City of Boston funding updates

 

The Funding Update Subscribe to The Funding Update FEDERAL GRANTS National Institutes of Health, 10/28/2022 Fostering Mental, Emotional, and Behavioral Health Among Children in School Settings: Opportunities for Multisite Trials of Complementary and Integrative Health Interventions. Max award: $500,000. Federal funding opportunities are continuously updated on grants.gov STATE GRANTS Massachusetts Service Alliance, 9/26/2022 Youth Development Volunteer Initiative grants will provide matching funds up to $10,000 for capacity-building by nonprofits and Volunteer Connector Organizations. Applicants are encouraged to submit their Intent to Apply by 9/9/ 2022.  New This Week: City of Lawrence, 9/8/2022 Seeking proposals for Consulting Services for Earned Autonomy Phase 4 work. Franklin County Sheriff’s Department, 9/19/2022 Seeking a Communications Consultant for the Franklin County/North Quabbin HEALing Communities Study. Town of Freetown, 9/29/2022 Update feasibility study of town buildings, assess space needs, analyze the feasibility of rehabilitation, reuse, consolidation or reconstruction of those buildings and create conceptual design scenarios to meet town needs using existing and/or new buildings. Brookline Housing Authority, 9/30/2022 Seeking proposals for comprehensive supportive services at five properties designated for low-income seniors and persons with disabilities. WBE/MBE encouraged to apply. State Lottery Commission, 1/31/2025 Reposted for rolling enrollment by Massachusetts law firms and individual attorneys to provide legal services for matters involving the various divisions within the Lottery. Scroll down to "Important Links" on CommBUYS to see Newly Posted Bids. CITY GRANTS Boston Housing Authority, 9/2/2022 Inviting applications for a digital storytelling/art history project at Mildred C. Hailey Apartments. Max award: $20,000. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.   Bids are updated continuously on the City of Boston Supplier Portal. FOUNDATION GRANTS National Endowment for Democracy, 9/14/2022 Grants (average: $50,000) support non-governmental organizations dedicated to advancing democratic goals and strengthening democratic institutions. Artadia, 9/15/2022 Artadia Awards winners will receive unrestricted funds of $10,000 and access to the Artadia Network, which offers structured opportunities for valuable new connections and resource sharing, and  a dedicated webpage on Artadia’s online Artist Registry.  John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, 9/16/2022 Fellowships are awarded annually to mid-career individuals who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or creative ability in the arts and exhibit great promise for their future endeavors. American Bar Endowment, 9/23/2022 The Opportunity Grant supports nonprofit programs, projects or services that focus on the advancement of social justice and legal assistance in communities across the country.  Cigna Foundation, 9/26/2022 Funding focus: mental health. Applicants must align their funding request with the Community Health Implementation Plan for their community. Awards range from $50,000 to $100,000 per year for 3 years, max.  Youth Service of America, 9/30/2022 The goal of the 50by250 campaign is to increase youth participation rates in volunteering and service, voting and civic engagement, and joining and leadership to at least 50% by America's Semiquincentennial on July 4, 2026. Max award: $5,000. Gratis Foundation, 9/30/2022 Funding priorities: assisting US military personnel and family, Animal Advocacy, Food Pantries.  Herman and Frieda L. Miller Foundation, Open Miller Innovation Fund grants will support work targeting the most vulnerable such as those affected by homelessness, domestic violence, immigration or refugee status, disability, addiction and mental illness, former incarceration or old age, and similar populations; and/or those excluded from or challenged to obtain health services access, vaccine access, or economic relief. Begin the application process by speaking with a program officer. Christopher Reynolds Foundation, Open The Foundation is currently considering work relating to climate justice; climate resilience and adaptation; and ecosystem health and integrity in the face of unraveling global systems. Begin the application process by writing a description of your work.  Schrafft Charitable Trust, Open                  Funding priorities: education and cultural enrichment of youth ages 6 to 18 in under-resourced neighborhoods of the city of Boston. Awards range from $5,000 to $30,000. Check the Funding Update Archives for back issues with open deadlines. THE RESOURCE TABLE BLUE BIKES ARE FREE FOR A LIMITED TIME Free 30-day passes are available during the closure of the Orange and Green Lines, beginning 8/19/2022. To get a pass, click here or use the mobile app. All trips up to 45 minutes will be free. You are responsible for any overage fees or lost bikes. New Commonwealth Racial Equity and Social Justice Fund NCF is a funding and support resource for Black, Latino, and Indigenous entrepreneurs, innovators, and nonprofits. To learn more about their FY23 grant-making strategy and ask questions, you can register for an information session on September 7, September 20, October 13, or October 17. Boston Residents: Do you need help getting online? Request FREE High Speed Internet & a Chromebook Laptop through the Boston Public Library's Long Term Lending Program! Click here to learn if you qualify. More BPL events and services are listed here.

