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“The process of empowerment is viewed as a way to nurture individual growth and human potential that can be communicated and transferred to societal growth.”

- Anonymous

Project HOPE works with families to end the cycle of poverty for homeless families through advocacy, support and personal empowerment.

Empowerment Initiative

The Empowerment Initiative was established in 2006 to implement the Trustees’ belief that individuals must be empowered on a personal level in order to make positive changes in their lives. Through this Initiative, the Foundation aims to provide funding for programs that enable and support individual empowerment by:

building skills
building relationships
providing access to information
supporting critical thinking and decision-making
providing ongoing support
bolstering self-esteem
instilling hope

The Foundation’s strategy for empowering individuals to make positive changes in their lives involves three approaches.

Increasing Access to Education for Adult Learners
Building Assets in Youth
Supporting Recovery from Domestic Violence

In the adult education area, the Foundation aims to increase access for adult learners pursuing basic education, English language instruction and pre-college readiness courses. To address barriers to participation and success, the Foundation will fund support services for adult learners. These services may include, but are not limited to, counseling, case management, child care, transportation, tutoring and mentoring. The Foundation will also fund projects that employ a systemic approach to increasing access to education for adult learners, for example, through research and pilot projects, interagency collaboration and public policy work.

In the youth development area, the Foundation aims to build assets in youth through funding programs that encourage disadvantaged and disenfranchised youth to build relationships and gain the confidence, skills and independence necessary to succeed and meet their goals. The Foundation will support efforts that reflect best practices of youth development programs including ones that:

offer activities that are engaging and that foster learning
have mechanisms in place to help youth move forward as young adults
promote youth contribution and collaboration
foster supportive relationships
set high expectations and clear limits

In the domestic violence area, the Foundation aims to support recovery from domestic abuse by funding programs that involve goal setting, skill building, developing financial independence and peer and mentoring support. The Foundation will also consider funding programs that employ a systemic approach to reducing the impact of domestic violence, for example, through research, interagency collaboration and public policy work.

All proposals are solicited through a Request for Proposal (RFP) process. Any organization offering a program that fits our funding objectives is invited to contact the Foundation by phone to discuss its work.

In 2008 the Foundation approved 31 grants, including 26 new grants, totaling $870,000.

