Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Tufts Health Plan announce $15 million in social and racial justice grants from its philanthropic arm, the Point32Health Foundation

December 12, 2024

Canton, MA — Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Tufts Health Plan today announced a $15 million grant commitment to social and racial justice over the next five years through its philanthropic arm, the Point32Health Foundation. Grants totaling more than $9.5 million were approved by the Foundation board this week with an additional $5.4 million to be granted. Point32Health is the parent company of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Tufts Health Plan.

These social and racial justice investments are part of a broader strategy to improve conditions for older people, build community power, promote healthier lives and advance equitable communities. Through the multi-year commitments, the Foundation ensures there are dependable resources to advance unique and community centered solutions.

In addition to the social and racial justice investment, another $2.1 million in new grants will go to 18 organizations supporting advocacy and policy work for older adults.

The grants will be provided to the following not-for-profit organizations:

Connecticut ($1,490,000)

• Alzheimer’s Association of Connecticut (Statewide, Connecticut)
  $130,000 | Three years
  Advancing public policy to ensure equitable access to education, care and support for underrepresented and underserved populations and other communities.

• Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness (Statewide, Connecticut)
  $210,000 | Three years
  Support for Coalition’s role as a backbone organization for state’s collective impact initiative, Connecticut CAN End Homelessness, to advance policy and system change for an effective homeless response system and to ensure safe, affordable housing.

• Connecticut Urban Opportunity Collaborative (Hartford, New Haven, Bridgeport, Connecticut)
  $180,000 | Three years
  Support collaborative initiative with Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, The Community Foundation of Greater New Haven and Fairfield County’s Community Foundation to invest in resident leadership through a guaranteed income program.
• Fairfield County’s Community Foundation (Fairfield County, Connecticut)
  $450,000 | Five year
  Support investments in community leaders’ capacity to advance policy and systems change through advocacy, organizing, civic engagement and safe spaces for peer learning among individuals leading equity work in government.
• Hartford Foundation for Public Giving (Hartford County, Connecticut)
  $500,000 | Five year
  Support for civic and resident-led engagement to advance local community organizing and advocacy and develop opportunities for collective action.
• Supporting Organizing Work Connecticut (Statewide, Connecticut)
  $20,000 | One year
  Support collaborative, statewide organizing capacity and infrastructure that centers people most directly impacted by injustice and inequity; improve organizing ecosystem and talent pipeline.

Maine ($1,605,000)

• In Her Presence (Cumberland County, Maine)
  $150,000 | Three years
  Build community and social connection by supporting older adult immigrant women to lead initiatives across communities and generations.

• Maine Association for New Americans (MANA) (Portland, Maine)
  $90,000 | Three years
  Improve culturally responsive immigrant mental health services through peer-support initiatives and increased cross-cultural connection in Greater Portland.
• Maine Community Foundation (Statewide, Maine)
  $350,000 | Five years
  Strengthen the professional capacity and networks of nonprofit leaders of color through leadership training and equity grantmaking.
• Maine Initiatives (Statewide, Maine)
  $425,000 | Five years
  Cultivate social, economic and environmental justice through support to grassroots leadership in Maine communities to engage in participatory grantmaking, convening cohorts and centering the voice and vision of communities of color and immigrants.
• Niweskok (Penobscot Territory, Maine)
  $140,000 | Three years
  Restore sacred relationships between Indigenous people and ancestral land and the right to food and relationship to the earth through the creation of Wabanaki Food Hub, centering Wabanaki elder cultural expertise.

• Resources for Organizing and Social Changing (Statewide, Maine)
  $150,000 | Five years
  Build and support a movement for nonviolent social change that educates and activates the power of people in Maine through grassroots community organizing.

• Somali Bantu Community Association (Lewiston, Maine)
  $120,000 | Three years
  Preserve the cultural identity of Maine’s immigrant and refugee communities through sustainable food production, promotion of economic well-being and stronger community advocacy services

• Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness (Wabanaki Territory, Maine)
  $180,000 | Three years
  Strengthen community-driven, culturally centered mental health and healing initiatives for Wabanaki communities while honoring cultural knowledge, cultivating innovation, and collaboration.

Massachusetts ($6,525,000)

• The Asian Community Fund (Statewide, Massachusetts)
  $1,000,000 | Five Years
  Support efforts to power community-led Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) coalitions and capacity building in the region’s AAPI nonprofit sector.
• Asian American Civic Association (Greater Boston, Massachusetts)
  $50,000 | Two years
  Expand community engagement efforts with immigrant populations and individuals with low incomes through community forums on housing, cybercrimes, hate crimes, neighborhood safety, community health and addiction.
• Boston Area Gleaners (Eastern Region, Massachusetts)
  $50,000 | One year
  Improve access to healthy local food and reduce food waste through gleaning; create new markets for locally grown produce for people with low incomes through Boston Food Hub coordination and Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs).

