GLCF awards more than $500K in additional COVID-19 Response Grants

Boys and Girls Club of Greater Billerica, a GLCF COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund grant recipient, received funding for COVID-19 Remote Learning and STEAM Enrichment. A Boys and Girls Club of Greater Billerica member explores how to create circuits through a STEAM Enrichment project.

LOWELL – After more than a year after the pandemic began, the Greater Lowell Community Foundationcontinues its work to support nonprofits providing relief to people affected by COVID-19.  The Foundation deployed a new round of COVID-19 related grants, providing an additional $550,142 to 32 area nonprofits through the Commonwealth COVID Grant Program and GLCF COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund. 

“After a year of granting from the GLCF COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund, through the generosity of our donors as well as the partnership of the Commonwealth, we are continuing to fund essential needs in Greater Lowell,” said GLCF president & CEO Jay Linnehan. “This round supports the nonprofits lifting our neighbors facing extreme challenges caused by the pandemic.”

GLCF awarded $414,992 in grant funding in the first round of the Commonwealth COVID Grant Program, made possible by the Baker-Polito Administration’s $10 million grant program for COVID-19 relief. The program is administered by the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development through community foundations.

Among the 24 Commonwealth COVID Grants funded through GLCF, the International Institute of New England in Lowell received a grant to support food supplies and rental assistance. “IINE is thrilled to have received meaningful support from the GLCF’s COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund. It will provide immediate and tangible emergency relief to many of Lowell’s immigrant families,” said Jeffrey D. Thielman, President and CEO of International Institute of New England. “Through this grant, the International Institute of New England will help to stabilize housing, utilities, and internet access for 165 individuals and support the food security of 190 families in Lowell.”

The 24 nonprofits receiving $414,992 in grant funding in the first round of the Commonwealth COVID Grant Program are:

International Institute of New England (IINE in Lowell, a recipient of a Commonwealth COVID Grant Program through GLCF, to provide food supplies and rental assistance. An IINE Lowell family supported through grant funds.
  • Boys & Girls Club of Greater Lowell:  Educational Support 
  • Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association: CMAA Emergency Response Project 
  • Catie’s Closet, Inc.: Meeting the COVID-19 Needs of the Lowell Community 
  • Coalition for a Better Acre:  Pandemic Response 2021 
  • Community Teamwork, Inc. . COVID Relief Projects 
  • Dwelling House of Hope: Food Pantry 
  • Girls, Inc. of Greater Lowell: Remote Learning 
  • Greater Lowell Family YMCA: Remote Learning
  • House of Hope, Inc.: COVID Prevention Baskets 
  • International Institute of New England: Food Supplies and Rental Assistance
  • Life Connection Center, Inc.: COVID 19 Basic Needs Emergency Project
  • Lowell House, Inc.: Housing Stabilization
  • Merrimack Valley Food Bank, Inc.: Food Assistance in Lowell
  • Mill City Grows: Increasing Food Security in Lowell
  • NFI MA, Inc.: COVID 19 Essential Supplies Support for Lowell
  • Northeast Legal Aid, Inc.: – Supporting Lowell Tenants Facing Eviction
  • Project Home Again: New Items Program
  • Sankofa Support Services: Diaper Distribution Program
  • The Center for Hope and Healing, Inc.: Hopeful Futures, Supporting BIPOC and LGBQ/T Youth
  • The Megan House Foundation: COVID-19 Relief Support
  • Troubled Waters, Inc.: Bi-lingual Recovery Coach Program
  • VNA Care Network, Inc.: Equipping VNA Care Network’s Frontline Nurses
  • Wayside Youth & Family Support Network: Wayside | Lowell – PPE and Addressing Food Insecurities
  • YWCA of Lowell: Acre Youth Center Educational Enrichment Support Resources

Additionally, GLCF distributed a round of support from the GLCF COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund. Of the six recent grants from the GLCF COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund, Boys and Girls Club of Greater Billerica received a grant to support COVID-19 Remote Learning and STEAM Enrichment. “Since reopening in September, we have successfully implemented remote learning and academic support for over 244 children across our six sites,” shared Roy Nagy, Executive Director, Boys & Girls Club of Greater Billerica. “Sustaining support for our Club families throughout the COVID crisis has been an arduous challenge, but it is one that we are confident we can continue to achieve thanks to our supporters like the GLCF COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund.”

The eight nonprofits receiving $135,150 in grants in the latest round of the GLCF COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund are:

  • Aaron’s Presents: Keeping Our Teens Engaged and Creative during the Pandemic
  • Boys and Girls Club of Greater Billerica: COVID-19 Remote Learning and STEAM Enrichment
  • Greater Lowell Health Alliance – Equitable COVID-19 Vaccine Community Education Roll-out
  • Lowell Community Health Center: Strengthening Health Equity – LCHC Patient Access Services
  • Minute Man Arc for Human Services, Inc. – Safeguarding children with disabilities during COVID-19 pandemic
  • Nashua River Watershed Association: Wednesday Walks with NRWA Naturalists
  • UTEC, Inc.: Madd Love Meals for Dracut + Tyngsboro Elders       
  • VNA Care Network, Inc.: COVID-19 Patient Isolation Kits

Since March 2020, through grants from its GLCF COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund, Massachusetts COVID Relief Fund, and Commonwealth COVID Grant Program, the foundation has supported 117 local nonprofit organizations with 263 grants totaling over $3.3 million.

Donations to the GLCF COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund can be made online at www.glcfoundation.org or by mail to the GLCF COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund c/o GLCF, 100 Merrimack Street, Suite 202, Lowell, MA 01852. 

About Greater Lowell Community Foundation

The Greater Lowell Community Foundation (GLCF), founded in 1997, is a philanthropic organization comprised of over 350 funds, now totaling over $50 million, dedicated to improving the quality of life in 20 neighboring cities and towns. The Community Foundation annually awards grants and scholarships to hundreds of worthy nonprofits and students. GLCF is powered by the winning combination of donor-directed giving, personal attention from its staff, and an in-depth understanding of local needs. Our donors’ generosity has enabled GLCF to award more than $25 million to the Greater Lowell community.

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