Announcing New Grant Commitments

Photo by Disabled And Here project.

We are excited to announce several Core Strategy grants we have made over the past several months. Each of these grants is structured to reinforce one another in advancing our mission of championing efforts that prioritize community goals, challenge racial inequities and advance excellent, student-centered public education for all New England youth.

Supporting Organizations Led by People of Color

We believe that organizations led by people of color are in the best position to organize and lift up the invaluable voices of students, families, and communities who have been traditionally excluded from decisions made about their schools. These organizations are advocating for racial equity in New England schools, such as: implementing culturally responsive teaching and learning, increasing inclusive policies, and ending the criminalization of young people, while providing crucial wraparound services and support for children, youth, and families.

PT Barnum Partners Bridgeport, CT

Waterbury Bridge to Success Waterbury, CT

Save Girls on F.Y.E.R. Waterbury, CT

Rivera Memorial Foundation, Inc. Waterbury, CT

Friends and Mentors (FAM) Brockton, MA

Collaborative Parent Leadership Action Network (CPLAN) Brockton Chapter

Empower Yourself Brockton, MA

Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center (BCNC) Quincy and Boston, MA

Vietnamese American Initiative for Development (VietAID) Boston, MA

Cambodian Mutual Aid Association (CMMA) Lowell, MA

Quincy Asian Resources, Inc. (QARI) Quincy, MA

Parent Villages Springfield, MA

Black Excellence Academy Worcester, MA

We are also providing a grant to Beloved Community to implement a learning community for the above grantees that develop the leadership and builds the capacity of the organizations listed above.

Advancing Community-School Partnerships

Additionally, at the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, we believe that when schools work in partnership with community-based organizations, students are better positioned to receive the community support they need to thrive. We know that when community members are welcomed into the school environment and play a key role in decision-making, all young people benefit. Today, we are also pleased to announce grants as a part of our Advancing Community-School Partnerships (ACSP) fund, aimed at supporting community-driven partnerships between districts and their communities to advance racial equity and excellent public education. Each community listed represents one partnership effort:

Connecticut

Danbury

Manchester

Waterbury

Massachusetts

Randolph

Springfield

Worcester

We are also making a grant to the Center for Leadership and Educational Equity to develop and implement a learning community for all our ACSP grantees.

Amplifying Youth Voice & Leadership

At the Foundation, one of our core values is to put youth at the forefront. To live into this value, we support the capacity of individual youth organizing groups while also supporting their collaboration through a New England-wide network. As a result, member organizations become more effective at achieving racial equity outcomes in public education, and moving towards more collaborative and aligned work, increasing and strengthening the power of youth voice in the region overall. To this end, we provided a grant to the Center for Youth and Community Leadership in Education to implement the next Youth Leadership Institute and continue coordinating the New England Youth Organizing Network.