In The News... 

ECCF honors Betty Beland, renames Greater Lawrence Summer Fund

Announcing New Grants Resource for Essex County Nonprofits — The EBSCO Publishing Grants Resource Center at ECCF

Danvers - Essex County Community Foundation (ECCF) is pleased to announce the establishment of the EBSCO Publishing Grants Resource Center at ECCF (GRC). In partnership with Associated Grant Makers and sponsored by EBSCO Publishing, the GRC is a valuable research database for nonprofits seeking new funding sources through regional, national and international granting foundations. The GRC is a portal located at Essex County Community Foundation in Danvers that provides access, free of charge, to two databases: AGM’s Grant Makers Directory which consists of in-depth data on 400 funders that grant in Massachusetts and New Hampshire and the Foundation Center’s Foundation Directory Online which includes over 100,000 foundations, corporate donors, and grant-making public charities. Read more...

Merrimack Valley General Fund awards $40,000 to local nonprofits

Twenty nonprofit organizations serving the Merrimack Valley region will receive over $40,000 in grant awards from the Merrimack Valley General Fund, a fund managed by the Essex County Community Foundation. The awards ceremony will be held this morning, December 13th, at Family Service Inc. in Lawrence. The grants will help stock shelves at local food pantries , support a variety of after-school programs, as well as fund programs for the elderly and the disabled. A grant to the Lawrence History Center will help fund the development of a curriculum guide for local schools to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Bread & Roses Strike next year.

The Merrimack Valley General Fund (MVGF) is a permanent fund of the Essex County Community Foundation (ECCF) serving agencies in the Eastern Merrimack Valley. The fund was established when the Merrimack Valley Community Foundation merged with ECCF in 2004. The MVGF funds all fields of interest including Arts and Culture, Education, Social and Community Services, and Youth Service. The 2011 MVGF committee members are Richard Blain, North Andover, Peter Caruso, Sr. Andover, Sheila Doherty, Andover, Patricia Driscoll, Lawrence, Julie Gadziala, Andover, Chair, Paul Heggarty, Newburyport, Patricia Karl, North Andover, Lisa Mc Donald, Andover, Daniel Murphy, North Andover, Marianne Paley, Newton, and Len Wilson, Andover. View list of awardees...

Webster Family Fund of ECCF awards $27,300 to Greater Lawrence nonprofits

Essex County Community Foundation is pleased to announce the awardees of The Webster Family Fund fall 2011 grant cycle. The Fund distributed a total of $27,300 to 8 nonprofit programs in the Greater Lawrence region. This year’s recipients were Acting Out! Theater Company, Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence, Groundwork Lawrence, Lawrence Catholic Academy, Lawrence Community Works, Lazarus House Ministries, Notre Dame High School, YWCA of Greater Lawrence.

The Webster Family Fund was formed in 2005 when the D.K. Webster Family Foundation transferred its assets into a field of interest fund at the Essex County Community Foundation. The Fund supports capital projects at nonprofit organizations serving the Greater Lawrence community. View list of awardees...

A Tribute to Betty Beland - A wonderful woman and inspiring philanthropist

Endicott College's 'Halloween for the Hungry' helps Beverly food pantry, others

BEVERLY, Mass — The Halloween schedule at Endicott College has the usual pumpkin painting, costume parties, haunted castle tour and ghost stories with the college president. But it also includes a week-long food drive called Halloween for the Hungry.

“We don’t get a pouring out of food,” said Lauri Rawls, 44, director of community service at Endicott who has worked at the College for almost four years. “But we received a good amount last year.”

Rawls is coordinating the food drive this week, giving Endicott students the chance to donate to two local food pantries: The Open Door in Gloucester and Beverly Bootstraps. Boxes have been placed in Endicott’s residence halls and volunteers will go door-to-door to collect canned goods. Read more...

Dream builders- Women’s Fund of Essex County

Danvers — With a lofty goal of empowering women and girls in the area, the Women’s Fund of Essex County took another significant step to that end by awarding 12 grants to deserving charities last week at their 9th annual luncheon.

Over $84,000 in grants was shared among organizations that target helping women and girls. Co-chairs of this year’s luncheon Paula Jerome and Kristine Trustey greeted the almost 300 women at the sold out event who gathered in the grand ballroom of the Peabody Marriott Hotel. The group was brought together by the common desire to help the thousands of women and girls who face life-diminishing issues including homelessness, abuse, bullying, poor health, financial illiteracy, inadequate job skills and education in Essex County.

