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A Message from the President and CEO |
Greetings!
It’s election season, and as I always do, I’m encouraging everyone to vote next Tuesday, November 2nd. My ability to vote is not only a privilege, that many have fought and died for, but it is an obligation. It is my civic duty to support our democratic society. It is my opportunity to voice my opinion on how our government is run and who runs it. Don’t you want a say in that?!
Next Tuesday is a historic voting day for Lowell. The new voting system, approved in 2019, referred to as a district and at-large “hybrid” system, will elect the members of our city government. The City Council will expand from nine to eleven members representing eight districts and three at-large (city-wide). For School Committee elections, there are six members to represent four districts and two at-large. For more information on the new election system, visit: yourlowellyourvote.com
The new voting system intends to enhance the equal opportunity for fair representation of all Lowell residents. Towards that end, I’m hopeful to see a greater voter turnout next week than we saw for the preliminary. An engaged citizenry advances the interests of the entire community – especially at the local level, where governmental decisions can affect so many aspects of our daily lives.
Be a voter.
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Jay Linnehan
GLCF President + CEO
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(Lowell Sun, 10/25/21)
(MassNonprofit, 10/22/21)
(Lowell Sun, 10/7/21)
Women Working Wonders Fund presents virtual Power of the Purse Plus fundraiser (Lowell Sun, 10/7/21)
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On October 13, the Greater Lowell Community Foundation hosted their Annual Celebrate Giving event that focused on Cultural Equity. The hybrid event was broadcast online with limited guests attending in person at UTEC. In-person attendees and online participants experienced performances by Lowell Chamber Orchestra, Free Soil Arts Collective and the We Are America Project with a keynote from San San Wong, Director of Arts & Creativity, Barr Foundation. The emcee for the evening was Sophan Smith, Exec. Director of EforAll Lowell.
The 2021 GLCF Business Philanthropy Partner Award was presented to Western Avenue Studios and Lofts for creating an ever-evolving art hub with hundreds of studios and live workspaces, owner Karl Frey Accepted.
The inaugural 2021 Steven Joncas Community Connector Award recipient was Vladimir Saldaña, Sales Associate & Property Manager, Edge Group and Founder, Fortaleza, Inc. Saldaña was nominated by Luis Pedroso, President and Co-Founder, Accutronics Inc.
Many thanks to our Celebrate Giving 2021 Sponsors:
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Bronze Event Sponsor: Lowell Five
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Copper Sponsors: Athenian Corner Restaurant & Lounge, Inc.; Community Teamwork, Ms. Maureen F. DiPalma; Mr. Daniel J. Donahue; Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union; Joncas Associates; Lowell Plan, Inc.; Middlesex Community College; Mills42 Federal Credit Union; Sisters of Charity of Ottawa; and Sullivan Bille, P.C.
In case you missed this year's Celebrate Giving, or care to enjoy it again, please see our recording:
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UPDATE: GLCF Discretionary Grants Program
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For the past several years, applications for GLCF's Discretionary Grants Program opened in early November with the submission deadline ending beginning of December, but there will be a change to our timeline. Our future Discretionary Grants Program will open and start accepting applications on February 2, 2022.
Grant funding from the Greater Lowell Community Foundation’s 2021-2022 Discretionary Grants Program will include the following strategic funding categories:
- Racial Equity and Inclusion
- Leclair Elder Services
- Children’s Services
- Water Resources Initiative
- Nashoba Valley Healthcare*
Stay tuned for additional information and RFP in the upcoming months.
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*To qualify for the Nashoba Valley Healthcare category, your program’s purpose must advance the community health of residents in nine communities: Ashby, Ayer, Dunstable, Groton, Littleton, Pepperell, Shirley, Townsend, and Westford. Programs providing services outside of these communities will not be considered.
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GLCF awards $208K in additional COVID-19 Response Grants to address Mental Health Needs |
The Greater Lowell Community Foundation (GLCF) announced it deployed a new round of COVID-19 related grants, providing an additional $208,750 to 13 nonprofits in Greater Lowell addressing mental health needs. These grants were part of the latest round of distributions from the GLCF COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund.
Grants were determined through a competitive process with community members serving on the selection committee. GLCF solicited applications from nonprofits and local programs addressing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health in Greater Lowell.
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PHOTO: Operation Delta Dog in Hollis, NH received a recent $15,000 grant to support a PTSD Veteran/Mentor Program. Pictured, Operation Delta Dog client Paul with Dobby.
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Helping UMass Lowell Honors Students Become Future Philanthropists |
This fall, Honors students at UMass Lowell are learning that the philanthropic landscape and their roles in it are changing.