• Boston Women’s Fund (Greater Boston, Massachusetts)
  $750,000 | Five years
  Funding to support movements advancing racial, economic, social and gender justice in Greater Boston.
• The Equality Fund (Statewide, Massachusetts)
  $1,000,000 | Five Years
  Support community-based and community-led organizations that seek to lift and strengthen Greater Boston’s LGBTQ+ community.

• The Latino Equity Fund (Statewide, Massachusetts)
  $1,000,000 | Five Years
  Support advocacy and grantmaking to Latine-led and serving organizations throughout the Commonwealth.

• Massachusetts Food System Collaborative (Statewide, Massachusetts)
  $240,000 | Three years
  Convene and educate food system stakeholders and networks to engage in policy and advocacy to increase access to healthy food and build an equitable, sustainable, and resilient local food system in Massachusetts.

• Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (Statewide, Massachusetts)
  $360,000 | Three years
  Support policy change and advocacy efforts to expand access to SNAP and other nutrition programs for both older adults and immigrant families.
• Massachusetts Public Health Alliance (Statewide, Massachusetts)
  $290,000 | Three years
  Support capacity to lead advocacy and community mobilization campaigns to transform the local public health system and advance policy for a healthier built environment with a focus on critical health equity and healthy aging issues.

• New Commonwealth Racial Equity and Social Justice Fund (Statewide, Massachusetts)
  $1,000,000 | Five Years
  Funding will support capacity building for Black and Brown nonprofit leaders to grow their skills in leadership, fundraising and overall confidence.

• Project Bread (Statewide, Massachusetts)
  $35,000 | One year
  Elevate the voices of older adults experiencing systemic barriers in accessing healthy, affordable food to inform development of the Make Hunger History State Plan to End Hunger in Massachusetts.

• Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts (Western, Massachusetts)
  $750,000 | Five Years
  Support multi-year unrestricted funding across Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden, and Hampshire Counties.

New Hampshire ($1,816,360)

• Farmsteads of New England (Hillsborough and Epping, New Hampshire)
  $20,000 | One year
  Foster social connection and promote healthy eating and independence for adults with autism and other developmental disabilities in Hillsborough and Epping, N.H.

• Gather (Seacoast Region, New Hampshire)
  $40,000 | One year
  Expand fresh food distribution and reduce hunger in the Greater Seacoast Region of New Hampshire.

• Granite State Organizing Project (Statewide, New Hampshire)
  $146,360 | Two years
  Strengthen community leadership in the Upper Valley and Claremont region of older adults and those with disabilities to identify solutions to community problems, collaborate with community leaders, and advocate to advance policy priorities, including affordable and accessible housing.

• NAMI New Hampshire (Statewide, New Hampshire)
  $225,000 | Three years
  Improve the lives of older adults and caregivers affected by mental illness and suicide through support, education and advocacy.

• New Futures (Statewide, New Hampshire)
  $385,000 | Two years
  Support community engagement, policy analysis and strategic communication to influence the implementation of the state’s newly established System of Care for Healthy Aging. Serve as lead for policy priorities developed by the New Hampshire Alliance for Healthy Aging.

• New Hampshire Center for Justice and Equity (Statewide, New Hampshire)
  $500,000 | Five years
  Foster connections and improve systems by elevating and amplifying the power in communities of color in New Hampshire through community building, organizing, policy advocacy and capacity building.

• New Hampshire Democracy Fund (Statewide, New Hampshire)
  $500,000 | Five years
  Protect voting rights and fair elections, increase civic engagement, and build local leadership capacity in New Hampshire.

Rhode Island ($60,000)

• RI Elder Info (Statewide, Rhode Island)
  $20,000 | One year
  Expand and update online resources for older adults, caregivers and professionals who serve them with focus on current guardianship policies and services.
• Village Common of Rhode Island (Statewide, Rhode Island)
  $40,000 | One year
  Expand the Village Common’s reach in the state by increasing volunteer coordination, and the number of older adults with access to a “village” for support; and strengthening the network.

Regional ($596,045)

• Gerontology Institute at the University of Massachusetts Boston (New England Region)
  $96,045 | Two years
  Support material development and design of the healthy aging reports; infographics for the five New England states; and updated website.
• Haymarket People’s Fund (New England Region)
  $250,000 | Five years
  Funding will support early-stage efforts of smaller groups making significant strides towards community change throughout New England.
• New England Grassroots Environment Fund (New England Region)
  $250,000 | Five years
  Resource grassroots environmental justice organizers in New England through participatory decision-making, convening and network building; launch Federal Funding Hub to reduce barriers to resources and amplify federal funding strategies that advance environmental justice solutions for and with disinvested communities in New England.

About Point32Health Foundation
Building on values of service and giving, Point32Health Foundation works with communities to support, advocate and advance healthier lives for everyone. Point32Health Foundation is the result of the combination of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation and Tufts Health Plan Foundation and advances equity-focused solutions in healthy aging, access to healthy food and behavioral health in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. Beginning in 2025, our focus will be equity in aging. Follow us on Facebook.