REVERE INSULATION COMPANY TO PAY MORE THAN $281,000 FOR OVERTIME, EARNED SICK TIME, AND PAYROLL RECORDS VIOLATIONS

 REVERE INSULATION COMPANY TO PAY MORE THAN $281,000 FOR OVERTIME, EARNED SICK TIME, AND PAYROLL RECORDS VIOLATIONS

Agreement Includes Restitution for 30 Employees

 

            BOSTON – A Revere-based residential and commercial insulation company and its owner and president have agreed to pay more than $281,000 in penalties and restitution in an agreement reached with Attorney General Maura Healey’s Office for overtime, earned sick time, and payroll records violations.

 

            Master Spray Foam Insulation Inc., and its owner and president, Luciano Teixeira, were issued three citations by the AG’s Office for failing to pay proper overtime rates to 30 employees, failing to keep true and accurate payroll records, and for failing to furnish a suitable paystub from the period of Jan. 1, 2019 to Nov. 1, 2021. 

 

            “My office works hard to ensure Massachusetts employers are following our state labor laws, treating their employees fairly, and paying them the wages that they are owed,” said AG Healey. “We are pleased to have secured this relief for the workers affected, and hope this sends a message to other companies that we will hold them accountable if they do not properly compensate their employees.”

 

The AG’s Office began investigating Master Spray Foam after receiving a complaint from an employee alleging that they were not being paid the proper overtime rate for hours worked in excess of 40 per week. Massachusetts law requires that most employees be paid one-and-a-half times their regular rate for every hour worked over 40 in one week.

 

The AG’s investigation found the company paid employees at their regular hourly rate in cash for hours worked in excess of 40 hours a week, or paid them a weekly lump sum in cash, and did not report those amounts on pay stubs or payroll records, as required by Massachusetts law. The company also did not have an earned sick time policy, as required by the Massachusetts Earned Sick Time law. Under that law, all employees in Massachusetts are entitled to an hour of earned sick time for every 30 hours worked, up to a maximum of 40 hours in a year.

 

Under the terms of the AG’s settlement, Master Spray Foam has agreed to pay the affected employees the wages they are owed for underpaid overtime and for failing to provide earned sick time pay to their employees. The company has since revised its payroll practices and come into compliance with state labor and wage laws. Master Spray Foam has also adopted an earned sick leave policy and provided copies of the earned sick leave policy in both Portuguese and English to all employees.

 

Failure to pay overtime is one of the most common forms of wage theft, especially within the construction industry. This practice, while common, is nonetheless illegal and the AG’s Office is committed to ensuring that all hourly employees receive overtime pay for hours worked in excess of 40. In fiscal year 2022, the AG’s Office issued 216 citations against 100 construction companies for violating state wage and hour and prevailing wage laws, securing more than $1.7 million in restitution for more than 853 workers.

 

            Workers who believe that their rights have been violated in their workplace are encouraged to file a complaint at www.mass.gov/ago/fairlabor.  For information about the state’s wage and hour laws, workers may call the AG’s Fair Labor Hotline at (617) 727-3465 or go to www.mass.gov/ago/fairlabor for materials in multiple languages including Spanish and Portuguese.

