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A Message from the President and CEO |
Greetings!
Leadership – it’s something I think about all the time, but none more so than each year as the Foundation celebrates our annual meeting as we did back on June 7th. As I reflect on the year and think about all the things we’ve accomplished, I also think about all the people who helped us along the way, especially the Foundation’s Board of Directors. The effective and efficient governance of any nonprofit organization begins with the board. Without their guidance and support it’s difficult to move forward. I’m excited to say that at the Foundation we’re full speed ahead.
An important part of every annual meeting is the election of board members. Earlier this month at the 2023 annual meeting, Niki Tsongas, our former congresswomen, rolled off the board. To fill that vacancy, the board voted to elect Siddhi Shah Chhoeng to the board. Siddhi is the Head of Strategy Development, Bioprocessing at MilliporeSigma. I very much want to thank Niki for her service, welcome Siddhi to the board, as well as thank all the other directors for their continued service and leadership.
Together we are stronger.
Happy 4th of July.
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Jay Linnehan
GLCF President + CEO
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GLCF's Annual Meeting 2023
Equity and the Rule of Law: A Conversation with Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell
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On Wednesday, June 7, GLCF welcomed 150+ Greater Lowell community leaders to the 2023 Annual Meeting at the UMass Lowell Inn and Conference Center.
The event focused on Equity and the Rule of Law and featured a conversation with Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell and President and CEO Jay Linnehan. Among the topics discussed were the many ways the Attorney General's office is supporting our community, including: children and mental health, elder justice, strengthening the regional offices and outreach to marginalized and vulnerable populations.
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GLCF Announces New Fund to Support the LGBTQ Community at Annual Meeting
Lowell, MA – The Greater Lowell Community Foundation (GLCF) announced at its annual meeting on June 7 that it established a new field of interest fund to support the local lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender & queer (LGBTQ) community in Greater Lowell.
While the foundation is comprised of more than 500 charitable funds dedicated to improving the quality of life in 21 neighboring cities and towns, this is the first GLCF fund specifically dedicated to nonprofits serving LGBTQ individuals.
“For more than 25 years, the Greater Lowell Community Foundation has pooled and invested charitable donations from generous donors for the benefit of the local communities we serve,” said Jay Linnehan, GLCF President and CEO. “We are proud to launch this new field of interest fund to support the LGBTQ community. It’s our hope that for years to come it will continue to grow and assist members of this often over-looked and under-served community.”
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To Donate to
GLCF's New LGBTQ Fund
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The LGBTQ Fund was established to provide a source of annual funds to support nonprofit organizations working to improve the quality of life for the LGBTQ in Greater Lowell by providing legal, health, education, advocacy, or other high-demand services/programs. |
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GLCF awards $321,000 to improve residents’ health in Nashoba Valley
Lowell, MA – The Greater Lowell Community Foundation recently awarded $321,000 in multi-year grants to six local nonprofits from the Nashoba Valley Healthcare Fund to help improve residents’ health in area communities.
Priority was given to proposals pertaining to prevention of health problems, access to healthcare, elder, youth, and adolescent health, mental health, and health care service provision. This is a competitive grant cycle and recipients of the grants were scored and selected by the Nashoba Valley Community Healthcare Fund selection committee, comprised of local leaders in business, health care, and education.
“The Nashoba Valley Healthcare Fund provides impactful grants to our community,” said Jay Linnehan, president and CEO of the Greater Lowell Community Foundation. “We greatly appreciate the hard work and diligence of the volunteer NVHC selection committee in prioritizing the health needs of residents in our local communities.”
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GLCF announces New Board Member
Lowell, MA – At the Greater Lowell Community Foundation Annual Board Meeting, the Board of Directors unanimously approved the election of new board member Siddhi Shah Chhoeng, of Bedford, Head of Strategy Development, MilliporeSigma.
“I am very pleased to welcome Siddhi as the newest member of our Board,” said GLCF President and CEO Jay Linnehan. “As a Lowell High School alum and Bedford resident, Siddhi brings a wealth of knowledge about our Greater Lowell Community that will help the Foundation to be an asset for the next generation of donors who want to benefit our community.”
Siddhi Shah Chhoeng is a corporate strategist, author, and philanthropist. Siddhi brings over 15 years of achievement in the Life Science industry, holding various leadership roles at companies such as Sanofi Pasteur, Boston Scientific and Repligen. Currently, she is the Head of Strategy Development, Bioprocessing at MilliporeSigma.