The Women’s Fund of Essex County was founded in 2004 and since it’s inception has grown to be one of the most successful funds in the country. Read more...

Fundraiser to honor beloved teacher

HAMILTON — One could easily argue Anita Evetts was born to be a teacher. She had a piano in her second-grade classroom at Cutler Elementary in Hamilton and would play and sing with her students every day.

"She was brilliant at connecting with all children," said Janie Bellenis, a teaching assistant at Cutler and close friend of Evetts. "She was incredibly vibrant and fun. She made learning very fun."

Evetts died in September 2009, four months after being diagnosed with cancer...
...The Evetts scholarship has been given to Hamilton-Wenham graduates for the past two years; the fund is managed by the Essex County Community Foundation. Read more...

National Teen Leadership Program to hold weekend retreat in Beverly

The National Teen Leadership Program will hold its will hold its first East Coast program from July 15-17 at Endicott College...

Endicott College was selected as the site of its first East Coast retreat because of the presence of the Essex County Community Foundation's Youth at Risk conference, Kim said.

"I was looking for a location and community that would have a good synergy with the work we do with teens and that could potentially be an ongoing home for our program," Kim said. "That was confirmed at this year's 11th annual conference where 650 youth workers attended and showed the dedication of individuals who work with youth in Essex county. Already a number of groups from organizations in Essex county such as Family Continuity, GenYLife Design, and Health & Education Services are planning to attend." Read more...

Youth at Risk Conference: A meeting of the minds of youth service providers

Beverly - The 11th annual Youth at Risk (YAR) Conference sponsored by the Essex County Community Foundation will be held at Endicott College in Beverly on Wednesday, June 8th. Attended each year by over 500 professionals from all over the region, this event has become an essential conference for providers of services to youth. YAR enables providers to deepen their knowledge of critical practices and reconnect with peers as they work to reduce the problems faced by many young people. Conference attendees can choose from over 20 workshops on topics ranging from the treatment of trauma and substance abuse to the effects of immigration on families, suicide prevention in adolescents, and identifying and treating youth with Aspergers Syndrome. Read more...

Back by popular demand, forum offers tips on running nonprofits

It might sound like a less-than-exciting way to spend a warm spring Saturday.
But this Saturday, about 300 Essex County nonprofit board members will get together in Hamilton to learn about topics like fiduciary responsibility and donor retention.

They say the Essex County Institute for Trustees helps them keep the area’s arts groups, food banks, and other nonprofit organizations running successfully in difficult financial times.

“It has been tough, and a lot of people come to these types of events to see if they can generate some ideas,’’ said Peter Konrad, a board member at Danvers-based Strongest Link AIDS Services Inc., who also attended last year. “It’s a good networking opportunity, it’s a good learning opportunity, it’s an energizing opportunity.’’ Read more...

Foundation offers help to nonprofits

DANVERS — The Essex County Community Foundation works to promote local philanthropy and strengthen the nonprofits that provide many of the services we benefit from every day such as cultural events, historical preservation, education, health services, social services, environmental protection and more.

On Saturday, March 26, ECCF will hold the 2nd Annual Essex County Institute for Trustees at the Pingree School in Hamilton to bring together the leadership of many of these organizations to learn, share best practices and bring a sense of community to the nonprofit sector in Essex County. Read more...

Women’s Fund of Essex County to host ‘Power of the Purse’

The Women’s Fund of Essex County will host its third annual “Power of the Purse” fundraising event. Based upon the Victor Hugo saying, “As the purse is emptied, the heart is filled,” this signature event includes a ladies’ evening of fabulous hors d’oeuvres and wine, together with a raffle featuring chances to win distinctive purses and handbags donated by renowned designers and retailers.
The party will be held on Wednesday, April 6, 6-9 p.m. at Brookwood School, located off Route 127 in Manchester. All proceeds help fund the annual grant awards made by The Women’s Fund.
The Women’s Fund of Essex County was founded in 2003 for the purpose of raising and distributing funds to organizations that provide opportunities and promote solutions for women and girls in need throughout Essex County. To date, the Fund has awarded over $400,000 in grants to Essex County non-profit organizations. The Women’s Fund is a collaborative fund of the Essex County Community Foundation located in Danvers.
Tickets for the event are $35 in advance and $40 at the door. For more information, visit www.thewomensfundec.org.

Food pantries face new challenges — and come together

Hamilton- A food pantry that serves Manchester and Essex families may be losing some storage room and workspace but not its spirit of serving the North Shore community...

