SOUTH YARMOUTH—The Cape Cod Foundation recently announced that it distributed more than $5.5 million in grants and scholarships in 2019.
The total distribution includes more than $1 million in scholarship awards from the Foundation and its supporting organization, The Cape Cod Association. Grants to nonprofit organizations support all aspects of Cape Cod life: health and human services; community and economic development; housing; education; arts and culture; the environment; and initiatives that benefit children, youth, and families.
“The Foundation’s total distributions since 1989 now exceed $75 million,” said Kristin O’Malley, the Foundation’s President and CEO. “Three decades ago, we started with one scholarship; today we manage more than 300 individual charitable funds created by people who care about our community as much as we do.”
O’Malley added, “The Foundation also has a prominent leadership role in the community. We actively build discretionary funds to fuel nonprofit initiatives, invest in nonprofit education and leadership development opportunities, create shared resources, and support partnerships with broad regional impact.”
She continued, “We are grateful to the donors who are helping us build and strategically deploy resources. Communities that work together will be the ones to achieve maximum impact and drive social change.”
As part of its annual grantmaking, The Foundation recently awarded $48,269 in Strategic Focus Grants to six local nonprofits for capacity-building projects.
O’Malley said the grants will help these organizations purchase and upgrade technology, increase critical personnel, facilitate mergers, support start-up costs for new programs or provide funding to expand successful programs.
The 2019 Strategic Focus Grantees are:
Cape Cod Children’s Place, $10,000
To support a technology audit to identify and ultimately purchase a new cloud-based data tracking system that will increase capabilities and efficiencies in all levels of the organization,
provide IT security and encryption appropriate for the sensitive work involved, and minimize future IT support costs.
Cape Cod Literacy Council, $9,200
To support the personnel hours necessary to expand the number of English Language Learning Immersion Classes for Adults from four to seven and to add a fifth location. This program helps adult immigrants on Cape Cod learn to read, write and converse in English so they can communicate more effectively in the workplace and in all areas of their lives.
Community Connections, $5,000
To support hiring a consultant to oversee the acquisition of Flower Angels by Community Connections. The consultant will review the current state of Flower Angels, identify improvement opportunities, recommend efficiency gains, and develop a comprehensive job description for the new director role.
Mass Audubon – Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary, $9,069
To support start-up costs for a two-year pilot program for the first nature preschool on Cape Cod. The Nature Preschool Explorers program draws from the successful experiences of Mass Audubon Society’s four existing nature preschools statewide.
Spaulding Cape Cod, $10,000
To create an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) device lending library for children with autism spectrum disorders or developmental delays that affect speech and language abilities. The goal is to build each child’s communication skills so they can convey basic needs and wants and ultimately learn to express ideas, emotions, pain, and other feelings. AAC strategies include low-tech options (such as letter boards or communication books) and high-tech tools that produce speech. These computerized devices can be customized to meet a child’s communication needs at home, at school, at work, and in the community.
WE CAN Corporation, $5,000
To increase the frequency of WE CAN’s service offerings to Upper Cape residents. Since 2015, the organization has offered services to at least 8 women or men in this region every month through a strategic partnership with the Falmouth Service Center. However, because of the increased demand, there has been an ongoing waitlist in Falmouth. Funding will support weekly visits for services.
Anyone interested in creating a charitable fund, donating to an existing fund, or supporting the Foundation’s Strategic Leadership initiatives can call Kristin O’Malley at 508.790.3040 or visit www.capecodfoundation.org for more information.
The Cape Cod Foundation is a community foundation whose mission is to build permanent charitable resources for community betterment through informed grantmaking and civic leadership. The Foundation has distributed over $75 million in grants and scholarships since its founding in 1989. www.capecodfoundation.org
