NCF Impact Report December 2021

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DECEMBER 2021

New Commonwealth Racial Equity and Social Justice Fund

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– Dr. Makeeba McCreary

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“We believe in language that affirms and celebrates the contributions of our Black and Brown communities and their people.”

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Gladys’ true love for the people and community she had set out to serve was deeply personal to her. Gladys’, as well as each of our other grantees’, commitment and passion affirmed for me that I was on the most righteous journey of my career. I have the privilege of being in service to these leaders who have the indisputable courage and fierce perseverance to bring resources to Black and Brown people.

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During my first month as President of the New Commonwealth Fund, I met with almost every one of our grantees and I will never forget any of those conversations.

One that continues to stand out was with Gladys Vega, the executive director of La Colaborativa. She told me about a day she experienced in March 2020. Her organization found itself in a tailspin pivot to respond to the pandemic for the people of Chelsea. She turned her own home into an emergency soup kitchen–food pantry– shelter finder–childcare coordinator and clothing dispensary. Gladys’ energy was palpable even over Zoom.

We are the New Commonwealth Racial Equity and Social Justice Fund and we believe: •

We believe that a partnership of public, private, for-profit, and nonprofit stakeholders–through their expertise and collective power and influence–can disrupt and dismantle systemic racism.

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We believe in language that affirms and celebrates the contributions of our Black and Brown communities and their people.

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We believe in sustaining the serious work of leaders who are closest to the challenges brought about by systemic racism and have proven practices that lead to its disruption.

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We believe that as a funder we are accountable to those in whom we invest and to those who invest in us.

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We believe that co-creation is what allows power to shift and be shared, ensuring that we remain a philanthropic entity that respects, trusts and values our grantees as partners.

While we don’t have the space to share the incredible stories of every single organization in which the New Commonwealth Fund has invested, I couldn’t close this report without letting you hear from a leader who embodies the strength, passion, commitment, and unapologetic love for the individuals her organization wraps itself around.

So please make your way through each page until you get to read Gladys’ story at the end. You will not regret the journey. Each of the leaders who represent our portfolio of current investment glow purpose in a very similar way, unique in their focus but not their passion.

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THE NEW COMMONWEALTH RACIAL EQUITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE FUND (NCF) is a coalition of Black and Brown executives in Massachusetts who have come together to leverage our individual and collective power to work with community organizations and coalitions to address and eliminate systemic racism and racial inequity in our Commonwealth.

We came together amid the COVID-19 pandemic– which has ravaged disproportionately the health and economy of Black and Brown communities– and in the wake of the brutal killing of George Floyd by police, and other recent, horrific racially charged incidents in this country. Those involved in the formation of NCF have contributed over $20 million in seed money in order to move forward and effect positive change in Massachusetts.

NCF uses a 3-pronged philanthropic approach of trust-based grantmaking, culturally relevant capacity building, and fostering an ecosystem to support robust racial equity and social justice outcomes to achieve our mission.

We partner with champions, allies, and grassroots advocates who work within their communities to dismantle structural racism. NCF amplifies the voices and efforts of underestimated and underfunded Black- and Brown-led organizations, connecting them to resources and each other within its four Pillar areas: Policing and Criminal Justice Reform; Health Equity; Economic Empowerment; and Youth Education, Empowerment and Civic Engagement.

Beyond supporting grantees, NCF will work to build a broader ecosystem of leaders looking to dismantle systemic racism across the Commonwealth.

OUR FOUR PILLARS POLICING & CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM

HEALTH EQUITY

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ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT

YOUTH EDUCATION, EMPOWERMENT & CIVIC ENGAGEMENT 5

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Supporting Black- and Brown-led organizations: The majority of NCF’s grantees are Black- and Brownled and women-led.

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Funding start-up organizations: NCF supported many small organizations that had not yet been recognized. Organizations were then able to use this recognition to leverage additional funding, in many cases as the first donor to the table.

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NCF aims to disrupt and dismantle systemic racism in Massachusetts by financially supporting nonprofit organizations and initiatives serving Black and Brown communities through trust-based philanthropy, providing other resources to help build the capacity and impact of those nonprofit organizations and initiatives, and by building an ecosystem of leaders, communities, partnerships, programs and policies working together to create social justice and racial equity. 100% of NCF’s investments support Black and Brown communities.

To date grantees have expressed seeing NCF as important validation of their vision and have been able to use the recognition they received from NCF to access additional funding. While each of our pillar areas are evenly distributed across all of our grantees it is likely a surprise to no one that they all overlap, many checking a box in more than one pillar.

The pillar with the most emphasis to date is Youth Education, Empowerment, and Civic Engagement.

The following themes come from reports we collected from our grantees who were anonymously surveyed in fall of 2021.

Geographical focus:

In addition to the 13 grantees who provide services across the Commonwealth, 25 are focused singularly in lower-income communities around the state.

Target audiences:

All grantees serve populations that they describe as predominantly BIPOC or low-income. At the launch, the majority of NCF’s funding took place while organizations were adapting to and managing through the pandemic. The timing of each grant was crucial as it helped small notfor-profits continue to deliver services or even expand during an uncertain time when demand for services was increased. The following section calls out direct quotes from grantees when asked to share the impact of NCF’s support and their reflections on the relationship between our organizations. Some themes included the importance of NCF’s support to start-ups, the ability to leverage the NCF investment for other dollars, the flexibility and willingness to support capacity building, and the relief of receiving funding during an unanticipated crisis.

The funding we’ve received from NCF came at a critical time for our community as we faced historic levels of housing displacement, food insecurity, unemployment, discrimination, and mental health cases. We were able to deploy NCF funding to ensure our doors remained open throughout the pandemic, and over the last 18 months we’ve expanded our staff of community responders, secured new space to operate our programs, widened our geographic focus area, and continued to expand programs and services across the organization for our community.

– Fa l l 2 0 2 0 G ra n te e

Size and scope of organizations:

Grantees serve communities all over the Commonwealth. They range from serving 15 to 35,000 individuals in their communities.

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NCF funding helped us to leverage funds from other sources as the NCF was among the first to reach out to us directly to offer support. For this we will be eternally grateful. The impact is clearly measurable in the lives of our youth and their families.

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HELPING GRANTEES TO ACCESS OTHER FUNDING

Receiving support from NCF was like a well-timed shot of adrenaline. We were operating in-person

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Receiving a grant from NCF, in addition to directly supporting our programming, provided an invaluable endorsement of [grantee’s] counseling and mentoring model. We were able to effectively leverage NCF’s endorsement and investment with other stakeholders, including public, corporate, and philanthropic actors.

NCF PROVIDED TIMELY AND FLEXIBLE RELIEF DURING COVID

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We’re excited to be a part of the NCF community because we know it’s about so much more than financial support; it’s about working together to challenge the status quo, and make the world our Black and Brown communities deserve a reality.

The resources, connections, and relationships we will gain from this community are invaluable. Thank you for not only financially supporting our organization but also trusting and affirming our work as well as our vision.

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Thank you for not only financially supporting our organization but also trusting and affirming our work as well as our vision.

We have been able to increase and expand programming, hire staff and focus on program delivery. We are most proud to be able to expand the financial literacy workshops for both adults and youth.

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NCF saw us. They helped us secure credibility needed to bring other funders to the table.