 

            This case was handled by Assistant Attorney General Alex Sugerman-Brozan, and Supervising Investigator Greg Reutlinger, both of the AG’s Fair Labor Division.

中華表演藝術基金會夏日音樂會 8/27

 

中華表演藝術基金會  Foundation For Chinese Performing Arts              3 Partridge Lane, Lincoln, MA 01773 www.ChinesePerformingArts.net  Foundation@ChinesePerformingArts.net  Please support us. Make a donation at: http://chineseperformingarts.net/donation/index.htm Summer FREE Concerts @ NEC 2022 The Grand Finale Saturday, Aug 27, 7:30 pm NEC's Jordan Hall Mercury Orchestra 2010 national winner of the American Prize in Orchestral Performance Channing Yu Music Director and Conductor  Nan Ni 倪楠, pianist First Prize of 2022 Fou Ts'ong 傅聰 International Concerto Competition An All- Beethoven Program Coriolan Overture, Op. 62 Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-Flat Major, Op. 73 ("Emperor") Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67 Details: http://www.chineseperformingarts.net/contents/summer/2022/0827/index.html Free Admission. Donation $10 at door. Age 6 and under not admitted.  Proof of vaccination or negative test required Fou Ts'ong 傅聰 International Concerto Competition 2022 傅聰國際協奏曲比賽 Winners First Prize Nan Ni 倪楠 Second Prize (tie) Han Chen 陳涵 Sahun Sam Hong ‌ ‌ ‌ Video Recordings of concerts at ISGM Boston Calderwood Hall and NEC's Jordan Hall are at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUDuiQiOzZI_M7iDNXWXEDA/videos Take a look By popular demand, Haochen Zhang's 張昊辰 live recording at NEC's Jordan Hall on March 12 is back for 2 more months. Enjoy Haochen, the 2009 Van Cliburn Gold Medalist's amazing performance of the complete Liszt Transcendental Etudes on this video. Upcoming Summer FREE Concerts @ NEC 2022 August 10-27, 2022 DETAILS http://www.chineseperformingarts.net/contents/summer/2022/index.html The 34th Season 2022-2023 AT NEC'S JORDAN HALL Saturday, October 1, 2022 Ya-Fei Chuang  莊雅斐,  pianist Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022 Yazhi Guo 郭雅志 , suona Saturday, February 4, 2023 Kate Liu, pianist Saturday, May 6, 2023 Wu Man, pipa Hsin-Yun Huang, viola Support Us - Make A Donation www.ChinesePerformingArts.net http://www.chineseperformingarts.net/donation/index.htm Your tax-deductible donation enables us to continue presenting the best artists, maintaining low admission fees and free student tickets. Please support us especially at this time. Your copy should address 3 key questions: Who am I writing for? (Audience) Why should they care? (Benefit) What do I want them to do here? (Call-to-Action) Create a great offer by adding words like "free" "personalized" "complimentary" or "customized." A sense of urgency often helps readers take an action, so think about inserting phrases like "for a limited time only" or "only 7 remaining!" Foundation For Chinese Performing Arts Cathy Chan 譚嘉陵, Founder and President

三機構聯合贊助 波士頓中國象棋大賽首次出動真人棋子

波士頓中國象棋大賽頒獎後，得獎者和贊助單位及部分工作人員合影。(周菊子攝)

               (Boston Orange 周菊子波士頓報導) 波士頓安良工商會、華商會、紐英崙中華公所聯合贊助的2022年度波士頓中國象棋大賽，經過3個週末大戰後，8月21日在華埠牌樓前動用真人棋子，比出勝負，冠亞季殿軍依序為陳景賢，梁家睿，黃銳輝，葉榮輝，各得獎金600 至150元不等。

陳景賢 (左二) 獲得波士頓中國象棋大賽第一名。陳仕維 (左起)、雷國輝、蔡倩婷、雷軍、
吳烷森聯袂頒獎。 (周菊子攝)