Through a creative partnership between UML’s Honors College and the Greater Lowell Community Foundation (GLCF), students enrolled in the Honors Seminar “Experiencing Philanthropy,” are getting hands-on training in how to be the philanthropists of the future – and giving away $10,000 in the process.
For the second year in a row, under the direction of Associate Teaching Professor Deborah Finch, 19 Honors students are learning about nonprofit organizations, different styles of philanthropy, and effective nonprofit management. By the end of the semester, they will have designed their process for requesting and evaluating grant proposals and awarded $10,000 to local nonprofit organizations.
“GLCF has a wonderful relationship with UML’s Honors College,” said Jay Linnehan, GLCF President & CEO. “At the end of 2019, Jim Canning, then-Dean of the Honors College, reached out to us to help support a hands-on learning opportunity for students to understand philanthropy better.
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PHOTO: Am Ngeth (she/her), Khmer Advocate and Prevention Specialist at The Center for Hope and Healing spreading awareness around sexual violence in our community through CHH’s Mobile Healing Unit Pilot Program. This program received grant funding from the UML/GLCF Experiencing Philanthropy partnership. |
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Mosaic Lowell Presentation at Lowell City Council
On Tuesday, October 5, GLCF's Jay Linnehan and Lowell Plan's Allison Lamey spoke to Lowell's City Council Meeting to provide an informational overview of Mosaic Lowell. Link to video of the presentation below.
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Free Soil Arts Collective Founder Christa Brown |
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Free Soil Arts Collective receives Barr Foundation's Powering Cultural Futures Grant
Congratulations to Free Soil Arts Collective! The Barr Foundation recently announced that they are one of 15 organizations selected to be part of the Barr Foundation's "Powering Cultural Futures", a six-year initiative that celebrates and supports arts of Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) communities across Massachusetts.
Powering Cultural Futures supports these organizations in their work to increase access to arts and cultural expression of BIPOC communities, develop networks of mutual support for BIPOC artists, and evolve BIPOC artforms and aesthetics. Each organization will, over the course of this capacity-building initiative, pursue a scale of operations that fits its aspirations and reflects the needs, hopes, and assets of its community. These cohort members will also contribute, along with Barr and our partner foundations, to bolstering the ecosystem of arts providers and donors that is vital to the flourishing of BIPOC arts statewide, and indeed to the vitality and creativity of all our communities statewide.
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Lowell Chamber Orchestra
As One
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7:30 PM
Saturday, November 20, 2021
Richard and Nancy Donahue Academic Arts Center, Lowell
A ground breaking opera, with Tona Brown and Rahzé Cheatham portraying the challenges, joys, and fears of the trans experience.
Music & concept: Laura Kaminsky
Libretto: Mark Campbell & Kimberly Reed
Film: Kimberly Reed
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Women Accelerators
Volunteers Wanted
As a member of the Women Accelerators team, you may be responsible for booking events, providing content for our communications and social media, reaching out to speakers and collaborators in our area, or being instrumental in bringing women resources through our mentoring and coaching programs.
Most of our volunteers work 1-3 hours a week on their tasks but we are happy to discuss the time you are willing to dedicate. We expect you to be open to communicating on our platform (Basecamp) and attending a once-a-month team meeting (currently on Zoom).
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Give to the Future: Make a Planned Gift |
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Everyone has a legacy. What’s yours? |
Your legacy can be shaped to support the causes you care about now and provide financial and estate savings.
To discuss creating a personalized estate plan that supports issues important to you, please call Jay or Howard at the Greater Lowell Community Foundation at 978-970-1600.
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GLCF COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund |
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For the latest info on the GLCF COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund, see the Fund webpage.
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Grant Update: Health Law Advocates - Mental Health Advocacy Program for Kids-Lowell
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Health Law Advocates (HLA) is a 501(c)(3) public interest law firm whose mission is to provide pro bono legal representation to low-income residents experiencing difficulty accessing or paying for needed medical services. Many children in, or at risk of entering, our juvenile justice system end up there because of unmet mental health needs. Health Law Advocates (HLA) Mental Health Advocacy Program for Kids (MHAP for Kids) has a proven track record of significantly improving the lives of these children and their families while reducing unnecessary costs for the state. GLCF provided a grant to support HLA's Lowell MHAP for Kids program.
From Health Law Advocates:
During the six-month grant period, HLA's Mental Health Advocacy Program for Kids-Lowell office provided pro bono legal representation to 55 families to help them overcome barriers to mental health services for children. Thirty-four (34) of the cases we worked on during the grant period are closed. Overall, the funding we received helped us: protect the health care rights of children living in Greater Lowell, improve their access to mental health services, and as a result, improve their mental health and achieve other positive outcomes.
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100 Merrimack Street, Suite 202
Lowell, MA 01852
PHONE 978-970-1600
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