2008 Empowerment Initiative grants include:

Boston Center for Independent Living (Boston, MA):
$25,000 to support its Youth Empowerment Initiative, which assists individuals, ages 14 to 22 with disabilities to gain the confidence, skills and independence necessary to achieve their personal goals.
visit the Boston Center for Independent Living website
Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center (Boston, MA):
$50,000 over two years for the Adult Education New Skills Program, a long-distance learning program that is supported by trained tutors.
visit the Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center website
Boston Debate League (Boston, MA)
$50,000 over two years to expand the Boston Debate League program by establishing programs in 8 to 10 Boston Public High Schools.
visit the Boston Debate League website
The Boston Foundation on behalf of English for New Bostonians (Boston, MA):
$90,000 over two years for English for New Bostonians’ Multi-Media ESOL Project.
visit the English for New Bostonians website
The Bottom Line (Boston, MA)
$25,000 for the College Success program to provide one-on-one counseling and support to college students who have previously participated in the organizations’ College Access program.
visit The Bottom Line website
Casa Myrna Vasquez (Boston, MA)
$30,000 for the SOAR Program, an economic development program that helps domestic violence victims regain control of their finances.
visit the Casa Myrna Vasquez website
The City School (Boston, MA)
$25,000 for the Summer Leadership Program and Grad Leaders United, each of which bring together a diverse group of students for leadership skill development, academic study and community service.
visit the City School website
Center for Teen Empowerment (Boston, MA):
$50,000 over two years for the Dorchester Youth Organizing Initiative, an effort that trains and hires youth to work on developing and implementing strategies to address community issues.
visit the Center for Teen Empowerment website
Community Rowing, Inc. (Watertown, MA):
$40,000 over two years for the G-ROW program, which combines rigorous after-school training in rowing with relationship building, leadership development, and academic support for girls.
visit the Community Rowing, Inc. website
Crittenton Women’s Union (Boston, MA)
$25,000 for its GED+ Program, which assists drop-outs in completing their GEDs and in pursuing college and career goals.
visit the Crittenton Women’s Union website
Elizabeth Stone House (Jamaica Plain, MA)
$60,000 over two years for Residential and Community Support Services, which include counseling, life skills classes and support groups.
visit the Elizabeth Stone House website
Emerge (Cambridge, MA)
$20,000 for its Community Support for Change project, to develop a community support and peer sponsor program for abusive men undergoing violence counseling through Emerge.
visit the Emerge website
ESAC (Boston, MA)
$25,000 for Year Two of a two year grant for the GED Plus Program which aims to help students gain the GED credential and to equip them with the social and work-related competencies, life skills and support systems to achieve economic self sufficiency.
visit the ESAC website
The Food Project (Lincoln, MA):
$60,000 over two years for its Youth Development Programs, through which participants gain basic job skills, sophistication about healthy eating choices and food systems, contribute to local communities, and learn communication, teamwork and life skills.
visit The Food Project website
Harbor COV (Chelsea, MA)
$25,000 for the Community Education and Support Initiative, a joint program with Bunker Hill Community College that provides academic and community support services to victims of domestic abuse.
visit the Harbor COV website
Jewish Family and Children’s Services (Waltham, MA):
$25,000 for Kol Isha, which provides culturally-sensitive counseling and support to Jewish and Russian-speaking domestic violence survivors.
visit the Jewish Family and Children's Services website
Jewish Vocational Services (Boston, MA)
$30,000 for Post-Placement ESOL and Counseling Services for Refugees, which provides case management and employment counseling recently-arrived refugees who are enrolled in ESOL classes.
visit the JVS website
Jewish Vocational Services (Boston, MA)
$30,000 for Employment Services for Adult Education Students, which provides case management, employment and job-retention aid for recently-arrived refugees who are enrolled in ESOL classes.
visit the JVS website
Mujeres Unidas en Accion (Dorchester, MA):
$70,000 over two years towards the cost of support services for its Adult basic Education and ESOL programs, including, transportation, support groups, educational counseling and childcare.
visit the Mujeres Unidas en Accion website
MYTOWN (Boston, MA)
$50,000 over two years for its Youth Guide Development Program which trains teens in leadership, communication and job skills through the creation of walking tours and workshops on Boston neighborhood history.
visit the MYTOWN website
Odwin Learning Center (Boston, MA)
$30,000 toward the addition of a Case Management Component in its adult education program.
visit the Odwin Learning Center website
Partners for Youth with Disabilities (Boston, MA):
$50,000 over two years for the Young Entrepreneurs Project which engages disabled and non-disabled youth to develop a business plan and launch and operate a business.
visit the Partners for Youth with Disabilities website
Project HOPE (Dorchester, MA):
$60,000 over two years to support the Education Counseling services of the Adult Learner Program.
visit the Project HOPE website
REACH Beyond Domestic Violence (Waltham, MA)
$25,000 to for its Community-Based Programs, specifically for the support of the new Survivor’s Speakers Bureau.
visit REACH’s website
Summer Search (Boston, MA)
$35,000 for Year Two of a two year grant to support the core Summer Search program which provides multiple years of mentoring, life-changing summer experiences, college advising and a strong support network to resilient, low income Boston high school students.
visit the Summer Search website
The Second Step (Newton, MA)
$30,000 for the Community Program, an effort that provides case management, mentoring and financial assistance to women who have been affected by domestic violence.
visit the Second Step website
Teen Voices (Boston, MA)
$30,000 for Year Two of a two year grant for SHOUT! (Sisters Helping Other Unheard Teens), a job training, journalism and mentoring program which produces the award-winning magazine Teen Voices.
visit the Teen Voices website
Tenacity (Brighton, MA):
$25,000 for the After-School Excellence Program which provides at-risk Boston Public Middle School students with academic/literacy support, life skills development, and tennis instruction to encourage personal and social development.
visit the Tenacity website
West End House Boys and Girls Club (Allston, MA)
$25,000 for the Brian J. Honan Fellowship, a year-long experience that empowers teens through public service, leadership training and a summer internship.
visit the West End House website
World Education, Inc. (Boston, MA)
$90,000 over two years to support the establishment of a Boston chapter of the National College Transition Network, an effort that will provide training, technical assistance and other resources to 10 Boston area adult education programs striving to establish transition-to-college programming.
visit the National College Transition Network website
X-Cel, Inc. (Jamaica Plain, MA)
$25,000 to support the GED to College Initiative providing individualized plans and support to GED program participants pursuing higher education.
visit the X-Cel website