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News from the Community Foundation
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Introducing the new CFSEMA President, plus other timely news from the Community Foundation of Southeastern Mass.
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Message from the President
John Vasconcellos joined the Community Foundation as President on August 1
Dear Friends,
Please let me take a moment to introduce myself, and to let you know how excited I am to be leading the Community Foundation in
to its third decade of working to improve the quality of life in Southeastern Massachusetts.
Much of my ext
ensive career in nonprofit organizational management and fundraising has been spent pursuing that goal. I am a New Bedford native and resident
with a passion for quality of life issues in Southeastern Massachusetts. Most recently, I served as
Senior
Regional Director for The Trustees of Reservations' Boston and Southeast Region, spearheading The Trustees' acquisition of two of its newest properties, the beautiful Allen C. Haskell Public Gardens in New Bedford and Dunes' Edge in Provincetown.
Prior to joining The Trustees in 2011, I served as Managing Director for Development and Marketing for the Gay Men's Health Crisis in New York City, the nation's first-ever AIDS service organization, and before that as
President of Development and Communications for The Coalition for Buzzards Bay, which is dedicated to the restoration, protection and sustainable use of the Bay and its watershed. I moved back to the East Coast in 2003, after living in San Francisco where I served as Director of Development for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.
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Another Successful
Summer's Last Blast!
Summer's Last Blast brought nearly 450 guests to the Huidekoper residence in Nonquitt on Sept. 9, and raised more than $50,000 for Community Foundation operations! Many thanks to all who helped make the event a success, including our hosts, the
Huidekoper Family, and our many sponsors, including Gold Sponsors
Joseph Abboud Manufacuring, Barry Investment Advisors, and BayCoast Bank. See page 4 of the event program for a full
list of sponsors.
Pictured, from top then left to right: The tent at sunset; social hour overlooking the Bay; Bernie Buonanno with our host, Beppie Huidekoper; Mardee & John Xifaras (at ends) with Louis & Bonnie Silverstein. Photos by Deborah Hynes.
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Grants and Scholarships Awarded
The Community Foundation has
awarded 65 grants from 11 funds, totaling more than $136,000, since our last newsletter on June 21. That brings the total of grants, program support and scholarships awarded this year through August 31 to $1.1 million The grants awarded are
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- BankFive Foundation, one $5,000 grant
- Frank Busnengo Fund, 19 grants totaling $4,425
- Diabetes Association Endowment Fund, one $5,823 grant
- Dog Tag Navigators Fiscal Sponsorship Fund, one $836 grant
- Mary Morley Crapo Hyde Eccles Fund, one $15,000 grant
- Greater New Bedford Women's Center Fund, one $447 grant
- Jim and Bess Hughes Fund, 10 grants totaling $51,000
- Ladies Benevolent Society Discretionary Fund, one $2,301 grant
- New Bedford Immigrant Families/Ninos Fund, one $5,000 grant
- The Women's Fund LifeWork Project, 28 grants totaling $45,824
- Women's Action Fund, one $1,046 grant
Nineteen scholarships totaling close to $20,000 have been awarded since June 21, bringing the total awarded this year to more than $350,000. This quarter's scholarships include:
- David Cappannari Scholarship Fund, two $950 scholarships.
- Freitas-Rebello Scholarship Fund, one $1,000 scholarship
- Fairhaven Centurion Scholarship Fund, one $500 scholarship
- Gosnold Community Scholarship Fund, two scholarships totaling $3,200
- Westport and Beyond/Erika Hall Memorial Scholarship Fund, 11 scholarships totaling $10,364
- Sam McFadden Scholarship Fund, one $1,000 scholarship
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Christopher Jon Souza Fund
, one $1,000 scholarship
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Join Us for our Annual Meeting
The Annual Meeting of the Community Foundation will be held on Tuesday, October 18th at 5 pm in the third floor meeting room of the
New Bedford Public Library main branch located at 613 Pleasant St. Please join us to meet our newly appointed President, John Vasconcellos, and receive an update on the work of the Community Foundation. A reception with light hors d'ouevres will follow. Please RSVP to
Nancy Harding
or call 508-996-8253 ext. 203.