“As a new organization led by young Black students, it has meant the world to have the support of the NCF. We have been able to expand our team, offer more expansive resources to our community, and ultimately, do the necessary work to support Black and minoritized communities during the pandemic.”

NCF FUNDING BUILDS ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY

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NCF RECOGNIZES AND BOOSTS START-UP ORGANIZATIONS

throughout the pandemic; and in truth, it has been stressful. Even during the bleakest days of the pandemic, we all recognized how important it was for young people to have an outlet. And within the walls of the [program], there was a lot of laughter, silliness, painting, dancing, writing, producing, etc.

However, we were short-staffed; and that meant that many of us had to step up in unexpected ways.

When we received news of the NCF grant, more than anything, it felt like validation. That we were on the right course, and we were being acknowledged for our work. The grant from NCF was a morale booster.

Additionally, it offered some obvious financial relief.

– Spring 2021 Grantee

The New Commonwealth Fund invested in us as an early-stage start-up, showing confidence in its model and leadership, and other funders have followed suit. Finally, support from NCF lends prestige and credibility to us as a provider of care to primarily Black and Latinx families with low income.

The nod of approval was most important as it signaled to others that our organization was worth investing in.

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The organizations, each receiving a $50,000 one-year Demonstration Grant, used the funding for purposes such as helping to ensure that Black and Brown children receive vital access to education and development during the COVID-19 pandemic, delivering high-quality affordable healthcare and mental health services to the Black and Brown communities disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, and serving as the nexus between their communities and political leadership to address criminal justice policies and practices that unfairly target and harm Black and Brown people.

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NCF awarded $1 million in emergency grants just five months after it was formed.

NCF made grants to 20 local and regional organizations throughout the Commonwealth that were providing essential services and addressing urgent needs in their respective communities stemming from issues of racism and social injustice.

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SVP, Chief Risk & Compliance Officer, Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated

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In its first year, NCF raised over $30 million toward its initial fundraising goal of $100 million, which is being used to support eligible nonprofit organizations and to build an ecosystem of area leaders and stakeholders committed to dismantling systemic racism.

“If we don’t do anything to help these organizations and these communities, the gap between the haves and the have-nots will widen.”

– Damian Wilmot, Founder

NCF awarded over $2 million in grants to 40 community-based organizations working tirelessly to address and eliminate systemic racism and racial inequity in Black and Latinx communities throughout Massachusetts. Half of these grants went to organizations serving communities of color outside of Boston, such as Brockton, Lawrence and Springfield. Four organizations received grants of $100,000 or more to fund initiatives focused on the juvenile justice system, emergency financial programming for disadvantaged Latinx residents in Lawrence, and a vaccine access program in the neighborhoods hardest hit by COVID-19.

NCF shared its first impact report outlining almost eighteen months of investment and stories of impact. We also enhanced our website and amplified our awareness activities to maintain the momentum of focus on dismantling systemic racism that NCF helped to inspire last year. Watch a video featuring several of our founders as they describe NCF’s mission and origin story.

DEC ’21

Following a six-month nationwide search, NCF hired Dr. Makeeba McCreary as its first president. Makeeba joined NCF after two and a half years with the Museum of Fine Arts as the Patti and Jonathan Kraft Chief of Learning and Community Engagement. At the MFA, Makeeba focused on audience development and integrating diverse perspectives through the lens of art.

Prior to joining the MFA, she was the Managing Director and Senior Advisor of External Affairs for the Boston Public Schools, reporting directly to the mayor and superintendent of schools. Before that, Makeeba managed the philanthropic investment to public schools across the country for Jordan Brand, a Division of Nike, and supported the investment of several other national and global brands focused on urban education, social-emotional wellness, economic sustainability and grass-roots organizations.

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15 PEOPLE TO 35,000 PEOPLE

The majority of the grants were for $50,000

4 $100,000

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Grantees serve all ages, with many focusing on youth & young adults Youth Economic Education, Empowerment Empowerment, & Civic Engagement

Policing & Criminal Justice Reform

NCF grantees are majority women-led 4%

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Men Men 37%

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Women 59%

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Latinx/Hispanic 18

Black/ African-American 58

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NCF grantees’ leaders are overwhelmingly Black & Brown Many grantees have more than one leader and many leaders identify with multiple race/ethnicities, so the total number here exceeds the number of organizations.

Health Equity

19-24 NCF gave grants to organizations that serve a wide range of constituents. The range is from

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Lincoln Lowell Ludlow Lynn Malden Mattapan Methuen Middleboro Milton New Bedford Northhampton Quincy Randolph Raynham Revere Roslindale Roxbury Sharon Somerville South Boston Springfield Stoughton Taunton Tewksbury Worcester

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Abington Agawam Amherst Attleboro Boston Brockton Brookline Cambridge Charlestown Chatham Chelsea Dorchester Dudley-Webster Easton East Boston East Longmeadow Everett Fall River Haverhill Holyoke Hyannis Hyde Park Jamaica Plain Lawrence Leominster

Two-thirds of the respondents received their grant in the spring of 2021

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50 CITIES & TOWNS ACROSS THE COMMONWEALTH

Our grants are distributed across four pillars of focus but many of these organizations are also working in the youth development field

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Our grantees are serving community members in

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NARRATING THE WORK

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Founded in 1994

CfJJ is the only independent, non-profit, statewide organization working exclusively to improve the juvenile justice system in Massachusetts.

What is an URGENT issue in the juvenile criminal justice reform space?

It’s really important to shine a spotlight on entities like schools and police departments and demand that they’re transparent. We’re actively pushing to raise the age of juvenile jurisdiction in Massachusetts. When you look at Black youth who are emerging into adulthood here in Massachusetts, they’re eight times as likely to be incarcerated as their White counterparts. And when they touch the adult criminal justice system, they have the highest rate of recidivism of any age group. 76% are arraigned in court, 55% are reconvicted. So CfJJ is looking at the juvenile and criminal justice reform landscape… really prioritizing that group. A group that’s just trying to figure out their way into adulthood. Making sure that we not only reform, but reimagine a system that’s able to meet their needs.

Helping them become productive members is really going to be a centerpiece of our work.

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How do you define SUCCESS?

Success is a change that really meets the needs and represents the desires of the community. Our mission is systemic reform and we are really about creating widespread impact that benefits our communities, not just in the present, but also the future. It’s about changing policies and practices that impact future generations. How do we make it better for them and for their children and grandchildren. It’s really about changing practices and policies, but also disrupting practices and policies that have harmed communities of color for generations.

STRIVE Boston Boston, MA Founded in 1994

STRIVE Boston is a Workforce Readiness program that provides virtual training services. We envision a world where everyone has the opportunity to achieve economic self-sufficiency, dignity, and a promising future. STRIVE Boston helps people with barriers to employment realize their potential to find and keep jobs that promise sustainable livelihoods and personal growth.

How has traditional philanthropy

OVERLOOKED your organization?

So we’re a small community-based program focusing on people that have been chronically unemployed or underemployed. 90% identify as Black or Latinx, and many have a history of trauma, low levels of educational attainment, and involvement with the criminal justice system. So organizations like mine are better served by larger, multi-year commitments, as opposed to year-to-year smaller awards. And traditional funding has historically pitted one agency against another for scarce resources. I think we need to end the winner takes all construct that currently exists, because it takes a longer period of time to show outcomes for people with the most barriers.