"Most of these food pantry organizations are small, so when they band together they accomplish much more," said Dave Welbourn, executive director of Essex County Community Foundation, which supporting nonprofit organizations with grants, strategic planning and fundraising. "The coming together is largely an efficiency improvement. It's easier to raise money, get supplies and so on." Read more...

ECCF announces upcoming grant deadlines

Merrimack Valley General Fund awards $20,000 in grants

Summer fun incorporates academics

Jonathan Paschal, 12, and his brother Jordan, 6, were dropped off each day over the summer at the Children’s Center in Methuen, but that wasn’t always where they stayed.

“They took trips to the beach, to lakes, to Canobie Lake Park,’’ says their mother, Tracey Anderson. “Jordan loves the water. Jonathan was more a fan of Laser Craze.’’

The boys covered a lot of ground during the Children’s Center’s summer program, thanks in part to grants provided by the Greater Lawrence Summer Fund, a collaborative donor effort administered by the Essex County Community Foundation. Read more...

Poet Keeps 'em laughing, writing at Salem school

...Through a week-long artist-in-residence program at the Witchcraft Heights School, students in all grades worked with children’s author and poet Jeff Nathan, who taught them writing skills through lessons infused with humor and song...Grade five teacher Kathy Marchetti raised $6,000 to pay for the program, securing a $1,000 grant from the Salem Education Foundation, donations from the PTO and a school fundraiser, and a $3,000 matching grant from the Essex County Community Foundation. Read more...

Clock Tower to Chime Again for its Centennial

In Lawrence, everybody knows what time it is by looking at the Ayer Mill Clock Tower. And today, they’ll prove they care with a centennial celebration for the four-sided, 267-foot-tall landmark.

“We hope it’s a symbol of the continued revitalization of Lawrence,’’ said Jay Caporale, executive vice president of the Essex County Community Foundation.

The clock tower, with its 22-foot clock dials, is one of the tallest in the world, the foundation says. “The fact that it was so enormous was a tremendous sense of pride to all the laborers who worked in these massive textile mills,’’ said Barbara Brown, executive director of the Lawrence History Center. Read more...

Ayer Mill clock tower, a Lawrence icon, turns 100

LAWRENCE — It was a towering icon of American industry, a ringing symbol of the working class in this city and across the nation for half a century.
By the late 1950s it had become something else: a crumbling relic of Lawrence's vanishing glory and a 267-foot-high roost for generations of pigeons that left behind tons of droppings during the four decades they had the run of the place. Read more...

ECCF Helps Stem Summer Learning Loss

Essex County Community Foundation (ECCF) has announced that over $266,500 has been granted to summer youth agencies in Lawrence and surrounding communities through its Greater Lawrence Summer Fund (GLSF). This includes $228,000 raised by ECCF with a $38,500 matching gift from the Amelia Peabody Foundation.
Now in its 20th year, GLSF has been ahead of the curve in recognizing the crucial role enrichment programs play in stemming summer learning loss...read more

Internship takes teens on historic journey

North Shore Community College Expands Women's Mentoring Program

Support benefits teens in First Jobs Program on North Shore

Essex County Community Foundation Boosts Grant-making by 42%

Reid’s Ride Bike-a-thon Breaks Records for Sixth Straight Year

Tierney Launches Series of Grants Workshops

Institute for nonprofit trustees to be held at Pingree

Marblehead Reporter - March 2010
The Essex County Community Foundation is planning its first annual all-day workshop for nonprofit board members. The Essex County Institute for Trustees...

PND Community Foundation Update

Philanthropy News Digest - March 2010
Health & Education Services has announced a $3000 grant from the Webster Family Fund at the Beverly-based Essex County Community Foundation...

Gordon College News Service: Will Eat for Cause: Local Nonprofits...

Gordon College News Service - February 2010
By Maggie Roth
Welbourn, the president and CEO of Essex County Community Foundation, an organization that promotes local philanthropy and strengthens the nonprofit organizations of Essex County by partnering with donors and supporting nonprofits with...

Website connects Essex County food pantries, area residents in...

Globe North - January 2010
...vice president for grants and services at the Essex County Community Foundation, the Danvers-based organization that created the site...

YMCA Teen Center given $1000 to start photo club - hgazette.com..

The Haverhill Gazette - January 2010
The Merrimack Valley General Fund, a fund of the Essex County Community Foundation, was established in 2004. The general fund supports agencies serving...

H1N1 vaccine clinic today