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AHA! Awarded Grant from Mass. Cultural Council;
Greets New Arts Dean
The Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) has awarded AHA! New Bedford a $2,500 Cultural Investment Portfolio Project grant
as part of more than $12 million in grants it will invest in nonprofit cultural organizations, local cultural councils, education & youth programs, and working artists across the Commonwealth. This is in addition to the ongoing Adams Grant for the Creative Economy that AHA! receives from the MCC.
The CIP grant will support local youth performers in public presentations.
The Projects Program
is a highly competitive grant program which provides one year of
restricted project support for projects taking place in FY17 (July 1, 2016 - June 30, 2017). Project grants will be awarded annually, and the next application deadline will be May 1, 2017.
In other news, AHA!, the New Bedford Chamber of Commerce, the
New
Bedford Historical Society and the Zeiterion Theatre recently hosted a welcome rec
eption from the arts and culture community for David Klamen, the newly installed Dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts a
t UMASS Dartmouth.
Photographed here, from left to right, is Rosemary Gill, Executive Director of the Zeiterion Performing Arts Center, Dean David Klamen, College of Visual and Performing Arts at UMass Dartmouth, Lee Heald, Director of AHA! and Lee Blake, Director of UMass Dartmouth Campus Compact. Photo by Viera Levitt
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Women's Fund Moves Economic Blueprint for Women Forward
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| Women's Fund and other South Coast reps with Rep. Haddad |
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The
Women's Fund has celebrated progress on its
Economic Blueprint for Women, a framework to increase the percentage of women in the region earning a living wage.
On August 1,
Governor Baker signed into law the strongest equal pay regulations in the country. The Women's Fund led mobilization in Southeastern MA for this bill, which was one of the Blueprint objectives. The new law will end the practice of asking job candidates for a salary history, allow employees to discuss salaries without penalty from their employers, and lays out a path to safe harbor from litigation for employers that review salaries and take steps to correct any inequities. The Women's Fund addressed another Blueprint objective, convening a new coalition uniting regional advocates:
Action for Women of Southeastern MA (AWSM).
One of the Blueprint priorities is
Living Wage-Focused Education and Training, and the LifeWork Project is accomplishing that goal. The three-year pilot was so successful that the Women's Fund is extending it to a five-year program, supporting women to earn degrees, set and achieve important life and family goals, and save money for education and housing.
In August, the Women's Fund convened
phase two of the Task Force on Pathways for Women to a Living Wage to hone the Blueprint into a near-term action plan that will be released in February. Working groups are meeting by category, including: Access to Early Education and Child Care; Equity in Employment, Benefits, and Wages; Living Wage-Focused Education and Training; Health, Safety and Well-being; Public Safety Net and Economic Mobility Programs; and Civic and Political Leadership. If you are interested in joining a working group, please contact
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Upcoming
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T
he
Marion Community Fund invites Marion residents to apply for tax relief. Applications are available at the Marion Council on Aging as well as on this website. Please see the application form for income restrictions and submission instructions. Applications are due to the Community Foundation by
Oct. 3, 2016, and awardees will be informed by mail by late December.
Download the application
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Join us from 5 to 9 pm in downtown New Bedford on October 13, November 10, and December 8 for the monthly AHA! Nights. The theme for the October AHA! Night is Walkabouts. AHA! will also host the annual Holiday Stroll downtown on Saturday, December 1. Visit the AHA! website for more information and complete schedules.
- Leadership SouthCoast and the Legal Center for Nonprofits are partnering to offer a one-stop shop for connecting individuals looking to increase their civic leadership with organizations and departments in need of qualified and passionate board members. The event will be held from 4:30 to 7:30 pm on Wednesday, November 9, at The Cove Restaurant in Fall River. The event is free for individuals interested in serving on a non-profit or public board. Non-profit organizations or Public Commissions interested in recruiting board members can apply here.
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Community Foundation of Southeastern Massachusetts| 30 Cornell Street | New Bedford, MA 02740 | 508-996-8283 |
www.cfsema.org
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