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Statewide Focus

EXECUTIVE D I R E C TO R / VICE PRESIDENT OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

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Citizens for Juvenile Justice

Edward Powell

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With offices in Boston and also statewide, we have an opportunity to be bold and transformative with our systems in a way that really uplifts young people.

Billions of dollars in federal funds are flowing into the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and we can’t squander it. Now we’re in the midst of a full-blown youth mental health crisis brought on by the trauma and the anxiety of the pandemic. Our young people are struggling. These kids have spent many months dealing with the isolation of being pulled out of their school communities and separated from their peers while experiencing disparities and access to education. Also look at the disproportionate impact that the pandemic had on our Black and Brown communities. These kids have experienced sickness, loss, and grief, and we are seeing this language and this rhetoric that’s really vilifying young people. We need to press pause and take responsibility. All of us, especially our “systems.” We need to boost mental and behavioral health supports that these young people really need. We have to stop parroting the same old punitive rhetoric that I’ve personally seen drive kids into the “school to prison pipeline” and into the prison system for years. My hope is that we really invest in restorative schools, trauma-informed schools and social and emotional learning.

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HOPES for the community you serve?

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Leon Smith

What are your

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P O L I C I N G & C R I M I N A L J U ST I C E

How will you GROW in the next one to three years?

Well, we’re focusing on building strategic partnerships with employers to hire our participants and we’ll be helping our clients get the skills training to access career pathways, because it’s not about just a job. We want to take them beyond entry level jobs to a path of self-sufficiency. And I hope to hire two full-time case managers that can support clients through their journey, connect them with wraparound supports, and help them develop career plans. Often, we are only funded to help people get that first job, and that’s only the first step on their journey. It’s a zigzag, not a straight line.

What do you HOPE for?

We have always catered to Boston’s communities of color. That’s where our clients come from. And two things come to mind: closing the wealth gap and building generational wealth. So our hope is that we’re able to provide services and broker relationships that can help effectively address those two areas. We want to get people to a livable wage so that they can hopefully purchase a home, which is one of the main building blocks to generational wealth.

How do you define SUCCESS?

So we define success three ways. One would be placing an individual in a job. The second would be placing an individual in a training program that provides an industry-recognized certification, and the third way is placement in an education program that will allow them to earn more over time. Our aim is really to spark a change that can lead to a new life. We want to put people in spaces where they can perceive a different and more positive reality.

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Founded in 2020

Community-based 501(c)3 youth hydroponic farming program. This organization provides food, education, training, and employment using hydroponics to help fight the food crisis in food deserts across our communities. We donate 100% of all our fruits and vegetables into the community through food banks and nonprofit organizations.

What has been the most difficult OBSTACLE for your organization?

One hurdle has been getting in the boardrooms, letting people know what our organization is doing in the community. That and funding. As I am staying busy in the community, I’m seeing a lot of foundations that are stepping out, seeing the work we’re doing.

The obstacles, we try not to have any obstacles. We just focus on the mission: fighting food deserts and food insecurity with hydroponic farms!

How was NCF’s funding DIFFERENT? Notoriously it’s the Boston group that gets funding.

We’re in Central Mass. This is my first year as a nonprofit. We’re a Black nonprofit in Worcester. What was different was the way you guys made it so easy for us to apply for this grant, and I was so surprised about being awarded the money that I had to backtrack and look at, okay, who is NCF? It was great seeing what the foundation is about.

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Sure. I mean, I think there are a couple of people that I think of that come to mind. One of the people is a gentleman named Steven (not his real name).

And again, like I said, the people we work with have come out of incarceration, are transitioning off of public assistance, are falling through the cracks for whatever reason. Some of them don’t have high school diplomas. So we have to get them that credential before they can even qualify for more advanced training programs. And this individual, Steven, did 10 years in prison. We were able to take him through our START program which is a four-week curriculum where participants look at the attitudes and behaviors that have kept them from getting and keeping a job. At completion we were able to place him in a job at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, as a materials handler. This gentleman is married. He has kids. Now, he’s a rent-paying, bill-paying asset to society, rather than a hindrance on it. We say success is not linear, it’s on a curve and people stop and start on their journey with us sometimes, or just in life.

These are the folks that we work with. They have tremendous challenges coming through the door.

And again, our goal is to get them to a place where they can be self-sufficient with a livable wage and, again, rent-paying, bill-paying assets to society.

Charles Luster

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Describe your organization’s IMPACT at the individual level.

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Do you have a one-, two- or three-year PLAN?

What is your organization’s ORIGIN story?

We have a 10-year plan! We’ve recently won the “EforAll” entrepreneur contest. It gave us a chance to get our foundation down for our business. What we’re looking at within the next couple of years is to purchase a freight farm and to put it directly into the food deserts. And what we want to do differently than everyone else is we want to put solar panels on it so that we can be selfsustainable and teach our kids about the importance of STEM. We look at ourselves as a green energy type of nonprofit.

During the pandemic I said, Okay, I need to be active in my community. Then I said I’m a veteran. I’m too old to go out there and march. Me being a brother, I’m going to get arrested. I know me, so I had to come up with an alternative. I looked at different things. Before 2Gether We Eat, I had partnered up with some guys to get our cannabis delivery license. I learned everything about seed-to-sale with cannabis but then I pivoted into growing vegetables using hydroponics, knowing that this could be my way to be a part of the solution. I pivoted because I learned that one out of every five kids goes to bed hungry. With me being a former college coach, it hit me that one out of those five kids were one of my players. I want to be able to help the next generation as well, giving our kids and our community a head start on STEM. My job that I retired from, Verizon, I was a technician. It was STEM. When I was in the Navy, it was a radioman with technology. STEM once again.

Do you anticipate going BEYOND Worcester?

Yes. We have started to collaborate with the WebsterDudley Boys & Girls Club where we just harvested our first salad this past week. It was so exciting because the food deserts are across our state and our country.

So we look at ourself as being a solution. That’s why we’re happy to be a part of your funding. We’re happy to be in our community to give back, because that’s what it’s really all about. When you get a blessing, share that blessing, and that’s how we feel about donating food back. We’re teaching people how to germinate seeds into a harvest.

What is SUCCESS for your organization, both short-term and long-term?

Short-term success would be our first freight farm.

With the freight farm, we’ve connected with the Worcester Food Hub who said if we get a freight farm, they’ll buy some of the produce to help keep us sustainable, as well as the REC, the Regional Environmental Council. Long-term success is taking this over to Africa, showing people that this is the solution.

Wherever the sun shines we should be able to grow vegetables, and by using hydroponics, we use 70% less water than the traditional farmers. We know Africa has a problem with water, so by utilizing this type of farming and our plan, once again we feel like we are the solution.

How do you explain HYDROPONICS? We are just adding nutrients to the water, giving it the oxygen it needs. Giving it all the components for a healthy plant. We have the plant’s recipe. One of the catches to it is showing the kids that... and the senior citizens (because we have an intergenerational program) …that NASA does this in space, and they can’t believe it, until we show them the videos. You’ll have a senior citizen acting like a first grader, but it’s exciting. Putting people together, growing vegetables.

What’s on your MIND lately?

I’m originally from Flint, Michigan, so water is dear to me.

One of our congressmen, he was at my first fundraiser, he said, “Hunger is a political problem,” and I agree with that 100%. If we can fund other countries and buy all these different weapons to destroy things, why can’t we buy a freight farm, put it in our community and build people up?

