Point32Health Foundation awards $230,000 in grants to community organizations in the region for civic engagement and equity in aging

Foundation Board also commits to five years of social and racial justice work through endowment

CANTON, Mass., Sept. 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Point32Health Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Point32Health and its family of companies, including Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Tufts Health Plan and Care Partners of Connecticut, today announced grants totaling $230,000 to support nonprofit organizations in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. These investments advance civic engagement and equity in aging.

In addition, the Foundation board committed significant resources over the next five years through its endowment to support social and racial justice work around the region.  Investments in community-based organizations will begin in 2025.

"We know that for our company to be strong, the places where we live and work also must thrive," said Greg Shell, chair of the Point32Health Foundation board of directors and vice chair of board for the parent company, Point32Health. "This long-term commitment through our endowment to social and racial justice, as well as these new grants, signal our values and how we prioritize engaging diverse voices of people experiencing systemic barriers."

The nine organizations receiving the $230,000 in new funding are strengthening communities, contributing to policies and laws that include the perspective of diverse, lived experience, and encouraging engagement and participation.

The new grants go to:

Connecticut ($50,000)

• Connecticut Foodshare (Statewide, Conn.)
  $30,000 | One year
  Elevate older people's voices and experiences accessing healthy, affordable food to understand systemic barriers; engage Connecticut's older adults in advocacy and public policy change as part of the Neighbor Council.

• Hartford Votes ~Hartford Vota Coalition (Statewide, Conn.)
  $20,000 | One year
  Support Get Out the Vote Collaboration, a network of local nonprofits including The Arc Connecticut, Center for Latino Progress, Asian Pacific American Coalition, Health Equity Solutions and others, to improve voter turnout and civic engagement in Hartford.

Maine ($20,000)

• Maine Democracy Collaborative (Statewide, Maine)
  $20,000 | One year
  Support the Community Power Planning Project, a statewide initiative increasing civic engagement by building the capacity of organizations led by and serving people of color.

Massachusetts ($120,000)

• Citizens' Housing And Planning Association (Statewide, Mass.)
  $30,000 | One year
  Survey of Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program participants, homeowners, landlords and administrators on program satisfaction, housing quality and barriers to access to improve statewide housing rental voucher system.
• Lawyers for Civil Rights (Statewide, Mass. and N.H.)
  $20,000 | One year
  Support communities of color and immigrants to fight discrimination and foster equity through creative and courageous advocacy, education and economic empowerment. Lawyers for Civil Rights' Election Protection campaign in Massachusetts and New Hampshire includes a hotline offering real-time information and voter assistance and support.
• Massachusetts Healthy Aging Collaborative (Statewide, Mass.)
  $50,000 | Two years
  Support strategic planning for statewide backbone organization to consider and align with age and dementia friendly efforts across the state.
• Massachusetts Voter Table (Statewide, Mass.)
  $20,000 | One year
  Support coalition conducting grassroots organizing, voter education, engagement and mobilization to grow voter participation in communities of color and amongst new citizens, youth and people with low incomes.

New Hampshire ($20,000)

• Manchester Community Action Coalition (Manchester, N.H.)
  $20,000 | One year
  Increase voter engagement and civic participation by elevating voices of color to identify community-driven solutions.

Rhode Island ($20,000)

• United Way of Rhode Island (Statewide, R.I.)
  $20,000 | One year
  Support United We Vote campaign to increase turnout by mobilizing 100,000 new voters. Campaign is a collaboration with community partners and includes voter registration, development of voter resources in multiple languages and other support to encourage voting by communities of color, young adults and rural communities.

About Point32Health Foundation
Building on values of service and giving, Point32Health Foundation works with communities to support, advocate and advance healthier lives for everyone. Point32Health Foundation is the result of the combination of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation and Tufts Health Plan Foundation and advances equity-focused solutions in healthy aging, access to healthy food and behavioral health in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. Beginning in 2025, our focus will be equity in aging. Follow us on Facebook

CONTACT:
Kimberly Winn
[email protected] 

SOURCE Point32Health