MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, Mass. (April 25, 2018) – Thirty-six local community organizations in five communities have been awarded nearly $21,000 in grants from the Tufts Neighborhood Service Fund (TNSF). The TNSF collects donations from faculty and staff at Tufts University throughout the year and then awards small grants to community-based, charitable organizations that serve Tufts’ host communities.
The seven Boston grant recipients are:
- Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center - $500 for bus tours to college campuses for Asian youth from low-income families
- Boston Self Help Center - $1,000 for their power wheelchair soccer team
- Boston Shakespeare Project - $500 to fund professional development workshops
- Chinese Women’s Association - $500 for community outreach efforts
- The DREAM Project - $250 to cover the expenses of a student trip to Provincetown
- Greater Boston Chinese Golden Age Center - $1,000 for a “Memory Café” providing specific memory-enhancing care for elderly Chinese women with early memory loss
- Ricesticks and Tea - $1,250 for their food pantry
The three Grafton grant recipients are:
- Community Harvest - $500 for irrigation improvements
- Grafton Senior Center - $500 for medical van rides for Grafton seniors and disabled persons
- St. James Outreach - $2,000 for food and services to assist residents in need
The 13 Medford grant recipients are:
- Boys & Girls Club Medford - $500 to purchase supplies and materials for the Torch Club, a service and leadership club for boys and girls aged 11-13
- Coalition for Arts, Culture and a Healthy Economy (CACHE) - $250 to support the Circle the Square summer program
- Columbus Elementary School - $600 to fund the purchase of wireless remote PowerPoint clickers
- Community Cupboard – $2,000 for their food pantry
- Congregational Church of West Medford - $500 to support the Medford Cares community service program
- English at Large - $250 to purchase curriculum materials and classroom learning aides
- Malden YMCA’s Medford Food Project - $500 to purchase supplies to support food programs
- Medford Community Coalition - $200 to help cover costs of entertainment at Medford Eats
- Medford Family Resource Coalition - $250 for the operation of the Children’s Garden at the Medford Family Network
- Medford Historical Society - $300 to assist in creating an exhibit around author and abolitionist Lydia Maria Child
- Mystic River Watershed Association - $700 for community outreach events, including an Earth Day River Clean-up, and to develop new educational materials
- Roberts Elementary School - $250 to support a STEM enrichment night
- West Medford Community Center - $250 in support of their “First Friday Words and Music” programs
The 13 Somerville grant recipients are:
- Boys & Girls Club Somerville - $500 for a new digital camera for the photography club
- Community Action Agency Somerville - $500 in support of the Homelessness Prevention Program
- CASPAR - $500 to purchase new supplies, including sheets, blankets and towels
- Catholic Charities - $500 towards the purchase of a new freezer
- Groundwork - $250 to install pollinator gardens and outdoor classrooms at a Somerville public school
- Mystic Learning Center - $500 to reimburse the staff of the youth mentoring program
- Parts and Crafts - $250 to fund materials for a week-long program on robotics
- Second Chances - $500 to help build capacity by purchasing new collection bins
- Somerville Cambridge Elder Services (SCES) - $500 in funding for evening, weekend and emergency home-delivered meals for elders
- Somerville Community Growing Center - $250 to purchase supplies for international herbs and annual plantings
- Somerville Food Security - $700 in food and supplies
- Somerville High School - $275 for chemistry teacher Susan Schmidt’s class trip to the Diablo Glass School
- Somerville Homeless Coalition (SHC) - $1,000 for the purchase and installation of a security camera
“The TNSF is just one way that Tufts University partners with nonprofit organizations in our host communities,” said Rocco Dirico, co-director of Tufts’ Government and Community Relations office. “Every year, we are more and more impressed by the work done by these not-for-profit groups and what they are able to accomplish with the donations they receive,” added fellow co-director Barbara Rubel. “It’s really a privilege to support TNSF.”
For an organization to be considered, Tufts community members must actively volunteer with the organization. In this way, TNSF supports not only community organizations but also the work of the many Tufts students, staff, faculty, and alumni who volunteer with them.
A committee comprised of Tufts administrators, faculty and staff meets annually to review proposals and select grant recipients. The committee received 55 proposals during the 2018 application process, ultimately selecting 36 programs and projects for awards. Members of the TNSF committee base their decisions on a desire to address the most pressing needs in the communities and to encourage expanded involvement of Tufts volunteers.
TNSF is a giving option of the annual Tufts Community Appeal (TCA), in which the university encourages its employees to contribute to charitable organizations at the regional, national and international levels. The TCA unites faculty and staff across all campuses of the university, and demonstrates the support the Tufts community for local and global efforts. It reflects the university community's belief that individual action can make a difference in the world.
Questions regarding the Tufts Neighborhood Service Fund can be directed to the Office of Government and Community Relations at Tufts University online or by phone at 617-627-3780.
###
About Tufts University
Tufts University, located on campuses in Boston, Medford/Somerville and Grafton, Massachusetts, and in Talloires, France, is recognized among the premier research universities in the United States. Tufts enjoys a global reputation for academic excellence and for the preparation of students as leaders in a wide range of professions. A growing number of innovative teaching and research initiatives span all Tufts campuses, and collaboration among the faculty and students in the undergraduate, graduate and professional programs across the university's schools is widely encouraged.
