BOSTON, MA – June 22, 2020 Boston-based New Balance Foundation today announced it has confirmed a second round of funding as part of its pledge earlier this year to donate $2 million in non-profit grants in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Adding to New Balance Foundation’s initial distribution of $500,000, select organizations from the Foundation’s network of more than 60 grantees recently received a combined total of $1.25 million in New Balance Foundation COVID-19 grants.
The grants provide emergency and supplemental support to organizations including human service agencies providing food, shelter, and critical aid to underserved populations; youth serving agencies helping families with food, counseling, physical activity, and virtual learning; as well as health organizations and cultural institutions.
“New Balance Foundation believes it is vital to support our existing non-profit organizations, many of whom are truly on the front lines of the ongoing public health crisis, as they strive to meet the needs of their communities,” says Anne Davis, managing trustee New Balance Foundation. “We want to make a difference for the most vulnerable populations affected by the pandemic and help sustain the non-profits who further our mission of improving the health and well-being of youth and families through physical activity, nutrition and academic achievement.”
The organizations below received COVID-19-related grant funding totaling $1.25M:
| 100 Mile Club | Healthy Oxford Hills |
| Thompson Island Outward Bound | Lawrence Boys & Girls Club |
| Allston Brighton Food Pantry | Lawrence Community Works, Inc. |
| Alzheimer’s Association of MA | Lazarus House Ministries |
| Boston Children’s Museum | Maine Children’s Home for Little Wanderers |
| Boston Symphony Orchestra | Merrimack Valley YMCA, Lawrence Branch |
| Boys and Girls Club of Dorchester | New England Aquarium |
| Camp Harbor View Foundation | Northern Light EMMC/WOW |
| Casa Myrna Vazquez, Inc. | Pine Street Inn |
| Charles River Community Health | Playworks New England |
| Cradles to Crayons | Rosie’s Place |
| Essex Art Center | Soccer Without Borders |
| Family Nurturing Center of Massachusetts | St. Francis House |
| Family Services of the Merrimack Valley | Tenacity, Inc. |
| Franciscan Children’s | The Food Project |
| Good Shepherd Food Bank ME | The Greater Boston Food Bank |
| Good Sports | The Home for Little Wanderers |
| Greater Lawrence Family Health Center | The Urban Food Initiative/Daily Table |
| Groundwork Lawrence | Two Ten Footwear Foundation |
| West End House Boys & Girls Club | Youth YMCA of Greater Boston |
| Zoo New England |
“New Balance Foundation was among the first partners to announce significant support of our COVID-19 response. We were less than a week into the situation, grappling with our new realities, when the news about the Foundation’s grant came in—it was a relief to know that New Balance, our longtime and dedicated partner, was alongside us on the journey. With New Balance Foundation’s generous contributions, we have been able to purchase food by the tractor trailer load, pack and distribute emergency boxes to food pantries across the state and, ultimately, help many of our neighbors who are struggling with hunger,” says Kristen Miale, President, Good Shepherd Food Bank in Maine.
"New Balance Foundation has long been an essential partner in our work across Lawrence. Time and again, when the community faces a challenge, New Balance Foundation steps up to meet it. We are honored that New Balance Foundation can count on us as a partner in the work we do. Their recent grant to Groundwork targeting the food insecurity caused by the Coronavirus pandemic has been critical to provide fresh food to struggling families and helps expand food access during a time of great need, demonstrating, yet again, their unwavering commitment to the city of Lawrence,” says Heather McMann, Executive Director, Groundwork Lawrence in Lawrence, MA.
“These funds will enable us to provide more than 7500 meals each week to children and families experiencing food insecurity. Our grocery boxes, delivered safely to homes around Boston, provide fresh fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains- enough to make at least 20 meals per week (family of 2) up to 80 meals (family of 8). Thanks to support from the New Balance Foundation, we can continue our commitment to support healthy living, which is needed now more than ever,” says Andrea Howard, Executive Director, West End House in Allston-Brighton, MA.
In April, New Balance Foundation announced the $2 Million commitment and allocated the first round of funding to:
- Global Giving, the largest global crowd-funding community, connecting nonprofits, donors and companies in nearly every country, received $200,000 to support immediate and long-term relief and recovery in vulnerable communities worldwide.
- No Kid Hungry, which sends emergency grants to food banks and local community groups across the United States as well as feeding kids in the hardest-hit communities and ensuring families know how to find food while schools are closed, so children can eat three meals a day, received $100,000.
- The Boston Resiliency Fund, Groundwork Lawrence, Good Shepherd Food Bank in Maine and the St. Louis Area Foodbank each received a $50,000 New Balance Foundation grant, reflecting the regional communities where New Balance associates live and work.
The $2 million commitment is in addition to the approximately $7 million in New Balance Foundation grants that were already planned as part of the Foundation’s regular annual giving for 2020. New Balance Foundation will announce an additional $250K in COVID-19 related grants later this year.
“New Balance Foundation fuels positive change in the communities in which we work. Helping the underserved overcome disparities in health, income and education requires a financial commitment, long-term strategy and a fundamental belief that we can create sustainable and systematic change,” says Molly Santry, Senior Manager for Global Philanthropy. “Our network of 60 grantees play important roles in addressing race inequality and social injustice in their daily work and we stand by them as they work to close opportunity and achievement gaps in our local communities. The core of our giving is aimed at improving health and academic outcomes for less advantaged youth to help change the trajectory of their lives by creating upward mobility.”
As an American Red Cross Disaster Responder Partner since 2012, New Balance Foundation’s annual donation of $500,000 is also helping support emergency assistance and blood donation efforts related to COVID-19.
From an initial $31,000 grant-making investment in 1981, New Balance Foundation contributions reached a $100 million milestone in 2019 in funding to fund high-impact, long-term, sustainable initiatives that enrich the lives of children, their families and their communities. New Balance Foundation investments focus on research-driven, long-term, collaborative relationships that prevent and treat childhood obesity. The Foundation currently grants to many respected and dedicated national and local non-profit organizations including Boston Children’s Hospital, Good Sports, Harlem Lacrosse, Rising New York Road Runners, local Boys & Girls Clubs, among others. Please visit newbalancefoundation.org for more information.
About New Balance Foundation:
Established in 1981, the New Balance Foundation has served a deeply held mission:
to drive change in our global communities with an enduring commitment to preventing childhood obesity and championing the future success of today’s youth. For more than 35 years, New Balance Foundation has invested in research, and clinical, educational and community programs that promote healthy lifestyles, children's fitness and nutrition, and overall community wellness.
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Amy Dow, New Balance
617/746-2214
Romina Bongiovanni
Romina.Bongiovanni@newbalance.com
617/562-5867