A Message from the President and CEO

Dear Nelson,  

Where has the time gone? Labor Day is just days away. Summer is at an end. So how was your summer? Did you get to do what you wanted? When I think about that question, I’m reminded how different that answer is depending on one’s circumstance. For many, it’s a time when work slows down (although I’m not sure that happens anymore), and for others, it’s time away from school. Either way, it should be a time to catch up, reflect and relax—a time to recharge and prepare for the road ahead.

For many, that road ahead is college. And for many, that road ahead is possible due to the generosity of others. At the Foundation, we grant some 400 scholarships per year. Over those years, thousands of students have received millions of dollars to help them achieve their dream of higher education - a gift that keeps giving and lasts a lifetime.

We could all use a little help no matter what road we travel - some much more than others. Where would you like to help? Maybe establish a named scholarship fund. It’s a beautiful way to recognize a loved one forever and at the same time support education. It’s a very satisfying act of compassion. Whichever way you choose to help, and please select something, let me know if the Foundation can help. It’s what we do – facilitate kindness through philanthropy.

Be well,

Jay Linnehan
GLCF President + CEO

GLCF in the News

Youth murals showcased at Lowell City Hall
(Lowell Sun, 8/24)

VIBE Fest to serve as ‘celebratory victory lap’ for Lowell murals project (Lowell Sun, 8/24)

Lowell Police Department and Officer Sean A. Collier Memorial Fund Team Up to Offer Youth Swimming Lessons
(JGPR, 8/10)

LHA Hosted A Youth Health Fair!
(LHA, 8/20)

Marina Schell Obituary
(Legacy.com, 8/12)

Assets for Artist – Upcoming Workshops
(Assets for Artists, August)

MAPS creates Legacy Fund in honor of Carmen Pacheco Medeiros
(The Herald News, 8/3)

Alternative House Partners with Pepperell Police Department (Chelmsford Action Unlimited, August)

GLCF News

Join the Greater Lowell Community Foundation as we focus on the Power of Philanthropy at this year’s Celebrate Giving event. Highlighting their philanthropic support, panelists will engage in conversation about: creating change in the community, the transformational effect of giving time, talent and treasure, as well as the future of philanthropy.

POWER OF PHILANTHROPY Panelists:
Ms. Nancy Huntington Stager, President & Chief Executive Officer, Eastern Bank Foundation
Ms. Sophy Theam, Trustee of the Theodore Edson Parker Foundation and DEI and Leadership Program Specialist at Enterprise Bank
Mr. John Flanagan, Senior Director, Westford Corporate Citizenship for Red Hat
Ms. Siddhi Shah Cheong, Head of Strategy Development, MilliporeSigma and representing the Shruti N. Shah Memorial Scholarship Fund

Also, featuring:
GLCF 2022 Business Philanthropy Partner Award
2022 GLCF Steven Joncas Community Connector Award
Inaugural GLCF Newell Flather Legacy Fund Grant Award

Learn More

Nominations Wanted: GLCF Steven Joncas Community Connector Award

The GLCF Steven Joncas Community Connector Award recognizes an individual or organization that meets one or more of the following criteria and aligns with this year's theme: Power of Philanthropy:
Helping individuals and/or their community through one or more extraordinary acts during the past year;
Performing exemplary deeds of service to the community in the Greater Lowell;
Making efforts to combat persistent problems that impact entire communities.

All nominations must include a 250-500 word nomination essay that details how the nominee meets the criteria listed above, and why they should be recognized at GLCF’s annual Celebrate Giving event on October 26.

NOTE: Award recipient will receive a $1,000 grant, funded by GLCF, to give to a Greater Lowell nonprofit of their choice. NOMINATIONS MUST BE RECEIVED BY OCTOBER 7.

Nomination Form

GLCF’s Women Working Wonders (WWW) Fund awards six grants totaling $52,000

The Women Working Wonders (WWW) Fund, a permanently endowed fund of the Greater Lowell Community Foundation, has announced the recipients of $52,000 in grants. These grants will support local nonprofit programs that empower women and girls to effect positive change in the community.

