Arts & Culture, Economic Opportunity, and Education Sectors Receive Financial Assistance to Address Vaccine Hesitancy and Maintain Operations Hard Hit by COVID Pandemic

Grants totaling $479,495 will support 39 nonprofits throughout Southeastern Massachusetts.

 

NEW BEDFORD, MA – The SouthCoast Community Foundation announced today that 39 nonprofits throughout Southeastern Massachusetts will receive a total of $479,495 to address the impact of COVID-19 on their organizations, programming, and the communities they serve. The grant focuses on vaccine hesitancy and equity and operational needs for organizations from the arts & culture, economic opportunity, and education sectors. This is the 13th round of grants from the SouthCoast Emergency Response Fund established in March of 2020 to provide flexible resources to organizations that work with those most impacted by the pandemic.

“The Community Foundation is grateful to our funders for their continued support of our COVID relief efforts making this round and future grant-making possible,” stated Sarah Rose, Director of Engagement for the SouthCoast Community Foundation. “We see a continuing urgent need to address vaccine hesitancy and help our local nonprofits reimagine their organizations as they navigate the lingering, economic impact of the pandemic. We are so happy that we can help them through this difficult time.”

The grant recipients include:

3rd Eye Youth Empowerment $ 12,000
Amego Inc. $ 13,000
Attleboro Area Interfaith Collaborative $ 6,500
Attleboro YMCA $ 9,700
Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro South $ 5,600
Boys and Girls Club of Fall River $ 2,500
Brockton Day Nursery, Inc. $ 11,200
Community Economic Development Center of SE MA $ 10,400
Citizens for Citizens $ 10,800
Downtown New Bedford Inc. $ 2,500
Fall River Symphony Orchestra $ 4,000
Fellowship Health Resources – Towne House Clubhouse $ 11,200
Gallery X $ 5,000
Health Imperatives, Inc. $ 46,000
Hockomock Area YMCA $ 9,700
Immigrant Assistance Center $ 44,000
Kennedy-Donovan Center, Inc. $ 6,700
Love Life Now Foundation, Inc. $ 2,600
Massachusetts Design Art & Technology Institute $ 10,000
New Bedford Symphony Orchestra $ 15,000
New Hope, Inc. $ 2,600
NorthStar Learning Centers $ 9,100
On Stage Theatrical Productions, Inc $ 10,000
Our Daily Bread Food and Resource center $ 8,000
PACE, Inc. $ 5,200
Plymouth Guild, Inc. $ 20,000
Plymouth Task Force to End Homelessness $ 7,800
School on Wheels $ 5,600
South Coast Children’s Chorus $ 6,000
South Shore Community Action Council $ 9,100
SouthCoast LGBTQ Network, Inc. $ 9,100
St. Peter’s Episcopal Church $ 6,500
The Greater Attleboro Norton Social Responsibility Alliance $ 15,000
The Literacy Center $ 6,700
United Neighbors of Fall River $ 5,000
United Way of Greater Fall River $ 21,395
YEAH! Corps $ 10,000
YMCA SouthCoast $ 44,000
YWCA of Southeastern MA $ 40,000
TOTAL $ 479,495

Health Imperatives, an organization tackling vaccine hesitancy, reiterated how crucial financial assistance continues to be for individuals in 2021. “We are honored to receive an emergency response grant to improve vaccine equity and economic opportunity among community members,” said Julia Kehoe, the organization’s President and CEO. “With these funds, we will provide outreach, training, and pop-up clinics to reach more people who need the COVID-19 vaccine. We will also give individualized support to those who are experiencing prolonged financial hardships. These efforts will make a major difference in the lives of residents who have been hardest hit by the pandemic.”

The Greater Attleboro Norton Social Responsibility Alliance also reflected on how vital ongoing support is for nonprofit organizations and their community-based programs. “Funding from the Southcoast Community Foundation will allow us to launch an innovative new project, the Community Connector, this year,” commented Amanda Blount, co-chair of the organization. “This project aims to build capacity of organizations that are serving our area’s most at-risk and hardest-to-reach families, increasing access to life-saving resources. Community Connector will provide expertise, training, and resources while building the infrastructure within and around organizations to ensure their longevity and sustainability well into the future.”

The Community Foundation established the SouthCoast Emergency Response Fund in partnership with local funders in March of 2020. The Fund provides flexible resources to organizations that work with those most impacted by COVID-19. To date, the organization has granted $8.1 million to 135 nonprofits from this fund. Donations to the SouthCoast Emergency Fund can be made online. For general inquiries about the Fund, please contact [email protected].

The SouthCoast Community Foundation is a nonprofit serving thousands of people throughout Southeastern Massachusetts who share a common goal of improving the quality of life through philanthropy.  Since 1995, the Community Foundation has distributed over $50 million from more than 200 funds to humanitarian, educational, and cultural organizations in the region. For more information, visit www.southcoastcf.org.

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