A Message from the President and CEO

Dear Nelson,  

Where has the time gone? Labor Day is this weekend. The summer has just flown by. Time, it’s such an interesting construct. It is always there, yet constantly gone. It’s both finite and infinite. In many ways, it defines who we are and what we do. It is something we recount and ponder endlessly. We make time, bide time, kill time, spend time, waste time. We have good, bad, sad, and happy times. We reminisce about past times and plan for the next time.

What do you do with your precious time? Well, it is time to make the best of our time, and the evidence is clear. Spending time helping others, whether financially or otherwise, results in significant self-gratification and happiness. Life is too short, so don’t worry, be happy, and add some (more) philanthropy into your life. If you need help being happy, please let me know because that’s what we do. But don’t take my word for it; ask one of the hundreds of smiling people who direct their giving through the Foundation. Together, we are stronger!

May you make the most of the time you have, and please have a great and safe time this holiday weekend.

GLCF News

GLCF to Host Annual Celebrate Giving Event with Focus on Creating an Inclusive Cultural Economy

On Wednesday, October 25, 2023, the Greater Lowell Community Foundation (GLCF) will host its annual Celebrate Giving at UTEC in Lowell, Mass. The event will focus on Creating an Inclusive Cultural Economy and will highlight our related work in the community, including Mosaic Lowell, a fiscally sponsored program of GLCF and other creative partners.

This year’s event will feature a keynote by Michael J. Bobbitt, Executive Director, Mass Cultural Council. Michael J. Bobbitt is a theater director, choreographer, and playwright who has dedicated his professional career to arts leadership. He joined Mass Cultural Council as Executive Director in February 2021, and is the highest-ranking cultural official in Massachusetts state government. Upon joining the Agency, he was invited to serve on the Board of Directors for the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) and the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies’ (NASAA). As Executive Director Michael has led Mass Cultural Council through the development of its first-ever Racial Equity Plan; worked with staff, Council Members, and cultural sector advocates to secure and distribute a historic $60.1M in state pandemic relief funding; and overseen the drafting and adoption of the Agency’s FY24-FY26 strategic plan.

The event will also include awarding three 2023 GLCF honors: Business Philanthropy Partner Award, Steven Joncas Community Connector Award, and Bankers’ Volunteer Award for Lifetime Achievement.

“This year’s Celebrate Giving will highlight creating an inclusive cultural economy and explore how using collective influence, voice, and support can move the progress forward,” said Jay Linnehan, Greater Lowell Community Foundation President and CEO. “We believe that philanthropy is something everyone can and should engage in, as fundamentally, philanthropy is about civic engagement – there are so many ways to get involved.”

Celebrate Giving reception will begin at 5:00 p.m. and the program will begin at 6 p.m. Tickets are $100 each and need to be reserved by October 18 at www.glcfoundation.org. Sponsorships are available.

Learn more.

Nominations Wanted

Please consider nominating an individual for the following awards to be given at GLCF's Oct. 25 event. Details and criteria in links below.

- 2023 Bankers’ Volunteer Award for Lifetime Achievement

- 2023 GLCF Steven Joncas Community Connector Award

Nominations Must Be Received By October 4 by Noon.

GLCF’s Women Working Wonders (WWW) Fund Awards Six Grants Totaling $60,000

The Women Working Wonders (WWW) Fund, a permanently endowed fund of the Greater Lowell Community Foundation, has announced the recipients of $60,000 in grants to support local nonprofit programs that empower women and girls in the community.

“Women Working Wonders is proud to support these six outstanding organizations in their work to effect positive change in the lives of women and girls in Greater Lowell,” said Marcia Cassidy, Women Working Wonders board president. “Every year the need grows for funding of programs to support women and girls, and every year Women Working Wonders answers that call.”

Learn more.

GLCF in the Community

Site Visit: Water Testing with Merrimack River Watershed Council

This week, GLCF's Jennifer Aradhya and Sharon Kim met with Merrimack River Watershed Council staff and volunteers at one of the Merrimack River water quality monitoring sites in Dracut.

