The Community Foundation of North Central Massachusetts will launch the 2022 North Central Massachusetts Racial Equity Grant Program on January 17—Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The program will distribute $58,500 in grants to selected nonprofit organizations serving the 33 communities of North Central Massachusetts.

The Racial Equity Grant Program is made possible by the Klarman Family Foundation, Rollstone Bank & Trust, Enterprise Bank, Fidelity Bank and the Board of Trustees of the Community Foundation of North Central Massachusetts.

“There seemed no better way to honor Dr. King than to launch this initiative on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Our intention is to promote racial equity in the region and draw attention to our new Racial Equity Endowment,” said Community Foundation President Stephen Adams. “We hope that people and institutions with an interest in racial equity and justice will help us grow the endowment so that investments in making North Central Massachusetts a welcoming region to all continue far into the future.”

The North Central Massachusetts Racial Equity Grant Program is focused on advancing racial justice and equity in the region by providing grants to nonprofit organizations that serve and empower communities of color and address systemic and institutional racism. The program will support nonprofit organizations working to advance racial equity in North Central Massachusetts through:

• Youth empowerment

• Social justice

• Awareness, education and training around implicit and explicit racial bias in employment, services and community engagement

• Other innovative programs or approaches that serve and empower communities of color and address systemic and institutional racism

“All of us at the Community Foundation are gratified by the generous support for this initiative from our local financial institutions,” Adams said. “The leadership at Rollstone Bank, Enterprise Bank and Fidelity Bank are clearly committed to racial equity in our region and prove it every day.”

Grants will range from $2,000 to $10,000. Informational sessions for interested grantees will be held on January 18 at 3 p.m. and January 26 at 10 a.m. via Zoom at https://zoom.us/j/9452255403. The grant application deadline is Friday, February 18, and award decisions will be announced by April 8. Please contact Meghan Maceiko at mmaceiko@cfncm.org with questions.

The Community Foundation has established an advisory committee of community members to advise on the structure and distribution of the grants. The North Central Massachusetts Racial Equity Advisory Committee includes:

• Lucy Crocker Abisalih

•Sheila King-Goodman

• Steve Adams

• Leona Whetzel

• Ted Lapres

• Donata Martin

• Sue Lotz

• Linda Mack

• Charisse Murphy

• Miggie Velez

• Ed Denmark

To contribute to the Racial Equity Endowment Fund of North Central Massachusetts, contact Linda Mack at lmack@cfncm.org or donate online at Racial Equity Fund of North Central Massachusetts.