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2018 Tufts Neighborhood Service Fund Recipients

The Tufts Neighborhood Service Fund (TNSF) committee awarded grants to 7 organizations in Boston, 3 organizations in Grafton, 13 in Medford, and 13 in Somerville.

TNSF collects donations from university employees throughout the year and then awards grants to community-based, charitable organizations that serve Tufts’ host communities (Somerville, Medford, Grafton and Boston) and that actively engage Tufts volunteers in their work.

A committee comprised of Tufts administrators, faculty and staff meets annually to review proposals and select grant recipients. There was a total of $21,000 available to award to the 2017-18 TNSF applicants The committee received 55 proposals and selected 36 programs and projects for awards. Members of the TNSF committee base their decisions on a desire to address the most pressing needs in the communities and to encourage expanded involvement of Tufts volunteers.

The Boston recipients:

  • Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center – $500 for bus tours to college campuses for Asian youth from low-income families
  • Boston Self Help Center – $1,000 for their power wheelchair soccer team
  • Boston Shakespeare Project – $500 to fund professional development workshops
  • Chinese Women’s Association – $500 for community outreach efforts
  • The DREAM Project – $250 to cover the expenses of a student trip to Provincetown
  • Greater Boston Chinese Golden Age Center – $1,000 for a “Memory Café” providing specific memory-enhancing care for elderly Chinese women with early memory loss
  • Ricesticks and Tea – $1,250 for their food pantry

The Grafton recipients:

  • Community Harvest – $500 for irrigation improvements
  • Grafton Senior Center – $500 for medical van rides for Grafton seniors and disabled persons
  • St. James Outreach – $2,000 for food and services to assist residents in need

The Medford recipients:

  • Boys & Girls Club Medford – $500 to purchase supplies and materials for the Torch Club, a service and leadership club for boys and girls aged 11-13
  • Coalition for Arts, Culture and a Healthy Economy (CACHE) – $250 to support the Circle the Square summer program
  • Columbus Elementary School – $600 to fund the purchase of wireless remote PowerPoint clickers
  • Community Cupboard – $2,000 for their food pantry
  • Congregational Church of West Medford – $500 to support the Medford Cares community service program
  • English at Large – $250 to purchase curriculum materials and classroom learning aides
  • Malden YMCA’s Medford Food Project – $500 to purchase supplies to support food programs
  • Medford Community Coalition – $200 to help cover costs of entertainment at Medford Eats
  • Medford Family Resource Coalition – $250 for the operation of the Children’s Garden at the Medford Family Network
  • Medford Historical Society – $300 to assist in creating an exhibit around author and abolitionist Lydia Maria Child
  • Mystic River Watershed Association – $700 for community outreach events, including an Earth Day River Clean-up, and to develop new educational materials
  • Roberts Elementary School – $250 to support a STEM enrichment night
  • West Medford Community Center – $250 in support of their “First Friday Words and Music” progra

The Somerville recipients:

  • Boys & Girls Club Somerville – $500 for a new digital camera for the photography club
  • Community Action Agency Somerville – $500 in support of the Homelessness Prevention Program
  • CASPAR – $500 to purchase new supplies, including sheets, blankets and towels
  • Catholic Charities – $500 towards the purchase of a new freezer
  • Groundwork – $250 to install pollinator gardens and outdoor classrooms at a Somerville public school
  • Mystic Learning Center – $500 to reimburse the staff of the youth mentoring program
  • Parts and Crafts – $250 to fund materials for a week-long program on robotics
  • Second Chances – $500 to help build capacity by purchasing new collection bins
  • Somerville Cambridge Elder Services (SCES) – $500 in funding for evening, weekend and emergency home-delivered meals for elders
  • Somerville Community Growing Center – $250 to purchase supplies for international herbs and annual plantings
  • Somerville Food Security – $700 in food and supplies
  • Somerville High School – $275 for chemistry teacher Susan Schmidt’s class trip to the Diablo Glass School
  • Somerville Homeless Coalition (SHC) – $1,000 for the purchase and installation of a security camera