Feeding Our Hometown Heroes: A message from Geeta Pradhan

2020-05-05T16:10:53-04:00April 30th, 2020|Civic Leadership, Philanthropy, Press Release|

Our new initiative, Feeding our Hometown Heroes, launched in partnership with the Boston-founded start-up Off Their Plate, will fund daily deliveries of local, nutritious restaurant meals in May to frontline hospital staff in three Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) Hospitals (Cambridge, Somerville, Everett) and Mount Auburn Hospital.  

Updates on our emergency grantmaking from our president

2020-06-29T18:24:27-04:00April 15th, 2020|Civic Leadership, Grantmaking, Press Release|

Dear friends, The COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare the fragility of our community. More people in Cambridge are struggling with food and housing insecurity. Families who previously made ends meet are now in crisis with no contingency funds to fall back on. This pandemic has also revealed the precariousness of our  nonprofits. The very organizations that bridge the gaps and serve the most vulnerable are doing their work on shoe-string budgets and their future is uncertain. Less than a month ago, we created the Cambridge COVID-19 Emergency Fund and the Cambridge Artist Relief Fund in partnership with the City and our generous donors to provide swift relief to individuals and families in crisis. Funds are already in the hands of those who need them most and more applications are being reviewed each week. Here's a glance at our emergency grantmaking by the numbers: To date we’ve raised over $725,000 and counting for both funds combined. We're distributing one-time grants of $200 to $1,000. We’ve reviewed more than 300 applications from individuals, small businesses, and organizations so far. We’re sending out a total of just over $300,000 in grants, as quickly as we can. This is what we’re seeing:   Taxi drivers who are primary breadwinners for their families have no income. Single mothers struggle to feed and home school their children while working reduced hours. Parents with large families depend on food pantries but

The Cambridge Community Foundation fuels local nonprofit sector with $456,181 this spring

2021-02-19T19:47:09-05:00March 31st, 2020|Civic Leadership, Cultural Richness, Grantmaking, Press Release, Shared Prosperity, Social Equity|

This April, the Cambridge Community Foundation will infuse $456,181 into the nonprofit sector in Cambridge through its annual spring grantmaking cycle, which is allocating funds on schedule despite the COVID-19 crisis. The Foundation is allowing Community Fund grant recipients to use their programmatic funding flexibly so that, at a time of great uncertainty, nonprofits can allocate the money where it’s needed the most.

Nonprofit FAQs: Giving funds to individuals during COVID-19

2020-03-27T16:06:02-04:00March 27th, 2020|Grantmaking, Philanthropy, Press Release|

By Brad Bedingfield and Eleanor A. Evans The impact of COVID-19 on our communities is only just starting to come into focus. It's not just the health risks - millions are likely to find themselves unemployed, without health insurance or a means to make money. Those who must continue their work as this crisis balloons, health care workers in particular, have no safe place to leave their children. Nearly everyone is facing increased financial pressures. Local nonprofits, dealing with their own financial stresses, are still eager to bolster their support of the communities they serve during this crisis.  For any Cambridge-based nonprofits thinking about how to directly give funds to individuals and families in the community, here are some considerations. Can my nonprofit make direct grants to individuals impacted by COVID-19? Many nonprofits that have not traditionally made grants to individuals are asking if they can do so, and how. They want to help specific people in their communities who are in danger of losing their homes or are already homeless, who do not have enough food for their children, or who have special health care expenses. Nonprofits without experience making grants to individuals may be nervous about doing

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