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Well, one of the big ways that I noticed kind of early on when I started at the organization was that a lot of grants that would seem like a good fit for us–that we would meet the criteria of, were only open to gateway cities and we are not a gateway city. I think there is this notion that, and it’s true to some degree, Cambridge is a wealthy city. And so we’re overlooked because our community, our pocket and our neighborhood is not wealthy. And that means we just aren’t in the mix for a lot of those grants that go to gateway cities. That we would otherwise be in the mix for. So there’s that. And then I think we’re very specific about who we are focused on. We are really focused on the most marginalized in Cambridge and our community is Black, Brown, largely 18

Well, I would love to be coming out of the pandemic eventually, hopefully, at some point. I would love to see us be in a really strong financial space where we could provide some support to our existing staff. They’ve been working really, really hard throughout the pandemic, and it is mentally taxing work. They’ve been working with young people who have some real trauma that they’re bringing into this space. I would love to be able to hire some additional support staff to kind of augment the great work that they’re doing. I’d love to have a mental health professional, somewhere in that mix. I would also really like to have someone who can work with our teenagers, one on one, to think about post-secondary opportunities. We’ve had students who are really, really talented artists in this space. And I think that it would be great if we could have some sort of counselor to work one on one with our teens to try to find opportunities really specific to them. For example, if they’re a painter or a filmmaker… to help them find scholarships, to help them find grant awards. I just want to make sure that anyone who wants to go to college or university is able to. And sometimes navigating applications and filling out grants and writing grants is tricky stuff. And I know that in the high school around here, they’re really, they’re working with a lot of students. One counselor

So we reside in The Port neighborhood of Cambridge, which has historically been the most diverse neighborhood in Cambridge. However, gentrification is changing those dynamics a little bit. And so in 2019, the city of Cambridge produced a neighborhood report.

And that was the first time ever that The Port was majority White, because prior to that, it had mostly been, again, Black, Brown, or immigrant families in this neighborhood. The Port has always been very artistic and colorful and, you know, with great restaurants and foods from all over the place. And so my hope for the neighborhood is that we can see a real reverence for those things before they’re lost. We’ve seen it in other parts of the country where entire neighborhoods have just been changed. And I’d like to see almost like a Renaissance and appreciation for the art, the film, and the voices that come out of this little pocket of Cambridge. There are important things to be learned from the experiences of people. Sometimes who’ve traveled from across the world to come here. So I think it’s important to learn from those. It’s also really a creative place. I mean, it’s a neighborhood that’s got a really unique identity. You can see it in the murals that are all over the buildings and the street murals and the art that comes out of this neighborhood.

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The Community Art Center is a neighborhood institution committed to our mission: to cultivate an engaged community of youth whose powerful artistic voices transform their lives, their neighborhoods, and their worlds.

The Art Center has established an excellent track record of providing creative and challenging learning opportunities to youth. We aim to develop the next generation of civically engaged, community-minded leaders, and problem-solvers.

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The Community Art Center Cambridge, MA Founded in 1937

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might have a couple hundred students. And I would, I’d like to figure out a way where we can infuse travel into our space. In the ’90s our film crew went over to the Soviet Union and won an award. And I’ve spoken to people, alumni, people who were on that trip that talked about how transformative it was for them. I think in my own life, travel has been incredibly instrumental in my development and helping me know who I am and learn about who I am and just kind of seeing how big the world is.

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immigrant and low income. So I think it’s sometimes difficult to figure out which bucket to put us into. We are an arts organization, but we have deep activism roots. And our young people learn to speak up and say the things that they’re thinking and speak their truth.

And they do that through film and through art and through dance. So we’re an arts org, we’re activists, we’re childcare, and we’re really a human services organization as well. We work with low-income families and children. And so, a part of that is recognizing that (healthy) development can’t really happen in a vacuum if people are coming to us hungry or in need, we have to address some of that as well.

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How do you, or does your organization, define

SUCCESS? Yeah, that is always really tricky when it comes to grants and all of that mining data. I am so big on quality over quantity. The good thing is that we have real interactions with our students and the kids that are in our space.

And we get to know them really well. Many of them are here for years and many of them have family who were here as well. So I think for me, the successes are in the day to day, whether or not someone is going through something really difficult and we’re able to help them through that. If a family member is struggling financially or they are currently unhoused and we’re able to help them get a resource. Being in someone’s corner and seeing them push through something and succeed at something. Those are the real successes, I think. Yeah, those are the biggest successes for me. That’s how I really define success. Because you can chase numbers or you can really be concerned with impact.

Can you share the IMPACT of the programming during the pandemic?

We did a lot during the pandemic. We were in person during much of it. I mean, we closed down in the immediate, you know, governor’s orders. Everybody has to shut down, but then we got up and running pretty quickly. And so it was nice because our teens and our young people were able to maintain a sense of connection in this space. We were really fortunate in that we stayed safe and I don’t take that for granted. I know you can still do all the right things and something can go awry.

So we were really safe and we were also really fortunate.

And we also, we were able to keep our childcare program in place, which was incredibly essential during a time when we have family members who were and are operating as hospice workers and EMTs and nurses.

I think we’ve seen in this country the importance of childcare right now and how it’s knocking a lot of women 19

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– Mo Cowan, Founder Chief Legal and External Affairs Officer, Devoted Health, Inc.

Empowering Latinx immigrants to enhance the social and economic health of the community and its people; and to hold institutional decision-makers accountable to the community.

Yo he estado haciendo este trabajo durante los últimos 33 años. Las necesidades que tenemos ahora son similares a las que teníamos anteriormente. La pandemia mundial sucedió y ahora me están considerando, y ahora me han visto.

Yo siempre he estado aquí. Mi gente siempre ha estado aquí. Nuestros desafíos o retos siempre han estado aquí. La lucha de la gente de color siempre han estado aquí. Yo creo que esta fue una realidad o una alarma, para que muchas Fundaciones y muchas de las personas que han apoyado nuestro trabajo jamás ignoren el poder de una pequeña aldea, barrio o ciudad. Jamas desafiemos el poder de las personas de color cuando se ven obligadas proteger y salvar sus vidas. Este evento global fue extremo, ¿verdad? Pero tuvo que llegar a eso para que nos vieran. Hemos pasado por mucho desde el 5 de marzo de 2019, cuando abrí el patio de mi casa donde la gente casi mendigaba por comida.

A una comunidad que por su solidez o fortaleza, pueden demostrar que se están capacitando y lo están logrando porque recibieron entrenamientos,

Me gustaría compartir la historia de Mauricio y él permite que use su nombre. Mauricio era este hombre que conocí en la línea de comida y le di una caja de comida. Ese dia yo estaba trabajando la línea de alimentos con nuestro personal lo hago cuando estamos cortas de personal o tan solo porque quiero ... Trato de estar en la línea de comida porque quiero estar en contacto con mi comunidad. Allí conocí a Mauricio y cuando le di una caja de comida, dijo: “Señorita, no puedo aceptar la caja porque ... Ahora mismo, estoy durmiendo en el pasillo y no tengo acceso para almacenarlo. Si me das frutas,

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“It feels good that we’re all working together to try to solve the problem, to call that problem out, and committed to doing our part to try and fix that problem.”

