practice," said Mayor Martin J. Walsh. “This application process gives the South Boston community equal access and opportunity to receive grant money resulting from new development in and around their neighborhood. This continues our commitment to transparency, accessibility, and streamlining city government by modernizing the way we do business. I commend the Convention Center Authority, the BRA, elected officials, and the community for working with the development team to secure this important funding for South Boston.”
Given the success of the pilot, the BRA will now release the remaining $230,000 in community benefits associated with the D Street Hotel project. Non-profit organizations operating in South Boston that applied for but didn’t receive funding in the first round are eligible to reapply in round two. Applicants can request up to $25,000 in funding for this round. The second round D Street Hotel Community Benefits application is available on the BRA’s website. Submissions are due Monday, July 20.
The D Street Hotel project is being developed by CV Properties on land owned by the Massachusetts Convention Authority (MCCA). The grants are part of the community benefits package negotiated by the MCCA and CV Properties. State Senator Linda Dorcena Forry, Representative Nick Collins, and City Councilors Bill Linehan and Michael Flaherty were instrumental in working with the community, the Mayor’s administration, the MCCA, and the BRA to negotiate the agreement.
“We are pleased to have played a role in facilitating the community benefit funding thanks to the generosity of CV Properties, and we are excited about the BRA’s new program that allowed local nonprofits to propose the best uses for that funding,” said James E. Rooney, executive director of the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority. “We will continue to work closely with the BRA to drive urban development on D Street and around the Convention Center for the benefit of the community we are proud to be a part of.”
“On behalf of CV Properties and our partner Ares Management, we are thrilled with the selection of so many deserving local non-profits to receive these funds,” said Richard Galvin, Founder and President of CV Properties. “I know how difficult it is to raise even a thousand dollars, so the fact that the D Street Hotel project can help fill the funding gaps so many of these groups have every year, is a great example of how significant new developments can act as a platform to do good things in the neighborhoods we work in.”
“To see so many critical non-profits receive funding from the community benefits package from the D Street Hotels project is exciting," said Senator Forry. "Supporting the work of these compassionate organizations is critical to the amazing community of South Boston. I want to thank CV Properties, Ares Management and the MCCA for their dedication to supporting these groups and the BRA for an improved, transparent community benefits process.”
"I am encouraged by the new transparent community benefits process and glad that many important service providers in South Boston will benefit from this funding," said City Council President Bill Linehan.
“South Boston’s non-profit organizations do a tremendous job serving our community and caring for some of our most vulnerable residents,” said Councilor Flaherty. “The community benefits attained through the grants provided by the D Street Hotel project will set an example for other developers who look to invest in our thriving neighborhood.”
“I was proud to be the house sponsor of the bill authorizing the D Street hotel expansion in South Boston,” said Representative Collins. “I worked hard with my colleagues in the legislature to ensure passage of the bill because it will bring many benefits to the South Boston community in the form of construction jobs, permanent jobs and funding for our local nonprofit organizations.”
Later this year, the BRA will release applications for community benefits funding associated with development projects in other neighborhoods of Boston.
