February 16, 2021 — ALS Association Massachusetts chapter wins $20K grant. Pioneer Valley Workers center co-director steps down. Community Consulting Teams providing free consulting to nonprofits. Philanthropy Massachusetts provides training for Bay State nonprofit leaders.

ALS Association Massachusetts Chapter Wins $20K Grant

The ALS Association Massachusetts Chapter, a Norwood nonprofit that serves patients with ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a progressive neurodegenerative disease, by providing no-cost services to ALS families, recently received a $20,000 grant from Cytokinetics to increase awareness, reach underserved populations, provide assistive technologies to those in need, foster community connections and encourage education.

“The challenges of COVID-19 have completely transformed the care delivery model among nonprofit organizations and the need for increased education, awareness and connectivity is greater than ever,” said Diane Weiser, Cytokinetics’ senior vice president of corporate communications and investor relations. “

The grant will enable the chapter to expand its Augmentative & Alternative Communication and Assistive Technology Loan Program inventory by increasing outreach to individuals with ALS throughout New England in collaboration with nearby chapters of The ALS Association.

Pioneer Valley Workers Center Co-Director Steps Down

The Pioneer Valley Workers Center, a Northampton nonprofit that works to build the collective power of workers and immigrants in western Massachusetts, recently announced that Rose Bookbinder stepped down as co-director last week.

Bookbinder, who co-founded the center in 2014, said the organization, is restructuring, the Daily Hampshire Gazette reported. Her immediate plans are not yet settled.

Eve Weinbaum, the director of the Labor Center at UMass Amherst and a member of the workers center board, said, “She really held onto that idea and made it a reality,” the paper reported.

Bookbinder began her career as a restaurant worker and began fighting for workers and immigrants rights in Westchester County and the Hudson Valley of New York. As an international representative and organizer for the United Auto Workers union. With the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, she organized with food service workers and with 1199 SEI she organized healthcare workers. She is board chair of the Food Chain Workers Alliance a national coalition of food system worker organizations representing 340,000 workers.

Community Consulting Teams Providing Free Consulting to 8 Nonprofits

Community Consulting Teams of Boston (CCT), a Boston-based nonprofit that provides pro bono consulting services to eastern Massachusetts nonprofits, yesterday announced it will provide consulting services valued at $100,000 to each of eight nonprofit organizations in 2021.

The following organizations been awarded consulting engagements by CCT in 2021 to address a variety of strategic issues:

• Free Software Foundation, Boston: Issue to be addressed: social action and advocacy
• LEAP For Education, Salem: Issue to be addressed: youth development
• Lucy’s Love Bus, Amesbury: Issue to be addressed: health care and human services
• Massachusetts Health Quality Partners, Watertown: Issue to be addressed: health care
• RIA House, Framingham: Issue to be addressed: human services
• Samaritans, Boston: Issue to be addressed: mental health and crisis intervention
• Thrive Support and Advocacy, Marlborough: Issue to be addressed: human services
• Union Capital Boston, Roxbury: Issue to be addressed: human services

To be eligible for the program, nonprofits must have 501(c)(3) status, an annual budget between approximately $500,000 and $5 million, a full-time executive director, a minimum of three full-time staff, and at least one staffer who will be assigned to the project.

Philanthropy Massachusetts Provides Training for Bay State Nonprofit Leaders

Philanthropy Massachusetts, a Boston-based regional association of grant makers, in partnership with Bank of America, recently announced that 21 Massachusetts nonprofit leaders have been named to the Nonprofit Learning Institute (NPLI), a leadership development program offered at no charge to participants

“Organizations that participate in the Nonprofit Learning Institute are serving our communities' most critical issues such as immigration and social justice, families and youth housing, health and human services, food insecurity, arts, and culture," said Jeff Poulos, chief executive officer of Philanthropy Massachusetts.

The following leaders were accepted to the NPLI Class of 2021, following a competitive application process:

• African Cultural Services: Juliet Najjumba
• Boston Public Library Fund: Paula Sakey
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro South: Monica Lombardo
• Esplanade Association: Montez Haywood
• Family Independence, Inc.: France A. Neff
• He is Me Institute: Robert Hendricks
• The Lenny Zakim Fund: Eric Esteves
• The Loop Lab: Chris Hope
• Massachusetts Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence: Ruth Zakarin
• Main IDEA: Joy Murrieta
• Manship Artist Residence + Studios, Inc.: Rebecca Reynolds
• Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center: Jeremy Surla Vargas
• Meeting Street: Michael Cancilliere
• Mount Olives Community Center: Gina Dessources
• Saheli: Rita Shah
• The Salem Pantry: Robyn Burns
• Somerville YMCA: Tania Buck
• Student Clinic for Immigrant Justice: Jonathan Goldman
• Team New England: Isaiah Davis
• Theater in the Open: Kelly Shea Knowles
• VISIONS, Inc.: Nikki Glass

To be eligible for the program, nonprofits must have 501(c)(3) status, an annual budget between approximately $500,000 and $2 million, and a senior leader willing to commit to attend all five sessions of the program.