2008 Grants
Arts and Culture
911 Electonic Media Arts, Inc.
d/b/a 119 Gallery
$5,000 for educational programming for Lowell residents.
Arts League of Lowell, Inc.
$15,000 for the first Arts Festival of Lowell, a three-day event scheduled to take place in September 2009, to showcase the work of the city’s burgeoning artist community.
A Brush with History, Inc.
d/b/a The Brush Art Gallery and Studios
$20,000 in two installments of operating support to assist the museum during a time of fiscal constraint and leadership transition.
Cultural Organization of Lowell, Inc.
f/b/o Flying Orb Productions
$5,000 for the production costs of Netherworld, a film by award-winning artist and Lowell resident Jim Higgins. The film focuses on the difficulties of adjustment faced by young Cambodians in America and features local actors and dancers from Lowell’s Angkor Dance Troupe.
Cultural Organization of Lowell, Inc.
Massachusetts Poetry Festival
$25,000 for the first Massachusetts Poetry Festival, held in Lowell in October 2008 with workshops and readings by distinguished Massachusetts poets. The festival is a collaborative effort between the Cultural Organization of Lowell and the Massachusetts Poetry Outreach Project (an initiative of the state’s cultural and humanities councils). Massachusetts is the only state in America to sponsor a statewide poetry festival.
Lowell Festival Foundation, Inc.
$40,000 toward the first year salary of coordinator Sue Ann Pearson, who will oversee the Lowell Folk Festival, the largest free folk festival in the United States. The Lowell Folk Festival functions as a partnership of the Lowell Festival Foundation, the Lowell National Historical Park, the National Council for Traditional Arts, and the Merrimack Valley Visitors and Convention Center.
Lowell Philharmonic Orchestra, Ltd.
$5,000 in one-time support to enable the volunteer orchestra to purchase a set of tympani.
Merrimack Regional Theatre, Inc.
d/b/a Merrimack Repertory Theatre
$40,000 for a feasibility study as a first step toward an endowment campaign for the MRT.
Subtotal Arts and Culture: $155,000
Percentage of Total: 18
Community and Economic Development
Coalition for a Better Acre, Inc.
$25,000 as the second installment of a grant for a deputy director at the Coalition for a Better Acre, who will serve as a community liaison for the organization as it develops new projects throughout the city. (Total support of $50,000, 2007-2008).
Cultural Organization of Lowell, Inc.
$26,340 to underwrite a year-long “What’s Up in Lowell?” underwriting campaign on WGBH radio, to expose a Greater Boston audience to the city’s many cultural and entertainment resources.
Lawrence CommunityWorks, Inc.
Lawrence, Massachusetts
$40,000 in startup support for a new community development finance institution (or alternative bank) serving low-income people throughout the Merrimack Valley. This project is a collaborative between Lawrence CommunityWorks and Lowell’s Coalition for a Better Acre.
Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth, Inc.
Boston, Massachusetts
$10,000 in second-year support for MassINC’s Gateway Cities project, focusing on the needs of the secondary cities of Massachusetts. This project is a joint initiative of MassINC and the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC. It has resulted in a statewide compact uniting the chief executives of cities throughout the state. (Total project support of $15,000, 2007-2008).
Subtotal Community and Economic Development: $101,340
Percentage of Total: 12
Development of Philanthropy
Greater Lowell Community Foundation, Inc.
$75,000 in continued support for the position of a deputy director ($20,000), as matching support for a project to encourage nonprofit organizations to establish endowments at the foundation ($50,000), and to support a series of training events for nonprofits in Lowell in 2008 ($5,000).
The Jericho Road Project, Inc.
Concord, MA
$25,000 as the final installment of a three-year grant to provide core support for Jericho Road and its work in Lowell. The innovative project pairs Concord professionals as pro bono consultants with Lowell nonprofit
organizations. (Total support of $100,000, 2005-2008).
Subtotal Development of Philanthropy: $100,000
Percentage of Total: 12
Education
Girls Incorporated of Greater Lowell
$40,000 toward a coordinator’s salary and related equipment costs for TechGirls, a technology and engineering program for Lowell girls.
The Landmark School, Inc.