GLCF partially funds MRWC's "Clean Water for Greater Lowell" program. We also partner with Lowell Parks & Conservation Trust on this initiative. The goals of the program are:

- Increased awareness of the risks of water pollution

- Expanded empowerment of residents to make informed recreation decisions

- Broader community-level engagement in water pollution challenges in Greater Lowell

To learn more about GLCF's commitment to local watersheds, visit our website.

GLCF Grant Highlight

Grant Highlight - Hidden Battles

Hidden Battles Foundation - Hidden Battles was founded in 2017 by Scott Hyder, a veteran and local police officer, after the suicide of his brother, Nicky, a retired corrections officer. Hidden Battles strives to help preserve the healthy minds of Military / Veterans, Law Enforcement, Fire, EMS, Dispatch, and Nursing through treatment and counseling for depression, suicidal tendencies, and PTSD.

Last summer, the Hidden Battles Foundation received a grant from the Netscout Heart of Giving Community Grant Program to engage first responder/veteran parents and children both together and alone in activity driven therapy to reduce stress and help build interpersonal communication skills post Covid. The Hidden Battles Foundation held multiple events where parents engaged with other parents, children with other children and families with other families. Some of the activities included camping trips, art therapy, fishing classes, archery, and family outings.

Netscout offered grant opportunities through the Greater Lowell Community Foundation (GLCF) as part of the 2022 Heart of Giving Community Grant Program to support mental health, specifically supporting the mental health of caregivers (professional care providers, medical professionals, frontline workers and first responders.)

Fiscal Sponsor News

Mosaic Lowell Updates

It has been a busy Summer for Mosaic Lowell! At the end of July, we hosted the first annual Experience Lowell Marketplace as part of the Lowell Folk Festival. This new event featured over 30 artists and 20 organizations from the greater Lowell area, providing an opportunity for festival attendees to experience everything that Lowell’s arts and culture community has to offer. It was a great success despite the rain!

Simultaneously, Mosaic partnered with the City to commission 22 artist murals throughout downtown Lowell, you can use this MAP to take a self guided tour!

Mosaic also continues to collaborate with the City's Cultural Affairs Office, The Greater Lowell Chamber of Commerce, the Merrimack Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the Folk Festival Foundation to promote all of the exciting festivals and events that take place across the city year round. For information on the Fall festival season, visit likelowell.com.

For more information on arts and culture opportunities and events, please visit: www.mosaiclowell.org.

Women Accelerators:

Accelerating Women Leaders Coaching Program (Sept. 12 - Dec. 5, 2023)

Program Benefits

Prepare high-potential female employees for advancement to higher-level leadership roles, boosting your succession pipeline and better gender balancing your management teams.

Minimize impostor syndrome and other challenges that undermine women’s confidence, allowing you to tap into their creativity and unique perspectives.

Better leverage skills and capabilities as women become more adept at expanding their visibility and influence.

Learn more

Upcoming Concert

Saturday, September 16

LCO is starting their fifth season relabeling what is a symphony. You will hear how two living composers - Yoko Nakatani and Brittney Benton - are breathing new life into the symphony at a molecular level, and the Arnold Schönberg piece that started it all. Also, LCO principal trumpet Adam Gallant will be a featured soloist.

7:30 pm

Saturday, September 16

Richard and Nancy Donahue Academic Arts Center

240 Central Street, Lowell, MA

Part of Middlesex Community College's A World of Music Concert Series

Learn more

Community Partner News

Please Join Community Teamwork and Local Leaders For a Powerful Movie Screening of

Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America

Date:

Wednesday, October 11, 2023

Time:

4:30pm Reception/5:30pm Screening –

Followed by a facilitated discussion with Jeffrey Robinson.

Location:

Showcase Cinema de Lux Lowell – 32 Reiss Ave, Lowell, MA 01851

Registration is required.

Support the Work of GLCF

Become an Annual Sponsor

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.

Learn more

Give to the Future: Make a Planned Gift

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.