2020 Grant Recipients
Friends of Matènwa
Matènwa, Haiti
Amount granted: $28,655
Grant year: 2020
Grant categories: Education, Rural Human Services
To support the creation an entrepreneurship program for graduates of its community school through Biznis Kreyol.
The Matènwa Community Learning Center (MCLC) was established as a school that would ban corporal punishment, offer instruction in Creole, incorporate gardening as part of its core curriculum, and put an emphasis on child-centered learning in an environment of mutual respect, investigation and critical thinking. The entrepreneurship program will provide an opportunity for the community’s youth that have graduated from school to earn a living, while giving back to the school community.
Historic Hudson
Hudson, NY
Amount granted: $30,000
Grant year: 2020
Grant category: Historic Preservation
To support an increase in staff and technology capacity in order to continue its growth and outreach and engagement projects in Hudson, NY.
Historic Hudson was created in 1996 to advocate for the preservation and cultural heritage of the historic architecture of the city of Hudson, NY. Historic Hudson has rescued and designated historic landmarks in the city and is now in the process of renovating and enhancing 100 underutilized acres of the 162-acre NYS Hudson Correctional Facility for a much needed public access park.
Karuna Center for Peace Building
Amherst, MA
Amount granted: $10,000
Grant year: 2020
Grant category: Education
$10,000 to support the Erasure and Restoration lecture series, a community dialogue and lecture series on ‘Erasure and Restoration: An Exploration of Past and Present in the “Kwinitekw” River Valley’s Indigenous Communities’.
Karuna Center has 25 years of international experience in post-conflict healing and reconciliation in over 30 countries. Its mission is to empower people divided by conflict to develop mutual understanding and create sustainable peace and work where violent conflict has pitted ethnic or religious groups against each other, often examining the historical legacies left behind. Karuna Center leads initiatives to bridge damaging social and political divides and trains local leaders in conflict mitigation techniques.
Long Table Harvest
Germantown, NY
Amount granted: $20,000
Grant year: 2020
Grant category: Rural Human Services
To support the increased hours of the Rolling Grocer 19 storefront which provides nutritious local food to underserved communities in the Hudson Valley.
Long Table Harvest is a grassroots organization founded in 2015 with the mission to cultivate social and economic equality in the local food system through dynamic, inclusive and creative collaborations across a diverse rural community. Long Table Harvest focuses on gleaning and distributing fresh fruits, vegetables and meats from local farms to food pantries and through its Mobile Grocer program as a way of alleviating the burden hunger plays on the community.
The Community Fund of Darien
Darien, CT
Amount granted: $30,000
Grant year: 2020
Grant category: Human Services
$30,000 to support four organizations providing mental health support for children and youth during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Founded in 1951, the Community Fund of Darien plays a significant role in addressing the health and human services needs in Darien, Norwalk and Stamford through strategic leadership and grantmaking. Its mission is to enhance the capacity of the community to care for one another by assisting the community to identify and prioritize its need, and provide cost effective fundraising, distribute funds to meet identified community.
The Prepatory Foundation for Boston Prep
Boston, MA
Amount granted: $35,000
Grant year: 2020
Grant category: Education
To support the addition of an Alumni Counselor in its Persistence Project that helps Boston Prep graduates successfully navigate the college experience, as well as to provide support for the Persistence Project’s micro-grant program.
The Preparatory Foundation directly supports the operation of Boston Prep, a Commonwealth charter school, accepting Boston students via a public lottery and serving them in grades six through twelve with a mission to prepare students to succeed in four-year colleges and to embody, in thought and action, lifelong ethical growth.
Over the past year, Boston Prep completed a robust research project to better understand the factors associated with college success. That research revealed several factors associated with success, including active coaching for college students, rapid credit accumulation, deep engagement on campus, and having a “posse” for support. In response to these findings, Boston Prep is launching a pilot of a redesigned Persistence Project, an ongoing program that provides intensive support to students in college.