Junior League of Boston Announces Community Assistance Grants, Major In-Kind Gift, and Community Service Impact

The Junior League celebrates major gifts to the community in 2015-2016

BOSTON, MA — The Junior League of Boston, an all-women, volunteer-led organization serving greater Boston, will award the 2016 Community Assistance Grants at their Annual Meeting on June 16^th. Recipients include the Food Project and Girls Leap, both second-year grant recipients, with the roster of new recipients including the Center for Young Women’s Health at Children’s Hospital, Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts, Rosie’s Place and Women’s Lunch Place.

“The Junior League of Boston focuses our community impact on the wellness of girls. Each grant recipient has made a crucial contribution to advancing and empowering girls and young women in greater Boston over the past year,” said Valerie Pontiff, President of the Junior League of Boston. “We are proud to be able to provide financial support to enable these wonderful organizations to further the cause we all hold dear – empowering the girls and women who will be the leaders of tomorrow.”

The Junior League of Boston also announced the completion of the largest in-kind donation the organization has made in many years. Through the 45^th Anniversary Decorators’ Show House, the Junior League and its 25 designer partners contributed more than $300,000 in in-kind and direct financial support toward the renovation of the Nathaniel Allen House in West Newton. This National Historic Register property was a stop on the Underground Railroad and the first co-educational school in the United States. The property had fallen into disrepair, and through the work of Show House, received a new kitchen and a complete interior restoration of the first and second floors of the main house. The property will enter fall of 2016 as arts and culture space for adults and children in greater Boston.

“The Junior League has transformed an important historic property and brought it back to life,” said Setti Warren, Mayor of the City of Newton. “The professionalism and depth of talent the Junior League brought to this regional gem is unparalleled and deeply appreciated.”

Junior League of Boston builds the skills and confidence of girls through member developed curriculums, which include leadership training, arts, physical activity and healthy eating. Thousands of hours of volunteer time and a substantial financial commitment toward the programs positively impact the lives of girls in the greater Boston community. Schools and partners who help the Junior League of Boston reach the girls include: Boston Renaissance Charter School for both the JL Boston Arts and Kids in the Kitchen programs, Blue Hill Boys and Girls Club for the Leader Within program, Youth Villages Germaine Lawrence campus for both the Amigas and Run Club programs, West End House Boys and Girls Club and Boys and Girls Club of Charlestown for the Learning Circles program, Salesian Boys and Girls Club for the Kids in the Kitchen and Leader Within programs, Excel Academy for JL Boston Arts at Junior League of Boston Headquarters program. Dress for Success and Strong Women Strong Girls are two additional strategic partners.

“It is remarkable to take a step back and see the measurable impact our members make in our community in one year,” said Molly Fazio, Director of Community Service. “We are grateful for the opportunity and look forward to continue the expansion of our community outreach.”

Community Service programming was expanded in 2016 thanks to the Trip Advisor Foundation which provided a $24,700 grant that enabled the expansion of both Leader Within and JL Boston Arts programs.

“Junior League members bring so much talent, compassion and authenticity to their support of the non-profit landscape in greater Boston,” says Patricia A. Parcellin, CEO of Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts and the keynote speaker at the Junior League’s 2016 Annual Meeting. “Our shared commitment to helping girls and women reach their full potential is a strong foundation for our wonderful partnership and will make a real difference in the lives of the girls we serve.”

The 1,000 members of the Junior League provide exceptional direct service to the girls of greater Boston through their 19 community service programs, and elevate regional non-profits through the leadership of established Junior League members. As the Junior League prepares for the 2016-2017 year, the organization anticipates additional growth in membership community service programming. “The Junior League is an unparalleled platform for innovative community solutions. Together we are catalysts for lasting community change and through strategic partnerships we continue to positively impact the greater Boston community,” says Pamela Lynch, who will serve as President of the Junior League of Boston beginning July 1, 2016.

About the Junior League of Boston

The Junior League of Boston is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Members of the Junior League of Boston are dedicated to effecting positive change in our community and committed to the belief that volunteer service is an essential part of responsible citizenship.

JL Boston Relaunches Community Assistance Grants!

Pamela presents a Community Assistance Grant Check to Excel Academy

By Tracey Manzi –

The Junior League has been a part of Boston for a long time – 109 years to be exact! In that time, we’ve brought immeasurable time and energy to our community. For many of those years, we provided financial grants to other organizations to do meaningful work aligned with our mission.
This year, we are reviving this tradition with grants up to $2,500 to non-profit agencies in Greater Boston whose proposed funding would go towards one of the components of our community focus which is to develop and nurture the self-esteem of girls and young women. In fact, we just issued our first grant in recent memory to Excel Academy Charter School to purchase heart rate monitors to encourage students to increase their activity levels. If you know of organizations that align with our mission that could use a grant to further their work, check out our Community Assistance Grant page and contact grants@jlboston.org for information or an application.

Critical Grants Awarded to Boston Area Families and Organizations Addressing COVID-19 Issues for Women and Girls

Critical Grants Awarded to Boston Area Families and Organizations Addressing COVID-19 Issues for Women and Girls

The Junior League of Boston (JL Boston) is pleased to announce their contribution totaling $22,500 to various Greater Boston organizations and families in support of the impact COVID-19 is having across the community. The grants were announced at the JL Boston Annual Meeting on Monday, June 15, 2020, and marked their commitment to their mission of supporting women and girls in the Greater Boston community. JL Boston announced contributions to the Women’s Foundation of Boston COVID-19 Relief Fund, and to recipients of both the Linda K. Ryan Award and Annual Community Assistance Grants.