La Colaborativa Chelsea, MA Founded in 1988

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Our teens got really into digital murals during this time. We produced something like 10 murals since the pandemic started, that are on display in and around Cambridge. We continued the legacy of our film festival.

It’s the longest running youth film festival in the country.

We went virtual for the film festival and that was really fun. We had 300, a little over 300, people log on for that. And teens got to share their stories and kind of what they were going through. So I’ve only been at the Art Center for a year. And when I started, probably like January, February, one of our students was applying to colleges and he sent me his portfolio and asked me what I thought. It was a super impressive portfolio. And when I looked through it, it was almost entirely projects he had gotten his hands on as a young person at the Art Center.

He’d been at the Art Center for six years. He was able to get into Cornell and into RISD on that portfolio. And he’s at Cornell now. And I would love to see more successes like that.

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aprendieron inglés, consiguieron un trabajo con un salario digno. Que tienen una infraestructura para crear guarderías que les permita poner su niño en el cuidado infantil mientras están trabajando. Cuando pienso en Chelsea, pienso en una comunidad muy fuerte y vibrante. Mi comunidad es principalmente Centroamericana de bajos ingresos, pero es una comunidad que trabaja muy, muy duro. En la nación, éramos el número uno per cápita con la mayoría de los casos de coronavirus y ahora somos el número uno en vacunación. Entonces, qué historia contar, ¿verdad? No digas que mi comunidad no es resistente, que no son capaces de hacerlo y hacerlo juntos. Una comunidad que sufre, pero se ocupan por curarse, ponerse de pie y hacer que esto suceda por ellos mismos, esto poco a poco está sucediendo. Es y será siempre mi deseo para mi comunidad. El éxito para mi es amor incondicional, creo que a través del lente del amor, podemos lograr todo.

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out of the workplace. But particularly if you’re a single parent and you have a number of children and you have to work, we were able to be there for a lot of families during that time. And we did so in a way that was engaging and productive.

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si me das cereal seco, puedo abrirlo y ponerlo en mi mochila.” Yo dije, “Señor, ¿puedo pedirle que venga a ver a uno de mis empleados que pueden analizar su situación? Ella tomará sus datos, permíteme ayudarte.” Ayudamos a Mauricio a encontrar un hotel por un par de días, un día dice: “Hablé con un amigo mío que cree que me pueda dar trabajo, pero no tengo ropa. Todo lo que tengo en la mochila son dos pantalones y una camisa.” Yo dije “No te preocupes sobre eso, dime de qué se trata la entrevista y luego te vestimos, te enviaremos a la tienda.” Recuerdo que sugerimos a TJ Maxx y dijo: “Oh, no, no, no, envíeme a Walmart, porque puedo rendir el dinero en Walmart y me gastaré menos que en TJ Maxx.” Estábamos tan conmovidos por su humildad, ¿verdad? Así que Loren, miembro del personal, lo llevó a Walmart, compró sus cosas, hasta lo enviamos en un taxi para su entrevista. Él consiguió el trabajo. Nosotros le alquilamos una habitación. Durante tres meses el pagó el alquiler y luego nos envió una foto de dónde está durmiendo, su cama con el colchón que le regalamos. Nosotros le dimos a él una oportunidad, sin hacer ningún juicio de quien él era. ¿Justo no?

Solo ayudando al ser humano a hacer humano.

Su historia es un tremendo éxito y todavía veo a Mauricio hay veces que es voluntario con nosotros y está logrando sus metas está viviendo. Tengo la suerte de haber conocido a muchos Mauricios en esta trayectoria.

Read the English translation on page 35.

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Well, as a tuition-free school, we’ve had a lot of philanthropists, corporations and foundations that have supported us over the years. I think that one of the things that has come up in the past couple of years because of the national kind of discourse in the state of the country is this more magnified look at racial justice. And I don’t know that that was a priority over the years. And I think that the way that we’re thinking about countering structural racism through education is not something that was at the forefront of a conversation or one that seemed like folks might have had an appetite for, and now, they do. I also think traditional philanthropy places an emphasis on reporting out data and not recognizing the added layer of work and hours on an already stretched team can be really challenging.

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What are your HOPES for the community, whether it’s Lawrence, your school, or the broader state?

I’d love to see folks have a patient and explicit commitment to restorative justice work. I think that using restorative justice to unpack the layers of historical obstacles that have manifested themselves in the challenges of the present day could be really meaningful and helpful for our students and families… to kind of unshackle us from the way that history has kind of continued to hold us down. And I’d love to see our city rise in many ways.

How would you define SUCCESS? In the context of Esperanza, we define success as kids graduating comfortable in their own skin. That’s very important to us. We want kids to be able to think critically, and write well, be strong readers, and strong mathematicians. We don’t want any of that to come

What was the IMPACT of the pandemic like for your students?

I’ll share a story about a seventh grader who is an awesome, incredible spoken word artist, really expressive, great command of her delivery and tone and performance. She has this beautiful light about her. And during the pandemic when we were virtual, we noticed that her mood and demeanor had shifted a little bit.

And so, we all took note. And then we found out that the parents both lost their jobs, and both had to go to different states to get jobs and the child had to stay with a relative. It was just a really messed up kind of heavy situation for the child to deal with. So, the kid didn’t want to be in school, didn’t want to virtual learn, it’s like mom and dad, her rocks weren’t home. And so, we asked her to run a morning meeting, which seems like the counter of what you should do. Right? And she ran a morning meeting in front of the whole school, and she’s like back to herself. You see her loving it, loving the limelight, doing her thing and it was really cool.

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Have you experienced a SHIFT in the philanthropic landscape?

Right now, we’re a middle school with a 12-year commitment, and our plan is to expand to lower school, and grow from pre-K to eight. Currently we support students by helping place them in competitive high schools and colleges. I hope that that department grows, so that we are supporting more students and families.

I hope that we can offer our services and our program to more students and families in Lawrence. And I hope that what we’re doing around racial literacy and education could be a model for our own community and other highneed urban communities throughout the nation.

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At Esperanza Academy, they believe they are fortunate to serve their students, their families, and the community of Lawrence. Esperanza Academy is a tuition-free independent school because they believe that everyone deserves the right to high-quality independent school education. Their school is a revolutionary antidote to racism; they, as an academic community, emphasize racial and cultural identity affirmation, love of community, and restorative justice.

How do you hope to GROW in the next few years?

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Esperanza Academy Lawrence, MA Founded in 2006

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with a compromise or at the cost of self-love and selfworth. And so, for us, that is a baseline for everything else to come into fruition. And so, having kids who can graduate with a strong sense of self-love, self-worth and comfortable in their identities is a very important measure of success for us. We all struggle with selfworth, right? It just lingers, and everything, social media, Instagram, the comparisons, all this stuff just makes it harder and harder for us to just say like look in the mirror and say I love you, and to say, I’m proud of you, right?

We should be really proud of ourselves because living is hard, and work is hard. Life is beautiful and joyful, and it is also really hard. And we make it through these moments and it’s so hard for us to celebrate ourselves, it’s like we have to feel guilt around that. And it’s really unfortunate because I think we all have a lot to be proud of. And we should feel the permission and the freedom to be proud of ourselves. That shouldn’t be…be a radical notion. Right?

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And then, I would say that one of the biggest struggles has always been the lack of desire to fund operations.

And for me, operations is my teachers, and it’s the people who run the school, and the heart of our school.