“Women Working Wonders is proud to support these six organizations in their work to improve the lives of women and girls in Greater Lowell,” said Marci Barnes, Women Working Wonders Fund board president. “This competitive grant process allows us to address significant community needs through collective philanthropy.”

Read More

Lowell Waterways Vitality Initiative: Eastern Canal Flower Box Project

Take a walk down E. Merrimack Street and stop to smell the flowers ?

Lowell Waterways Vitality Initiative's latest project adds some beauty to the Eastern Canal in the form of new flower boxes!

We're proud that the flower boxes were Made in Lowell! They were designed, fabricated, and installed by Forgione Engineering, Inc. and powder coated by Coating Systems Inc.

Thank you to Middlesex Community College who will be helping us with watering.

Additional thanks to: Sykes the Florist and Greenhouses for their guidance and
George Duncan, Founder of Enterprise Bank, for inspiring this project.

GLCF Site Visit: Dignity Matters

Dignity Matters – Dignity for every woman

Dignity Matters is a nonprofit organization that collects, purchases and supplies feminine hygiene products, bras and underwear to women and girls who are homeless or disadvantaged, in order to help them stay healthy, regain self-confidence, and live with basic dignity.

At the end of July, the GLCF Grants team visited the busy Dignity Matters warehouse in Framingham to take a tour and learn about how they fulfill the needs of 14,000 women each month in Massachusetts.

Most recently, Dignity Matters received a 2022 Discretionary Grant for $7,500 for their program Dignity in Lowell Schools, and they will be partnering with Catie’s Closet to provide 246 girls with the menstrual care they need to manage their periods in a healthy and dignified way for one year.

With global supply chain issues and shipping issues impacting the cost of these products, GLCF is proud to fund Dignity Matters to provide dignity to so many girls in Greater Lowell.

GLCF Fiscal Sponsor News

Free Soil Arts Collective: Shaping the Future of Leadership

The Free Soil Arts Collective is partnering with the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), on community engagement efforts around The Obama Portraits Tour, opening September 3. In conjunction with the exhibition, Free Soil is hosting a panel discussion, Free Soil and MFA Boston Present: Shaping the Future of Leadership, at UMass Lowell’s University Crossing on Wednesday, September 7th at 6pm.

Details

Details

Lowell Chamber Orchestra: Upcoming Performance

Details

GLCF Partner News

Significant Funding Opportunity
Cummings Foundation is inviting local nonprofits to apply for grants of between $30,000 and $1 million each through the annual Cummings $30 Million Grant Program. This place-based initiative seeks to support local organizations that are based in—and provide at least 50 percent of their services in— Middlesex, Essex, and Suffolk counties. To take the first step toward securing meaningful funds for your organization, simply submit a brief Letter of Inquiry by September 9, 2022. Eligibility requirements, a timeline, FAQs, and more are available at CummingsFoundation.org.

DETAILS

Mosaic Lowell News

The Mosaic Lowell Arts and Cultural Economy Plan will be released soon. This plan for All of Lowell has been informed by meetings, conversations, happenings, and surveys conducted with groups and individuals across the City. The attached graphic shares a picture of many of the activities that have been part of this learning process.

GLCF Grant Highlight

Grant Update: Lowell Association for the Blind

Through GLCF’s partnership with NETSCOUT Heart of Giving Community Grants Program, the Lowell Association for the Blind (LAB) received a $10,000 grant in 2021 .

With the funding, LAB was able to purchase and install a dual brailler/printer and begin producing high quality braille materials for their clients and the blind and visually impaired population they serve. Lowell Association for the Blind is also working to partner with local organizations and school systems to be able to create additional braille materials for students, and a wider range of the blind/visually impaired population that the organization might not serve directly through their services.

They are looking for additional ways to increase their capacities to step into this role and provide these braille materials and increase the effectiveness in how they can better use this technology to increase the number of individuals served.

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.