              安良工商會總理陳仕維、華商會會長蔡倩婷、紐英崙中華公所主席雷國輝在21日這天都全程在場支持，並聯袂頒獎。蔡倩婷還熱心的穿上紅色印有兵字T恤，下場當真人旗子。

波士頓中國象棋大賽在華埠牌樓前動用真人棋子比賽。 (周菊子攝)

              這場大賽共有22人參賽。8月7日初賽，8月14日複賽，8月21日在華埠牌樓前做冠亞軍決賽，並由游誠康請亞裔青年會 (YES)的青少年助陣，穿上綠色印有車馬炮等字樣的T恤，排滿黑方棋盤。紅方棋盤由波士頓華埠商會會長蔡倩婷率領湯瑞雲，黎德慈等人上陣，連波士頓象棋會會長吳烷森，紐英崙藝術學會梅宇國，曾任中華公所主席的黃兆祥，都熱心地跳下來當棋子，以湊夠棋子數，。

              紅綠2色T恤是根據棋盤棋子特製的。比賽這天，一件紅色砲T恤不見了。籌辦人員臨時決定把一件紅色T恤反穿，沒字的那個就是砲，解決了這個難題。

              8月14日的那場比賽，波士頓象棋會特地請來紐約象棋賽冠軍孫一鳴參加，分紅黑兩方的5個輪回後，孫一鳴勝了4局，排名第一。不過他是客人，比賽後就回紐約了，所以8月21日的冠亞軍賽，是由陳景賢、梁家睿對決。

陳景賢和梁家睿對奕，陳仕維等人在旁圍觀。 (周菊子攝)

              在波士頓牌樓前的真人棋子，就照這2人對決的過程，變換位子，或被封殺出局。

              陳仕維為了讓這場大波士頓首見的真人棋子象棋賽更有看頭，特地大費周章地把波士頓安良工商會會所內的大螢幕搬到華埠牌樓前，另外請人架高攝影機，做現場直播。

梅宇國身上的紅色T恤上面沒砲字，因為有砲字的T恤不知被哪個路人拿走了。 (周菊子攝)

              只是這天，大波士頓的氣溫又回升到華氏九十度上下，熱昏頭了，路上遊人不多，所有的真人棋子在自己原有的衣服上再套一件棋子T恤，更是汗流浹背，在對弈中被封殺的真人旗子，一被封殺，馬上笑容滿面，連忙把紅或綠T恤脫下來。其中的湯瑞雲嘆說，她在大太陽下曬到整件衣服從裏到外濕透了。

              比賽結束後，華商會的陳文珊，翁偉健等人收桌椅，帳篷，電線，分工合作的迅速還原場地。

              波士頓象棋會是2005年在波士頓由秦繼華、黃靄霖，吳烷森等人創辦的協會，會員背景多元，有建築業老闆，電腦工程師，進出口大盤商等等，不過絕大多數為波士頓餐館打工人，天氣好時，華埠司徒麗英公園內，總是有三、五盤棋同時在捉對廝殺，旁邊也都有許多人圍觀。

安良工商會總理陳仕維 (左起)、波士頓華商會會長蔡倩婷，紐英崙中華公所主席
雷國輝聯袂贊助，才讓波士頓象棋會的這場大賽，別有特色。 (周菊子攝

時隔十幾年後，波士頓象棋會人員也有了些變動，計分也改採電腦紀錄，今年的6名共同會長為吳烷森，陳景賢，劉寶恩，雷軍，游風標，曾慶瑞。

                    陳仕維在賽後表示，這是波士頓華埠第一次嘗試出動真人棋子來辦象棋比賽，有了這次經驗，將來會再改善，包括時間掌控，真人棋子希望能培訓一批懂得下象棋的年輕人來擔當重任，事前加強多方宣傳等，希望能藉此活動重新發揚中華傳統文化，同時為波士頓華埠創造特色，帶動商機。他也感謝安良工商會、波士頓華商會和紐英崙中華總會能夠聯袂贊助，分攤費用，促成這一盛事。 (部分內容轉載自https://ocacnews.net/article/318350)