Siddhi credits her professional success to the strong work ethic instilled by her immigrant parents, the help of amazing mentors, and the opportunities offered during her days as a student in Lowell’s unique, urban public school system. Thus, she holds a strong commitment to supporting and inspiring the next generation. Siddhi is LHS Class of ’98 alum, Carney Medalist and 2022 recipient of the prestigious LHS Distinguished Alumni Award. Additionally, in 2021, Siddhi published her first book “The Career Lab Formula” – a guide for recent STEM graduates as they transition into the workforce.
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GRANT HIGHLIGHT - Stone Soup Kitchen
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Stone Soup Kitchen in Ayer runs a food pantry and a weekly hot meal program as a part of its overall mission to fight food insecurity for marginalized people in their community.
At the beginning of this year, they received a grant from the 2023 GLCF DOHCD COVID-19 Emergency Response Grants Program. The grant award was used to offset the increased cost of food due to inflation and to serve an increased number of guests to the pantry. The pantry saw a significant increase in numbers served due to the end of extra SNAP benefits, inflation, and inadequate wages.
In the first 6 months of the year the pantry served close to 400 individuals. 100% of the grant funds were spent on food for the pantry.
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Mosaic Lowell Updates
In partnership with the City's Cultural Affairs Office, Mosaic has created a marketing plan for all of Lowell's festivals throughout the year. This includes promotion of both city-sponsored and independent events, highlighting the many diverse cultural events taking place in Lowell. You can view details on all of these festivals HERE.
Mosaic is also busy planning for the Experience Lowell Marketplace taking place during Folk Fest, so we hope you can stop by the Enterprise Bank Parking lot during the festival on July 29th and 30th to experience all that Lowell's arts and culture community has to offer!
And if you are interested in volunteering for the Experience Lowell Marketplace, you can sign up HERE! We hope to see you then!
For more information on arts and culture opportunities and events, please visit: www.mosaiclowell.org
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Women Accelerators
Peer Mentoring Circles
Women Accelerators (WA) is happy to announce that they have opened up registrations for our Peer Mentoring Circles starting this summer!
The peer mentoring program applications start in mid-July 2023, and the program runs for six months until December 2023. During the program, Peer Mentoring Circles are encouraged to meet at least twice a month virtually, although many mentors and mentees continue the relationship long after the program is over!
In this program, WA provides resources and opportunities to participants of the peer circles to cultivate their professional relationships and bring value to their mentoring experience.
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Board Diversity Initiative (BDI) |
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The Board Diversity Initiative (BDI) aims to build a culture of inclusion among Lowell’s non-profit boards, and support diverse leaders seeking opportunities to serve.
The objectives of this initiative are to:
- Prepare and connect diverse community members with opportunities to serve on boards of area non-profit organizations, and
- Support organizations trying to build boards that reflect the culture of the community and help strengthen their connections with their constituencies.
The pilot program will launch in September 2023 with six 2-hour sessions.
Organizations and individuals interested in participating should complete the respective form below by July 31st. There is no fee to participate.
Questions about BDI or the application process may be directed to Allison Lamey at 978-459-9899 or allison@lowellplan.org.
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United Way of Massachusetts Bay’s Request for Partnership (RFP)
Application Due July 14
The Request for Partnership (RFP) is an opportunity for nonprofits to apply for multi-year, unrestricted funding to support their work in economic inclusion & wealth building, early education & out of school time programs, education & career pathways for 16-24 year olds, and safe and stable housing. Applicants can apply for funds to support direct services and/or public policy work and must be focused on at least one of our focus communities: Boston (with priority for Dorchester, East Boston, Hyde Park, Mattapan, and Roxbury), Cambridge, Chelsea, Haverhill, Lawrence, Lowell, Lynn, Malden, Quincy, Revere, Salem, and Taunton.
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Since 1997, the Greater Lowell Community Foundation has supported this community with grants to nonprofits, scholarships to deserving students, and leadership to help determine, address, and resolve a wide variety of needs and opportunities.
With more than 390 donor-driven funds and expert staff, the Foundation provides vital resources that build on our community’s strengths, addresses its challenges, and brightens futures by helping deserving students to achieve their dreams.
To achieve more, we need your partnership through a generous annual sponsorship.
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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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100 Merrimack Street, Suite 202
Lowell, MA 01852
PHONE 978-970-1600
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