Every day women and girls are empowered to change their lives. Many need assistance to help make that happen. The grantee partners that the Women’s Foundation of Boston support are often the catalyst that ignites this change. Inspired by the lives these nonprofits touch, the Women’s Foundation of Boston awarded the WFBoston Catalyst Grants, in November 2022.
What Are Catalyst Grants?
The Catalyst Grants are a supplemental grantmaking opportunity that the Foundation’s Board of Directors voted to award this fall. A total of $275,000 was presented to eleven nonprofits with outcome-driven opportunities impacting their entire organization. Each grant recipient was awarded $25,000 to meet a specific need within their organization.
Change Begins with Identifying Needs
These one-year funding opportunities are intended to act as a “catalyst,” impacting the entire organization. The grantee partners will use their grants for things such as:
- New technology and technology upgrades
- Marketing strategy to expand reach
- New staffing positions
- Cutting-edge programs in job training and mentoring
- Workforce development center
- Science curriculum for camps and school-based programming
Read more about the recipients of the 2022 Catalyst Grants and their programs here.
Two Nonprofits that Are Changing Communities
Among the recipients of the 2022 Catalyst Grants were the nonprofits Our Sisters’ School (OSS) and WE CAN. Located in New Bedford, MA, Our Sisters’ School educates middle school girls, inspiring them to become empowered leaders. WE CAN, is a Cape Cod-based nonprofit that supports and empowers women going through transitions by acting as a guide through their journey. Though very different organizations, these two female-focused nonprofits provide transformational opportunities for women and girls in their communities.
OSS: Grant Will Be Used to Hire a Specialist
At Our Sisters’ School, the goal is to educate and inspire. Committed to providing students with the tools they need to explore and learn, OSS identified a need that WFBoston helped fulfill. The funds from the WFBoston Catalyst Grant have enabled OSS to employ a remediation specialist to support students experiencing learning gaps due to the pandemic.
OSS: Opening Eyes to Opportunities
The OSS learning experience opens students’ eyes to a world of opportunities. As OSS students Giovanna, Allison, and Giselle told WFBoston, their education has allowed them to see their future without limits. Giovanna has a goal to attend either Harvard or Yale University. Through working in the greenhouse garden, Allison realized that she is a visual learner and studying this way helps her succeed. Giselle understands the benefits of small classes where the teachers get to know her. This experience has given her the confidence to set a goal of attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to become an astrophysicist, rocket scientist, or astronaut. Hear the students share their experiences and hopes for the future in this video.
WE CAN: Building Pathways for Women
We know that supporting women offers a significant return on investment. Ninety percent of women will reinvest in their communities and their families. WFBoston’s new grantee partner, WE CAN, helps women build self-sufficiency. Community volunteers provide resources and guidance for women going through life transitions and challenges. With the WE CAN community, women transform their lives- fostering independence and creating lasting positive life changes. Hear the personal stories of WE CAN participants in their own voices.
We Can: Grant Will Be Used to Assess Programming
Reaching more than 2400 women yearly, the WE CAN Catalyst Grant will fund an impact and program management study to assess CAN programming and how it supports the community. This study will allow the organization to have a more targeted approach to its offerings and fulfill its mission of inspiring hope while bringing increased stability and opportunity to the lives of its participants.
Supporting Women and Girls Is a Catalyst for Change
“For too long, women and girls have been underfunded by the philanthropic community. Only 2% of giving in Greater Boston goes to nonprofits serving women and girls. We’re proud to be changing that by supporting and scaling the impact of effective local organizations. It is vital that we invest in the empowerment and advancement of current and future generations of local women and girls,” shared WFBoston Co-Founder and CEO Christina Gordon. With this investment, the Women’s Foundation of Boston is fulfilling its mission to economically empower women and girls in Greater Boston.
