New Funding for the Arts, Emergency Relief, and BankFive Scholarships

Dec 27, 2022

As the year comes to a close, I reflect back on 2022 and am proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish together. As a community foundation, our role is to help donors connect with meaningful philanthropic initiatives, and to that end, in 2022, we’ve awarded over $5 million to nonprofits in our communities, and over 100 scholarships for area students.

This month, the SouthCoast Community Foundation is grateful to have received major funding to support community organizations from two sources. The Barr Foundation has committed $1.6 million over the next four years to support arts and culture on the South Coast. This is the largest commitment to date by the Barr Foundation to the region as part of its Creative Commonwealth Initiative, which infuses arts and creativity into civic life through five Massachusetts-based Community Foundations.

The Massachusetts Office of Housing and Economic Development has also committed more than $774,000 in COVID-19 emergency relief funds to be distributed in 2023 to nonprofit organizations that have the capacity to support individuals and households who are experiencing severe economic hardships due to COVID-19.

Lastly, the Community Foundation is thrilled to partner with BankFive in offering their President’s Scholarship Fund, which was established this month with a $1.2 million investment by BankFive at the Community Foundation. In 2023, the scholarship will be available to students from BankFive communities (Bristol County, MA and Bristol and Newport Counties, RI) who are pursuing a college education. More information about this and all our scholarships can be found on our website.

I wish you a very happy, healthy 2023 and look forward to continuing our work together on the South Coast in the new year.
Warmly,
Leonard M. Lee
President & CEO

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