December 13, 2021 Press Releases

Community Foundation Invests Over $1.8 Mil in Flexible Funding Grants to 77 Local Nonprofits

Investment targets nonprofits addressing equity, diversity, and inclusion; a strong start for children through education and care; post-secondary education and training; and a vibrant and local arts creativity ecosystem.

The Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts (CFWM) has announced 77 investments made through its Flexible Funding grant cycle late in November. The investment, totaling $1,842,500, was designed to elevate nonprofits addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion both internally and externally through policies, procedures, and programming. Grants of up to $30,000 can be used by the grantee organizations to address their needs—whether for programs or operating support.

“Our community partners have had to adapt during the pandemic, and they continue to navigate their work through the current health crisis. It’s imperative that the Foundation along with our partners, continue to prioritize equity and inclusion,” said VP for Community Impact & Partnerships Denise Hurst. “Diversity and inclusion are critical differentiators in how our communities manage through any crisis.

Through this grant round, CFWM hopes to encourage greater awareness, deeper listening, and a stronger response to addressing racial inequity in our region. Preference was given to organizations where leadership is racially diverse. Over 65% of the funding went to organizations that aligned with the Foundation’s stated focus areas of creating a strong start for all children through education and care, making post-secondary education and training accessible and more affordable, and supporting a vibrant and local arts and creativity ecosystem to support self-expression, economic vitality, and community connection.

“These grants allow grantee organizations to build upon their learnings from the last 20 months, to continue their core mission-driven work,” said Meredith Lewis, director of Community Impact and Partnerships, “and to improve their efforts around diversity, equity, and inclusion work while addressing community needs.”

Multiple sources of funding supported this opportunity round including $200,000 to support organizations aligned with ValleyCreates, CFWM’s arts initiative which seeks to strengthen and enliven equity and inclusivity in the arts across the region, and which is in great part supported by the Barr Foundation. This current Flexible Funding grant round awarded twenty nonprofit arts organizations over $435,000 in funding.

The 77 organizations receiving Flexible Funding investments are:

Center for New Americans
Community Music School of Springfield, Inc
Springfield Cultural Partnership, Inc.
Montague Catholic Social Ministries, Inc.
Boys & Girls Club of Greater Westfield
Boys & Girls Club of Greater Holyoke, Inc.
Families First Parenting Programs, Inc.
Amherst Cinema Arts Center, Inc.
Survivor Theatre Project
Link to Libraries, Inc.
Piti Theatre Company
The Performance Project, Inc.
Northampton Parents Center Inc
Willie Ross School for the Deaf, Inc
Chicopee Child Development Center, Inc.
Junior Achievement of Western Massachusetts, Inc.
Chester Theatre Company
YMCA of Greater Springfield
Seeds of Solidarity Education Center, Inc.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Franklin County
Collaborative for Educational Services, Inc.
Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts, Inc.
Community Adolescent Resources and Education Center Inc
Brick House Community Resource Center, Inc.
Amherst Committee for A Better Chance
Empowerment Through the Arts
Caring Health Center, Inc.
New England Public Media, Inc.
Davenport Child Care, Inc.
Big Brothers-Big Sisters of Hampden County, Inc.
The Literacy Project, Inc.
LightHouse Holyoke
Gandara Mental Health Center, Inc.
Motherwoman, Inc.
Make-It Springfield
Hampshire Regional YMCA
Home City Development, Inc.
Center for EcoTechnology
Holyoke YMCA, Inc.
Blues to Green, Inc.
Treehouse Foundation, Inc.
Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts
Tech Foundry
Boys & Girls Club Family Center, Inc.
Drama Studio, Inc.
Amherst Community Television, Inc.
All Our Kids, Inc.
Roca, Inc.
Teach Western Mass
Arts Extension Institute, Inc.
Institute for the Musical Arts
Pioneer Valley Workers Center, Inc.
Springfield Technical Community College Foundation, Inc.
Urban League of Springfield, Inc.
Self-Evident Education, Inc.
Northampton Center for the Arts, Inc.
New North Citizens’ Council
Bay Path University
Arise, Inc.
Way Finders, Inc.
Dress for Success of Western Massachusetts, Inc.
The Literacy Lab
CitySpace, Inc.
Springfield Day Nursery Corporation
Enlace de Familias de Holyoke/Holyoke Family Network, Inc.
Cambridge College, Inc.
Martin Luther King Jr Family Services Inc
Double Edge Theatre Productions, Inc.
Forest Park Zoological Society, Inc.
Conway School of Landscape Design, Inc.
Art Garden, Inc.
International Language Institute of MA, Inc.
Kistner Foundation, Inc.
Greenfield Community College Foundation, Inc.
Musica Franklin Inc
Parent Villages
It Takes A Village

About Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts

Founded in 1991, the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts seeks to enrich the quality of life for the people of our region. With assets totaling $200 million, CFWM serves the three counties bordering the Connecticut River in western Massachusetts (Hampden, Hampshire, and Franklin Counties) by serving as a resource, catalyst, and coordinator for charitable activities. To learn more, visit http://communityfoundation.org/.