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And then, that day in the afternoon her favorite teacher went up to her and said, what’s up, what’s happening?

Talk to me. She started crying and said “I know I fell back on my grades and stuff, and I just really felt like you guys were going to stop loving me,” …because of her grades.

The teacher said to her, “We will never stop loving you.

It’s not about that stuff. We’re here for you.” And she gave her a big hug, and then, the kid was slowly coming back to herself and was doing her thing. And it feels like this small thing, but I feel like what is important to know in it is that, the child knew she was loved. Right? She knew what it felt like to be loved in this space, and we were making sure that we were meeting her where she’s at, and that she can continuously feel that love, because we knew how important it was. Instead of saying like you’re falling back in your grades, a, detention, or a suspension, or here’s the makeup that you need to do by Friday. It was like let’s slowly bring her back her style, which is performing, and then, let’s make sure that this child still feels love. And I think part of the restorative work and this idea of operating from a place of love, it is very strategic. It’s a mechanism that makes students feel seen and heard and valued, and allows them to come back from moments in which they may be regressing.

“We wanted to make sure we were actually on the ground inspiring those to get involved, inspiring our allies and making sure we’re all committed to this and we’re all in this together.”

– Rodney Pratt, Founder VP, Chief Administrative Office Operations, Innovation, and Strategic Initiatives at NIKE, Inc.

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I asked my 17-year-old Brown son to tell me how to best compel you, the reader of this report, to participate in this movement with NCF and to help us raise $100 million to support this effort. My son responded: “Make it something they can touch.” So I invite you to touch this important work directly or through NCF. Give to the organizations NCF has supported or give to NCF to help us build an ecosystem of change. Either way get in the fight. Get proximate to the issues and solutions. Own your responsibility both as an individual and as a collective to your fellow humans. It’s necessary for all our humanity that we solve the calcified barriers of racism by dismantling every building block together.

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As I stated in the initial pages of this report, we’d need far more space and pages to rightly tell the stories of the many leaders and organizations working tirelessly every day to eradicate the policies, systems and practices rooted in racism which are adversely impacting the Black and Brown people of the Commonwealth. I reiterate that point here–we need space. We need space to not only learn about these persistent and driven heroes, but to deeply understand, strategize and solve these problems. But we don’t have that space either. These communities cannot afford to wait for solutions to organically come or for systemic racism to die from natural causes. The time is now because Black and Brown lives are being cut short and devalued–and they matter.

The organizations supported by NCF understand this well–they heard the clarion call and are taking action. They–and the communities they serve–need you too.

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Data 4 Black Lives EdLaw Project Elevated Thought Family Health Center Worcester GCode House Higher Ground La Colaborativa Lawrence Community Works Lawyers for Civil Rights Martin Luther King Jr. Family Services Springfield NAACP Boston Branch Pa’lante Restorative Justice STRIVE Boston

Citizens for Juvenile Justice Coaching4Change Community Art Center Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative Empower Yourself Ltd

Dominic Blue, Head of Strategic Planning & Delivery, MassMutual Juan Concepcion, Legal Counsel, Boston Scientific Corporation Mo Cowan, Chief Legal and External Affairs Officer, Devoted Health, Inc.

Esperanza Academy

Gerry Cox, Principal, Gerard Cox and Associates

GOTVax

Pamela Everhart, SVP, Head of Regional Public Affairs & Community Relations, Fidelity Investments

NAACP Brockton NAACP New Bedford NAACP Springfield Neighborhood Birth Center Neighborhood House Charter School OneGoal Graduation Massachusetts Prevent the Cycle Revere Youth in Action Roca Boston Roxbury Innovation Center Sisters Unchained Smart from the Start Sociedad Latina

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Spanish American Center Sportsmen’s Tennis & Enrichment Center

Linda Dorcena Forry, VP of Diversity, Inclusion & Community Relations, Suffolk Construction Paul Francisco, SVP, Chief Diversity Officer, State Street Corporation Damon Hart, EVP, Deputy Chief Legal Officer, Liberty Mutual Malia Lazu, Founder, The Lazu Group Stephanie Lovell, EVP, Medicare and Chief Legal Officer, Blue Cross Blue Shield of MA Fred Lowery, SVP, President Life Sciences and Laboratory Products, Thermo Fisher Scientific

2Gether We Eat

The American City Coalition

Quincy Miller, President, Eastern Bank

ACLU MA ACT Lawrence

The Augustus A. White III Institute for Health Care Equity

Dr. Myechia Minter-Jordan, President & CEO, CareQuest Institute for Oral Health

Amplify Latinx

The Loop Lab

Boston Community Pediatrics

Victory Human Services

Boston Department of Neighborhood Development

We Got Us

Boston Women’s Fund

YMCA of Greater Springfield

Brockton Workers Alliance

YWCA Southeastern MA

Desiree Ralls Morrison, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, McDonald’s Corporation

Rodney Pratt, VP, Chief Administrative Office Operations, Innovation and Strategic Initiatives, Nike, Inc. Rebekah Salwasser, EVP, Social Impact, Boston Red Sox & Executive Director, Red Sox Foundation Greg Shell, Managing Director, Double Impact, Bain Capital Corey E. Thomas, CEO, Rapid7 BJ Trach, Partner and Executive Committee member, Latham & Watkins Damian W. Wilmot, SVP, Chief Risk & Compliance Officer, Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated

“How do we think about underserved populations, marginalized populations, and how do we empower those who have been disproportionately impacted by systemic racism and social injustice.”

– Dr. Myechia Minter-Jordan, Founder

President and CEO, CareQuest Institute for Oral Health

Valerie Mosley, CEO, Valmo Ventures

Building Audacity 26

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Avidia Bank Bailit Health Purchasing, LLC Barr Foundation Benevity Community Impact Fund Blackbaud Giving Fund at Your Cause Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Boston Athletic Association Boston Dental Service Boston Racial Equity Fund Boston Red Sox Foundation Boston Scientific Corporation Bright Funds Burns & Levinson LLP Buyer Advertising, Inc. C.E. Floyd Company, Inc. Cambridge Trust Company CareQuest Institute for Oral Health Combined Jewish Philanthropies Converse, Inc. Cummins Family Fund Deloitte Services LP DentaQuest Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation Eos Foundation Ernst & Young LLP Fidelity Giving Marketplace Flour Bakery and Café Flybridge Capital Partners Foundation M 28

Nonie Brady

Tufts Health Plan Foundation

Amy Broadhead

HarborOne Bank

Turner Construction Company

John Brodrick

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care

Vertex Pharmaceuticals

Sarah Bucknell Treco

Jane’s Trust John W. McCormack Civic Association JP Morgan Chase Foundation JP Morgan Securities Charitable Giving Fund Kahilla KPMG, LLP Kraft Family Foundation, Inc. /Robert Kraft Liberty Mutual Foundation Liu Family Charitable Fund M&T Charitable Foundation Market Street Trust Company New England Blacks in Philanthropy New England Patriots Players’ Social Justice Fund O’Reilly Family Charitable Fund OpenView Operations Procter & Gamble Corporate Giving Fund Rapid7 Safety Insurance Charitable Foundation Schwab Charitable Gift Fund STAG Industrial/Jeffrey Sullivan State Street Foundation Steven E Lewis Living Trust Tamalpais Charitable Giving Fund The Bancel Foundation The Boston Foundation’s Permanent Fund for Boston The Clowes Fund The Crandall Family Charitable Fund The Nordblom Family Foundation The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company The Wildstar Fund

