New Bedford based Community Foundation awards 4th round of grants from the SouthCoast Emergency Response Fund

The Community Foundation today announced $665,000 in grants to nonprofits providing significant emergency support for immigrants, emergency childcare facilities, and local college students in need.

These grants contribute to the more than $1.9 Million that the Community Foundation has allocated over the past several weeks through its SouthCoast Emergency Response Fund. The Fund supports nonprofits that are on the frontlines serving those in our region most severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Of the grants made, more than $130,000 was distributed to organizations responding to urgent financial needs occurring in immigrant households. These funds will provide direct assistance to immigrant families in need of food aid and rent assistance.

Another significant portion of this round’s funding supported the Southcoast’s emergency childcare facilities. The YMCA Southcoast, one such recipient, is steadfast in their mission, the improvement of the spiritual, mental, social, educational and physical conditions of all persons.

“We remain vigilant and committed to doing all we can to meet the needs of our community during this unprecedented time. With the award of emergency relief funds, we have been able to expand the availability of emergency day care to three of our six sites: New Bedford, Swansea and Wareham. Over 1,000 children have come through our doors while their parents and caregivers continue their brave work on the front line.” Said Jim Scherer, President and CEO of the YMCA. “Additionally, we continue to address food insecurity with our initiatives across YMCA Southcoast. Through our partnerships with local organizations, we have been able to distribute over 80,000 meals to families in need.”

And College students most in need will benefit from this latest tranche of grants as well. The Bristol Community College Foundation, along with the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, received a grant to provide direct support for students, covering expenses such as inability to pay rent and food insecurity. Laura L. Douglas, President of BCC said “We are delighted that these funds will support our dedicated students with their critical needs as they pursue their college dreams. Throughout this challenging time, many students and families have lost jobs and assumed new technology costs during the transition to learning remotely, including Wi-Fi or additional equipment. As a result, many students have sacrificed or delayed expenses such as food, rent and transportation. These funds will assist our students with essential needs, and we are very grateful.”

This fourth round of grants from the Fund was made possible through the Community Foundation’s partnership with the Massachusetts COVID-19 Relief Fund. The Massachusetts COVID-19 Relief Fund supports those across the state most impacted by the COVID-19 health crisis, focusing on essential frontline workers and vulnerable populations including the homeless, immigrant populations, people with disabilities and those facing food insecurity. The Fund works in concert with regional community foundations and non-profit leaders who partner with local leaders to understand the response and relief landscape, strategically filling in where gaps are pronounced. For more information, visit MACovid19ReliefFund.org.

“Well into the third month of this pandemic, the need remains incredible as it has revealed the many weaknesses in our society’s ability to take care of our residents. The innovation, clarity, and facility with which our non-profit organizations and schools have risen to the challenge is nothing short of awesome. We are proud to be able to partner with so many of them”, said John Vasconcellos, President of the Community Foundation of Southeastern Massachusetts.

To date, the Fund has raised more than $2.8 million from a wide range of corporate donors, foundations, and individuals, in response to the Community Foundation’s call to come together on behalf of our community.

Details of each grantee’s work can be found listed below. Grants ranging from $5,000 to $110,000 were distributed to the following organizations:

Grantees:

• Attleboro YMCA
• Boys & Girls Club of Plymouth
• Bristol Community College Foundation
• Catholic Social Services of Fall River, Inc.
• Centro Comunitario de Trabajadores
• Children’s Advocacy Center of Bristol County, a program of JRI
• Citizens for Citizens, Inc.
• Coastline Elderly Services, Inc.
• Family Service Association of Greater Fall River Inc.
• House of Possibilities, Inc. (HOPe)
• Immigrants’ Assistance Center
• Katie Brown Educational Program
• Kennedy-Donovan Center, Inc.
• M.O. L.I.F.E., Inc.
• New Bedford Star Kids Scholarship Program
• NorthStar Learning Centers, Inc.
• Samaritans of FR/NB, Inc.
• Schwartz Center for Children
• Seven Hills Behavioral Health, Inc.
• Southeastern Massachusetts Ser-Jobs for Progress Inc.
• The Arc of Bristol County
• The Bridge: A Center for Hope and Healing
• The Literacy Center, Inc.
• The Women’s Center
• United Way of Greater New Bedford
• YMCA Southcoast
• Joe Andruzzi Foundation, Inc.
• UMASS Dartmouth Foundation

Next round of grants is scheduled to be open June 12th, 2020. Please visit our website at that time for further directions to apply.

How to give
You can help those most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic by supporting our region’s nonprofits on the front lines. Donations to the SouthCoast Emergency Response Fund may be made online at https://cfsema.securepayments.cardpointe.com/pay.
For general questions and inquiries about the Fund, please direct your inquiry to emergencyfund@cfsema.org. For any questions regarding making a donation, please contact the Community Foundation’s Development Manager, Tricia Grime at pgrime@cfsema.org. Lastly, for media inquiries and interview requests, please contact Jasmyn Baird at jbaird@cfsema.org.