Senator Eldridge Highlights $7.5 million in Funding in FY22 State Budget for Vulnerable Populations through Community Foundations Grants Line Item
Boston, MA – State Senator Jamie Eldridge (D-Acton) is highlighting a $7.5 million earmark in the FY22 state budget that Governor Baker signed, that will be allocated to community foundations across Massachusetts, to provide financial support to vulnerable populations, including immigrant families, who are facing housing and food insecurity as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the pandemic began, Senator Eldridge successfully partnered with State Senator Harriette Chandler (D-Worcester) to advocate for this funding in both the COVID-19 Supplemental budget and FY21 state budget. Community foundations provide grants to nonprofits and community groups in their services areas supplying direct financial support for families in need.
“I am deeply grateful to Senate President Karen Spilka and Senate Ways and Means Committee Chairman Michael Rodrigues for their support of a line item in the Senate budget that I first began championing at the beginning on the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, to provide a critical life line to Massachusetts families and residents who did not receive traditional unemployment assistance or federal stimulus checks,” said State Senator Jamie Eldridge.
The Community Foundation Grants is a grant program that provides immediate relief and support to individuals and households experiencing severe economic hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The funds, awarded through the Community Foundations Grant Program for COVID-19 Relief, can be used for vital services such as food security, housing and utilities support, emergency childcare and transportation, and other unmet needs of the community.
“The Community Foundation Grants Program has served as a lifeline for our community throughout the past year. Our most vulnerable residents are facing hurdles that have been exacerbated by the pandemic, and the funds from the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development, channeled through Community Foundations across the state, have directly impacted their lives for the better,” said Jay Kim, executive director of the Foundation for MetroWest. “On behalf of the communities we serve and our nonprofit partners, I’d like to thank Senator Eldridge and Senator Chandler for their work in championing this essential funding.”
These grants shall be administered by the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development and distributed equitably among the community foundations based on the population of individuals living in poverty in the area served by the foundation, limited availability of federal pandemic-related relief funds that provide direct emergency financial assistance to individuals or households served by the foundation, pandemic-related public health impact on the region served by the foundation, population of individuals with unmet economic needs resulting from the pandemic and geographic area and the number of gateway municipalities with high proportions of low-income and non-English speaking populations.
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