JL Boston contributed $5,000 to the Women’s Foundation of Boston COVID-19 Relief Fund, matched by an anonymous donor to further the impact.

Knowing that women and girls in Greater Boston face growing challenges amplified by COVID-19, which dramatically increase the risks for many in poverty, the Women’s Foundation of Boston established the COVID-19 Relief Fund. It is the hope of JL Boston that this contribution will further support those in need, with a focus on those most impacted by COVID-19. JL Boston’s contribution to this effort is made possible by a generous bequest from a member, the late Faith Sulloway (1920-2013).

“Aligned closely with our own mission, the Junior League of Boston believes strongly in the opportunity that the Women’s Foundation of Boston COVID-19 Relief Fund is creating for women and girls in the Boston community,” said Junior League of Boston President Michelle Lentz. “It is our hope that our contribution to this fund will further support those in need, especially during these unprecedented times.”

“The generous donation to the Women’s Foundation of Boston Response Fund from the Junior League of Boston was truly impactful,” said Christina Gordon, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Women’s Foundation of Boston. “This funding was immediately doubled by our match challenge and enabled us to continue emergency funding to the Boston women- and girls-serving nonprofits who have been hardest hit by the pandemic crisis. Support by the Junior League of Boston illustrates the importance of community and collaboration in our city to move forward during this challenging time. We are honored to be funded by the JL and look forward to future opportunities to work together to empower the women and girls in our city.”

Through the Linda K. Ryan Award, JL Boston awarded $7,500 to over three dozen local families involved in the organization’s community service programs. Many of their community program participants and their families are facing economic challenges due to COVID-19, and JL Boston is proud to support families with direct aid to lessen the burden of the unforeseen circumstances.

JL Boston awards Community Assistance Grants annually to local organizations based on need and alignment with the JL Boston mission of promoting the health and wellness of women and girls in the Greater Boston area. This year, JL Boston awarded a total of $10,000 to four local organizations, with a special focus on those serving communities particularly affected by COVID-19.

The four organizations receiving $2,500 grants each are Friends of the Hernández (FOH), Rosie’s Place, Transition House and Women’s Lunch Place.

Friends of the Hernández (FOH), located in Roxbury, MA. The grant will support their After School Program at the Rafael Hernández K-8 Dual Language Immersion School. The After School Program contributes to the cultural fabric of the surrounding neighborhood by offering students arts programming and dual-language education. Their mission is to support and advocate for the Rafael Hernández K-8 Dual Language Immersion School and the surrounding community.
Rosie’s Place, located in Boston, MA.The grant will support their Food Program, which is the lifeline to their guests who have nowhere else to turn. Each year Rosie’s Place welcomes and provides food to 2,000 guests. Their mission is to provide a safe and nurturing environment that helps poor and homeless women maintain their dignity, seek opportunity and find security in their lives.
Transition House, located in Cambridge, MA. The grant will support the establishment of the Family & Children’s Services Health Program and the funding of a part-time Family Nurse Care Manager. Their mission is to break the cycle of domestic violence in our community.
Women’s Lunch Place, located in Boston, MA. The grant will support their continued efforts to outreach to women in need and to continue to serve more than 200 meals each day to the women who have been severely impacted by COVID-19. Their mission is to provide nutritious food and individualized services for women who are experiencing homelessness or poverty.

“We were so inspired by all grant applicants. Each have made incredible accomplishments and have even greater potential for future impact,” said Junior League of Boston President Michelle Lentz. “We chose our grants recipients based on their unique program offerings which best align with our own mission at the individual, group and community level, as well as their need during these unprecedented times. We are proud to invest in their efforts to help further their ability to positively impact the Greater Boston community.”

To donate to JL Boston and help expand its impact, please visit https://www.jlboston.org/individual-donors/

2017-2018 Community Assistance Grant Recipients

Grant recipients from Project Hope with JL Boston president Karen Page and Community committee members Melissa Herman, Catherine Manning, and Jane Theriault

By Mariana Gay

Each year, the Junior League of Boston gives Community Assistance Grants to local Massachusetts organizations that need financial help to deliver on their missions. The recipients are chosen based on financial need, the compatibility of our missions, and their plans for the funds. (more…)

Community Assistance Grant

VP of Community Service Tori Hay, Grants Committee Chair Melissa Herman, representatives from the Family Nurturing Center, and President Michelle Lentz on June 3, 2019.

The Junior League has a rich history of identifying unmet needs in our local area, developing programs with impactful outcomes, and forming community partnerships to achieve our goals.

The purpose of the Community Assistance Grant is to identify and aid non-profit agencies in Greater Boston whose proposed funding would go towards one of the components of our mission. Grants may be awarded in an amount up to, but not exceeding $2,500.

To apply to a Community Assistance Grant, please access the application here. Application Deadline is April 1.

Past Community Assistance Grant recipients include:

Health Care Without Walls, in support of their Housing Search and Support Project (HSSP)
Family Nurturing Center of MA, in support of their Welcome Baby program for Allston-Brighton
RESPOND, Inc., in support of their SAFER program at the Suffolk County House of Correction
Love Life Now Foundation, in support of their Homeless Brown Bag & Care initiative