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Announcing New President & CEO

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Melanie Edwards-Tavares, a New Bedford native and nonprofit executive with extensive community foundation experience, to the role of President and CEO of the SouthCoast Community Foundation.

2022 Annual Report

In 2022, the Community Foundation awarded nearly $5 million in grants, over $576,000 in scholarships, and managed approximately $50 million in assets. Read the most recent annual report to learn more about what the Foundation is doing in the region to advance the arts, education and economic opportunity through strategic grantmaking.

Read the Annual Report

Annual Fund of the SouthCoast Community Foundation

Your gift to the Annual Fund supports the areas of greatest need for the Foundation, ensuring we can focus our efforts on our strategic priorities: elevating education, the arts, and economic development. Your support will have an immediate impact in our region.

Make an annual fund gift today

2023 Scholarships Break Records

The Community Foundation recently awarded 71 local students with college scholarships totaling more than $668,000. This year, the Foundation received over 1,600 applications from throughout the South Coast, making it the most competitive year for scholarships the Foundation has ever seen, with just 6% of applicants receiving awards.

Meet the Change Maker: Michael Benevides, Fabric Arts Festival Founder

Can you share a little about your background? My family was immigrants from the Acores. I came here when I was two years old. My father started his own business in Fall River, which was Portugalia Imports. I always worked in the family business. I also had a genuine...

SouthCoast Wind Fund – Grant Applications Opening; Info Session Attendance Strongly Encouraged

NEW BEDFORD, MA – The SouthCoast Community Foundation announced today that the SouthCoast Wind Fund, which is administered by the Community Foundation, will open its first round of grantmaking on September 5th and intends to distribute $500,000 to local nonprofits by...

Announcing New Community Foundation President and CEO: Melanie Edwards-Tavares

NEW BEDFORD, MA — Today, the SouthCoast Community Foundation Board of Directors announced the appointment of Dr. Melanie Edwards-Tavares as the organization’s next President and CEO. She comes to the organization from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, which...