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James Liu and Alexandra Bowers

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INDIVIDUAL David and Amy Abrams Pamela Adams Jonathan Aibel Simone Albeck Anonymous (multiple)* Jim and Karen Keating Ansara Vanessa Antonetti Mark Aronson Maureen Azor Andrew Bacchiocchi Jenny Baglivo Larry Bailis Pamela R. Baker Stone Richard and Elizabeth Bane Penny Barker Weeks Mari and Joel Barrera Timothy Barrett Suzanne Bates Mary Beckman Peter B. Balanger, Jr. Ruth Bitchell Miriam Blankenship Emily Bloomenthal Dominic Blue** Rita Bojalian William Boley Pamela Boone Luis Borgen

Wendy Burge John Condon and Kathy Burns Rachel Busby Jeff Bussgang Arthur and Elizabeth Butcher Paul and Catherine Buttenwieser Manuela Buxo Priscilla Cahn Tamara Campbell Matthew Cannata Scott Carpenter Louise Elving and Steven Carr Pat and Jack Carucci Bob Case Joshua Casper Deirdre Cassidy Jonathan and Carol Chace Amanda Chalmers Elizabeth Anne Chandler Aidan Chavez Wilfred Chilangwa Joan Christel Sara Christiansen Jeannie Chun Joseph and Lucy Chung Myung Soon and Byong Uk Chung William Churchill Holly Clack Carolyn Clancy 29

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Marnie and Seth Gale

Barbara and Eric Heinemann

Dave and Alice Kidder

Michael Mahoney

Jeff Clements

Devin Drew

Karen Gallagher

Lori Heinrichs

Sue and Paul Kilrain

Tyler Maland

Connie Coburn

Karen Estrella and Paul Efthim

Shane Gaucher

Robert Stringer and Diane Hessan

Brian Kingsbury

Mary Ellen Maloney

Susan Coburn

Jonathan and Maureen Ellis

Leeanne Gendron

Jeremy Hill

Mark Kingston

Brooke Manfredi

Jason and Courtney Cole

Maia Germain

Richard Hoehn

Debra Kline

Peter and Kathleen Markell

Nicholson Collier

Cindy Schlessinger and Jeffrey Ellowitz

Rob Giannino

Richard E. Holbrook

Katherine Klosowski

Sarah Martin

Juan Concepcion**

Susan Esper

Barbara Gibson

Kathy M. Horgan

John Koegel

Laura Matlack

Paul Connolly

Sean Galvin

Susan and Julian Houston

Lorna Koppel

Juliette Mayers

Patricia Correia

Susan Everdell Clippinger and Ros Everdell

Erin Gill

Molly Howes

Joseph Kowan

Davin McCarthy

Kimberly Costa

Pamela Everhart**

Camille Gilmore

Carole Huntsman

Debra Krupp

Michael and Mary McColgan

James M. Coutre

Jack and Jo Ann Faer

Steve Gisselbrecht

Jane Hyman

Joseph Lazar

Abbvie and Michael McDonald

Paul Coveney

John and Kathleen Fallon

Padraic Glackin

Richard Iandoli

Malia Lazu**

Ted and Rachel McEnroe

Mo Cowan**

James Febeo

Robyn Glaser

Alan and Catherine Ioffredo

Anna Lee

Elizabeth McHugh

Steven Cowen

Jef Fellows

Robert and Linda Glassman

Anne Leggat and Stephan Irza

Rebecca Lee

Brenda McKee

Russell Cox

David and Vinita Ferrera

Robert and Susan Glovsky

Lisa Jack

Heidi Lehner

David McSweeney

Gerard Cox**

Michael Firestone

Rosa Gonzalez

Tyler and Lisa Davis Jacks

Thomas and Sarah Lemaire

Kevin and Danielle Meagher

Pharoah Cranston

James Fitzgerald

Jeff and Molly Goodman

Deborah Jackson

Erio Lemaire

Robert and Judith Melzer

William and Nancy Crowley

Joseph M. Fitzgerald

Prudhvi Gottumukkala

Gail Jackson-Blount

Charles Culp

Diana Govern

Donna James

Lawrence Geuss and Pamela Lenehan

Dawn Mercier

Jamie Fleckner

Katharine Cunningham

Barbara Shapiro and Daniel Fleishman

James Green

Rachel Jellinek

Ann Marie Leshkowich

Kerry Metzdorf

Adam Grenier

Mark Jensen

Claire Levine

Joan Meunier-Sham

James and Kathleen Griffin

Wendy John

Rachel Rock and Joshua Levy

Jeremy and Corinne Milgram

Taran Grigsby

Donald Lewis

Quincy Miller**

Peter Hajjar

Christopher McKown and Abigail Johnson

Margaret Moody & Charles Lin

Myechia Minter-Jordan**

Elizabeth Halbert

William Johnson

Timothy Lodge

Dananai Morgan

Ann Thoron Hale

Martha Juelich

Nancy Lombardo

Andrew Morrison

Linda Hamel

Jennifer H Kaufman

Stephanie Lovell**

Lois Morrison

Kenneth Hansberry

Laura Keenan

Fred Lowery**

Valerie Mosely**

Robert Hansel

Laura Keith

Joe Ludwig

Julia Motl Lowe

Fred Hapgood

Emily and Josef Kellndorfer

Edward Ludwig

Adam Moucharite

Bari Harlam

John Kelly

Tara Lyons

Jaqueline Muggeridge

Tyhesha Harrington

Ruth Morris and Peter Kelly

Michael MacKenzie

Rana Murphy

Damon Hart**

William and AnnMarie Kennedy

John Madden

William Murrell

Jeffrey Haynes

Robert and Nannerl Keohane

Julie Mahegan

Tricia Muse

Michael Haynes

Diana Kerry

Carole Mahoney

David Mustard

Debbi Ford and Catherine D’Amato David and Melissa Dal Pos Nathaniel and Jillian Deknatel Laura Senier and Ken DelPapa William Denehy Charles Diamond Peter Dill Les and Samira Dinkin Kimberly Dinsmore Charles Dockendorff Carl Doebler Sarah Doebler Edward Dolan Douglas and Susan Donahue Karrie Downey 30

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Ronald Cleaves

Patricia Flynn Paul Flynn Brian Foard Suzanne K. Fontano Maria Fontellio Isaac Fordjour Linda Dorcena and William Forry** Michelle Fortier Brian and Anne Fox Paul and Betty Francisco** Rachel Freed Harvey and Brenda Freishtat Evelyn Gaines Ken Galan

Frederic Metters

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Karen Jacquart Naff

Richard Quinlan

Barbra Rabson and John Silleto

BJ and Jessica Trach**

Chris Wilson-Byrne

Alice Newell

Seth Racine

William and Debra Simmons

Vered Tsarfaty

Elizabeth Wing

Lynn Nixon

Desiree Ralls-Morrison**

Ellen Simons

Mary Loftis and Paul Tuller

Stephen Witt

Bouke and Amy Noordzij

Joseph Richard

Sandra Sims-Williams

Carl and Sharon Turissini

John Scott Wynant Family

Christine O’Neil

Elzbieta Ringler

Paul Underwood

Hongjie Yang

Robert O’Neill Jr.

