The Foundation Trust, a private foundation serving the Greater Boston area, is pleased to announce its 2019 grant recipients. This was the inaugural year of grants from the Foundation Trust, and over $20,000 was awarded to nonprofit organizations serving the community of Lynn.
Dr. Joseph Spinazzola, Executive Director and Trustee of the Foundation Trust, emphasized “in Lynn, we were fortunate to have strong applications from organizations doing great work in the Foundation Trust’s priority tracks. These organizations bring a depth of knowledge and diversity to the issues they address, and we are excited to see the impacts they will have on local culture, youth development, and resources to overcome trauma and adversity.”
Recipients were chosen from nonprofits and municipal programs operating in the Foundation Trust’s program areas, including overcoming trauma and adversity, empowering high-risk youth and communities, restoring dignity and quality of care for adults living with chronic conditions, and advancing inclusivity in the arts.
A grant to the Family and Children’s Service of Greater Lynn, Inc. will support Teen Scene, a violence prevention and academic enrichment program. “This grant from the Foundation Trust could not have come at a better time,” said Marolí Licardié, Executive Director of the Lynn Family and Children’s Service. “In addition to giving us the capacity to offer field trips during the school year, the funds also enable us to transport youth safely back home. This is hugely significant since there have been some recent incidences of gun violence in our surrounding neighborhood which have prompted us to provide youth with transportation as they leave the program. One of the goals of Teen Scene is to ensure a safe place for youth to receive academic enrichment after school. Without the funds from Foundation Trust, this would not have been possible.”
The Foundation Trust grant to the Lynn Home for Women will help build capacity at their residential facility. Lisa Connelly, Executive Director of Lynn Home for Women, remarked “the Washington Square Residence/Lynn Home for Women is so very grateful to the Foundation Trust for the additional funds which will enable us to provide more services and opportunities to our residents. Community partners, like the Foundation Trust, are the life blood of small nonprofits such as WSR/LHW. Our programs and services are designed to build community within the walls of WSR but more importantly, to help build or rebuild wholesome lives, we cannot do this work alone.”
Additionally, a grant to Portal to Hope will support Erin’s Project, which helps provide safe haven to youth who have fled violent circumstances. “This new partnership has already provided aid to two homeless children who were displaced due to domestic violence crime,” shared Deborah Fallon, Founder of Portal to Hope. “We are grateful to the Foundation Trust for offering such terrific support.”
In addition to these grants, the Foundation Trust also made a gift to the Downtown Lynn Cultural District which will contribute to the CityhALL initiative, making art and culture more accessible to the community.
Lynn was one of several communities reached with in this year’s grant cycle. In total, more than $300,000 was distributed as scholarships and grants to over 35 small and medium-sized nonprofit organizations in the Greater Boston area.
To view the full list of 2019 grant recipients or to learn more about the Foundation Trust, visit www.foundationtrust.org.