Double Your Impact Through the End of 2022
Be part of the catalyst of change for women and girls by donating to WFBoston today! The Foundation’s data-driven approach to grantmaking ensures that every dollar donated offers change and economic empowerment. Plus, donations made through December 31 will have double the impact, because every dollar donated will be matched. Thank you for your support in 2022, and help us expand our reach in 2023 by donating today!
Laurie H. Glimcher, MD, was named President and CEO of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in 2016. She is also Director of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center and the Richard and Susan Smith Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Previously, she was the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean and Professor of Medicine of Weill Cornell Medicine and Provost for Medical Affairs of Cornell University. Dr. Glimcher is a distinguished immunologist, widely renowned for her work in one of the most promising areas of cancer research.
Linda Henry is the CEO of the Boston Globe Media Partners. She is a co-founder of HUBweek, a civic collaboration between the Boston Globe, Harvard University, Massachusetts General Hospital, and MIT that explores the future being built at the intersection of art, science and technology. Linda is also an early-stage impact investor, an Emmy-Award winning television producer with two shows currently airing, and a community activist. She serves as a director of the Red Sox Foundation, is a trustee of the Liverpool Football Club Foundation, chair of the Boston Globe Foundation, and chairman of the John W. Henry Family Foundation. In addition, she is a founder of the Boston Public Market, serves on the advisory board of MassChallenge, and is on the board of the Engine at MIT. She earned a BS from Babson College and her MS from MIT.
Bekah Salwasser joined the Red Sox Foundation as the Executive Director in January of 2018. She earned her B.A. in Psychology from Brown University and has extensive experience in philanthropy and both professional and semi-professional sports. After four years working as Community Relations Director for the Boston Celtics, Bekah went on to lead Scholar Athletes as its Executive Director, a program that supports public high school athletes with both their athletic and academic achievements. Earlier in her career, Bekah served as a professional soccer player for the Boston Breakers and as Executive Director of the Charlestown Lacrosse and Learning Center.
Kimberly Fay Boucher is a business executive who has driven high performance organizations in technology, consumer products and social enterprise/nonprofit industries over the past 25 years. She is currently the Technology Commercialization Business Leader for the CTO at Analog Devices, where she is responsible for driving new technologies from incubation stages to successful businesses. Kim is also a Senior Lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management, where she teaches Disciplined Entrepreneurship in the Martin Trust Center. She holds a BS in Management Industrial Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and an MBA from Harvard Business School. She is a NCAA Academic All-American Women’s Basketball player and has been inducted into the WPI Hall of Fame.
Ami Kuan Danoff (Co-Founder and CFO) is a private investor and the trustee of a foundation. She is a Harvard Quantum Founder and a member of the Harvard FAS Dean’s Council. Ami earned a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University in Visual and Environmental Studies and holds a dual master’s degree in Applied Economics and International Finance from the Sloan School of Management at MIT. She was a portfolio manager in global equities at Putnam Investments and co-manager of the Putnam International New Opportunities Fund, and also worked as an international equities analyst at Fidelity Investments.
Christina Heenan Suh holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania in English and Marketing and a master’s from Columbia University. A former management consultant, her work focused on strategy and implementation projects for Fortune 100 clients. She was also an account executive at Hill+Knowlton (WPP) marketing consumer packaged goods. As an Executive Board Member of the Brookline Education Foundation, which funds professional development in the Brookline Public Schools, Christina led their Grant and Oversight Committees. She currently sits on the board of the Brookline Library Foundation and teaches ESL at Rosie’s Place in Boston.
Christina Gordon (Co-Founder and CEO) holds a dual master’s degree in International Finance and Applied Economics from MIT’s Sloan School of Management. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Boston University and also studied for a joint master’s degree in Women’s Studies and Sociology at Brandeis with a focus on women in the workplace. Christina is a former assistant fund manager and technology industry equity analyst at Wellington Management. She also worked as a stock analyst at Fidelity Investments. She is a trustee of a private foundation, a member of Women Moving Millions and currently sits on the board of Rosie’s Place, a sanctuary for poor and homeless women in Boston.