Bob and Patricia Rivers

Wendy Carruthers and Alistair Smith

Ian Urquhart

Albert and Judith Zabin

Elaine O’Reilly

Kathleen Roberts

Janet Smith

Leanne B. Valade

Nicholas J. Zambello

Christopher and Nancy Oddleifson

Teresa Robinson

Katherine E. Snowden

Lisa and James Valone

Ellen Zane

Olufemi Ojeikere

Stephanie Roche

Dale Sokoloff

Jeffrey Vautour

Kevin Zina

Mike Oleksak

Linda Rodrigues

Paul Spiess

Allison Volpe

Tania Zouikin

Helen Oliver

Patricia Roeser

Ashwini Srikantiah

Christine Warren

Vicky Zwerdling

Scott Olson

Linda and Tim Rohrer

Jesse Stanesa

Thomas Weber

George Omae

Nicole Roos

Jane Steinmetz

Eric Hyett and Theodor Weinberg

William Oppenheimer

Daniel Ross

William Stewart

Douglas and Judith Weinstock

Jennifer Pline and Hans Ottgen

Daniel and Jeanne Ross

Jennifer Strong

Wendy Welch

Wendy Page

David and Barbara Roux

Dorothy T. Stiles

Patricia Welsh

Claire Palmer

Omar A. Saldana

John and Nadine Suhrbier

Mary Werler

Lorianne Pannozzo

Elizabeth Saltonstall

Barbara Sullivan

Zachary Wermer

Gifts listed are as of November 30, 2021.

Katerina Papp

Rebekah Salwasser **

Daniel and Susan Sullivan

Katherine Wheeler

Rhonda Parker

Wendy Sanford

Elizabeth Sullivan

Benaree and Fletcher Wiley

Christine Parks

Jocelyn Sargent

Neil Sullivan

Ronald Wilkinson

* We have received Anonymous Gifts from dozens of generous individuals and institutions.

Carlos and Maureen Pena

Meghan Scanlon

Nageeb Sumar

Carolyn Williams

Mary F. Pendergast

Timothy Schmutzler

Wlliam Suneson

Gregory Wilmot

Colby Penzone

Alex Schopf

Natalie Surmeli

Damian and Yndia Lorick Wilmot**

Peter Pinch

Kate Scott

Donna Sussman

Claudia Piper

Charles Schulman

Katherine Swain Smith

Michael Plant

Andrea Schwartz

Timothy Sweeney

Ellen Plapinger

Christian and Deborah Semine

Joseph Sypeck

Jarrod Polseno

Mihir Shah

Keith Tavares

Suzanne M. Porter

Lori Shaller

Dawn Terkla

Jim Prakash-Zawisza

Eva Shea

Anaya Phillips and Corey Thomas**

Rodney Pratt**

Aileen Sheehan

Ruth Thomasian

Allison Pristash

Greg Shell**

Kim Thornton

Julia Propp

Pamela Shipp

Mary Prosnitz

William Sibold

Karen McKeen and Allison Tilly Carswell

Natalie Punzak

Richard Siegelman

John Topper

We have done our best to ensure the accuracy of these lists. We apologize for any omissions or errors and would appreciate any mistakes being brought to our attention.

** New Commonwealth Racial Equity and Social Justice Fund Founder.

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Drawbridge LLC 14th & Market Gx Consulting Jocelyn Sargent KedzieT Consulting Keith Aikens Kimberly James Latham & Watkins Maureen Azor New England Blacks in Philanthropy Onward Orrick Proverb Shahida Solutions SectorWind The Monitor Institute by Deloitte

AGNCY

Design: Ashley Melin / Point3 Design Photography: Thaddeus Miles / TMiles Photography Copy Editing: Richard Feinberg

This QR code will allow you to access this report in digital format.

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Cambridge Associates

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NCF is growing but still relying on a very lean staff and many volunteers. The following organizations and individuals are our “extended” team offering consultation and pro bono time.

Blakely Consulting

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Deep gratitude to Colette Phillips, Loren Van Allen, Keon Holmes, Lori Smith-Britton, Stephen Hall, Orlando Watkins, and Kate Guedj for their early support. We are thankful for our home with the Boston Foundation and look forward to being witness to Lee Pelton’s leadership as the President and CEO.

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THE NEW COMMONWEALTH FUND WOULD NOT BE WHERE IT IS WITHOUT THE SUPPORT OF SOME VERY SPECIAL INDIVIDUALS.

Gladys Vega

ENGLISH TRANSLATION I’ve been doing this job for 33 years. I’ve been in the same community with lots of the same, similar needs.

The global pandemic happened and then I’m being considered, and I’m being seen. I have always been here.

My people have always been here. Our challenges have always been here. The struggle of people of color has always been here. So I think it’s a wakeup call to many of the funders and many of the people that have supported us never to ignore the power of a small village and the power of people of color when they’re forced to save and protect their lives. This was the extreme, right? But it came to that in order for us to be seen.

We have gone from March 5th of 2019, when I opened the portion of my house to people begging for two cans of food to a community that’s a little bit better off. A community that at least, through their resiliency, they’re able to show that they’re making it and they’re making it because they went through training, they learned English, they got a good paying job. They have an infrastructure for daycare that allows them to put their kid into childcare while they’re working. When I think of Chelsea, I think of a very strong, vibrant community.

My community, it’s mainly Central American. It’s very low income, but it’s a community that works very, very hard.

In the nation, we were number one per capita with the most Coronavirus cases and now we are number one in terms of vaccination. So what a story to tell, right? Don’t tell me my community is not resilient, that they’re not able to do it and do it together. A community that have suffered but have made it their business to get well, stand up and make it happen for themselves. That’s my wish for my community. Success is unconditional love. I think that through the lens of love, we are able to accomplish so much.

I would like to share the story of Mauricio and he allows me to use his name. Mauricio was this man that I met in the food line and I gave him a box of food. That day I was working the food line with our staff. When they’re short or when I just want to ... I always try to be at the food line because I want to be in contact with my community.

I met Mauricio there and when I gave him a box of food, he said, “Miss, I can’t accept the box because ... ” he says, “Right now, I’m sleeping in the hallway and I have no access to store it. If you give me fruits, if you give me dry cereal, I can open it and put it in my backpack.” I said, “Sir, can I have you come to one of the Case Managers?

She will do an intake for you and allow me to help you.”

So we helped Mauricio find a hotel for a couple of days and then he says, “I talked to a friend of mine who is giving me a job, but I have no clothes. All I have is this book bag with two pants and a shirt.” I said, “Don’t worry about it. Tell me what the interview’s about, and then I’ll dress you up. We’ll send you to the store.” I remember suggesting TJ Maxx and he said, “Oh, no, no, no. Send me to Walmart, because what I can buy at Walmart can probably be more than this money that I will spend in TJ Maxx.” We were so touched by his humility, right? So one staff member, Lauren, took him to Walmart, bought the stuff, and then we sent him in a taxi for his interview.

He got the job. We rented him a room. For three months we paid his rent and then he sent us a picture of where he’s sleeping, his bed that we found, the mattress. We gave him a chance, not making any judgment. Right?

Just helping the human being to be a human being. His story is a tremendous success and I still see Mauricio.

He comes to volunteer with us and he’s making it, he’s living it. I am blessed to have met the many Mauricios on this journey.

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