Prides Crossing, MA
$25,000 for a training project for teachers at the BRIDGE prograrm, an alternative middle school run by Middlesex Community College and staffed with teachers from the Lowell Public Schools. This project focuses on skills for teaching students with reading disabilities.
Lowell Catholic High School
$10,000 for a mobile computer lab to be used for remedial instruction in English and mathematics for incoming freshman students at the high school.
Lowell Community Charter School Friends, Inc.
$25,000 for the purchase of “adventure” equipment to be used as part of the school’s physical education programming. The K-8 charter school serves a primarily Cambodian and Latino population of more than 900 students.
Troubadour, Inc.
Chestnut Hill, MA
$20,000 in second-year support for Troubadour and its songwriting and poetry curriculum for teachers and students at the Murkland and McAvinnue elementary schools in Lowell. (Total project support of $45,000, 2007-2008).
Youth Enhancement Services, Inc.
Tewksbury, MA
$10,000 in core support for the new organization, which provides after-school programming and operates summer camp for disabled children in the Greater Lowell area.
Subtotal Education: $130,000
Percentage of Total: 15
Evironment
Lowell Parks and Conservation Trust, Inc.
$20,000 in continued support for the implementation of the Concord River Greenway in Lowell. When completed, this ambitious project will be linked to miles of walking and biking trails in the Metrowest area of Boston. (Total project support of $42,500, 2004-2008).
Trustees of Reservations
Beverly Farms, MA
$20,000 to preserve Hawk Valley Farm in the Pawtucketville neighborhood of Lowell. Part of a family farm operating for six generations, the land is connected to larger conservation areas including the Lowell/Tyngsboro/Dracut State Forest. A permanent conservation restriction for the property has been engineered by the grantee in partnership with the City of Lowell and Lowell Parks and Conservation Trust.
Subtotal Environment: $40,000
Percentage of Total: 4.5
Housing
Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, Inc.
Boston, Massachusetts
$40,000 for case management for former tenants of the Julian Steele Housing Development in Lowell, who were relocated by the Lowell Housing Authority. Two court decisions have ruled in favor of the tenants, who have been denied relocation monies and in some cases been resettled in more segregated and poorer neighbohroods, in violation of federal civil rights legislation.
Subtotal Housing: $40,000
Percentage of Total: 4.5
Human Services
Christ Church United in Lowell
$35,000 for the church’s emergency relief program for individuals in need in Lowell ($20,000), for a vacation school for children in Lowell ($5,000), and for architect’s fees related to energy efficiency and reconfiguration of the church’s space ($10,000). Theodore Edson Parker was a parishioner of this church and mentioned it in his will.
Community Teamwork, Inc.
$105,300 to provide fuel assistance and weatherization and energy efficiency audits and services for needy families in Lowell who, by virtue of their income status, do not qualify for federal assistance.
Community Teamwork, Inc.
SuitAbility
$10,000 for the SuitAbility program’s new consignment shop selling used women’s clothing. The SuitAbility program, which recently merged with Community Teamwork, provides donated business clothing and career coaching for women entering the workforce.
Lowell Boys Club Association, Inc.
d/b/a Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Lowell
$25,000 for a new program to serve youth referred to the agency for community service by the Lowell Juvenile Court.
Lowell Wish Project, Inc.
$20,000 in year-end support for the organization, which coordinates with local human serice agencies to provide clothing and basic household supplies to low-income families moving from homelessness to housing.
Rape Crisis Services of Greater Lowell, Inc.
$20,000 in capital support to enable the organization to purchase a fully integrated computer system.
United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley
$70,000, including $50,000 toward the salary of a new program officer for the Merrimack Valley, and, as a challenge grant, $20,000 for Summer Experiences in Greater Lowell, a funding source for nonprofit summer camps for children in the area.
Subtotal Human Services: $285,300
Percentage of Total: 33
Membership Organizations
Associated Grant Makers of Massachusetts, Inc.
d/b/a Associated Grant Makers
Boston, MA
$6,150
Association of Small Foundations, Inc.
Washington, DC
$495
Council on Foundations, Inc.
Arlington, VA
$2,280
Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees
Sebastopol, CA
$500
Neighborhood Funders Group
Washington, DC
$800
Subtotal Membership Organizations: $10,225
Percentage of Total: 1