New Hampshire: Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Tufts Health Plan Foundations give $1 million to expand COVID-19 vaccine education in communities of color

February 2021|Press releases

First joint community investment supports 42 organizations in 5 states; 7 in New Hampshire

WATERTOWN and WELLESLEY, MA – In their first joint community investment, the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation and Tufts Health Plan Foundation are giving $1 million to 42 organizations across the region to expand vaccine education, awareness and outreach in communities of color. Seven New Hampshire organizations will receive a total of $125,000 in funding. Just one month after Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Tufts Health Plan announced their combined organization, this investment is an immediate response to emerging needs in Black and Brown communities across the region disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.

“We are at an inflection point in the pandemic,” said Thomas Croswell, chief executive officer of the combined organization of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Tufts Health Plan, and a member of the Tufts Health Plan Foundation board. “As vaccine production and distribution are ramping up, important education efforts are taking place to address community concerns and we need to support them.”

Grant recommendations were informed by community organizations, public health leaders and other key stakeholders engaged in the vaccine rollout in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island.

“With the pandemic continuing to have a devastating impact on Black and Brown communities, this funding will give a boost to organizations across the region working tirelessly to support the needs of their community members and create awareness around the importance of the vaccine, ”said Michael Carson, president of the combined organization of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Tufts Health Plan, and chairman of the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation board.

Grants will support a range of organizations—from statewide organizations to local community nonprofits. They include faith-based organizations, trusted Black/Latinx-led community nonprofits, and organizations with experience coordinating multilingual efforts.

Two of the organizations receiving a grant in New Hampshire are the Nashua Division of Public Health and Community Services, and the New Hampshire Alliance for Immigrants and Refugees serving Manchester and Concord.

“We are so honored and pleased to be awarded this funding from Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation and Tufts Health Plan Foundation,” said Bobbie Bagley, director of the Nashua Division of Public Health and Community Services. “The City of Nashua has been responsive to the needs in our community to stop the spread of COVID-19 and to bring an end to the devastating impact this disease has had in our community particularly in our communities of color. We know the importance of having a vaccine to help us end this pandemic and will meet our communities of color where they are to address vaccine hesitancy through outreach, education and vaccination campaigns. To create greater access to vaccinations we will be holding community clinics in areas of the city reducing as many barriers as we can. We are looking to make a difference by spreading the word of the benefits of the vaccination to protect our families and loved ones.”

Added Eva Castillo, director of the New Hampshire Alliance for Immigrants and Refugees, “This funding will allow us to conduct extensive outreach and education about the importance of getting the COVID vaccine to the immigrant communities in New Hampshire. We are very grateful to Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Tufts Health Plan Foundations for giving us the resources to disseminate this life-saving information to our constituents.”

The full list of nonprofit organizations receiving grants is:

Connecticut: $225,000

Greater Bridgeport Area Prevention Partnership (Bridgeport), $20,000
Hartford Health Department (Hartford), $30,000
Health Equity Solutions (Hartford), $50,000
Human Resources Agency (New Britain, Bristol, Burlington, Farmington, Plainville, Plymouth), $20,000
Ministerial Health Fellowship (Hartford, Middletown, New Britain, Meriden), $20,000
Project Access of New Haven (New Haven), $20,000
Stamford Health Dept/The Family Centers (Stamford), $15,000
URU, The Right to Be (New Haven), $50,000

Maine: $125,000

Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition (Portland), $20,000
Portland Minority Health Department (Portland), $40,000
Presente! Maine (Portland), $25,000
Somali Bantu Community Association (Lewiston), $20,000
Wabanaki Public Health (Millinocket), $20,000

Massachusetts: $350,000

African Community Education Program (Worcester), $20,000
Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association (Lowell), $25,000
Greater Boston Latino Network (Boston), $25,000
Greater Lawrence Community Action Council (Lawrence), $25,000
La Colaborativa (Chelsea), $25,000
Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (Boston), $45,000
Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers (Boston) $50,000
New North Citizens Council (Springfield), $20,000
One Holyoke Community Development Corporation (Holyoke), $20,000
Pinnacle Partnerships (Brockton), $20,000
Public Health Institute of Western Mass. (Springfield), $30,000
Resilient Sisterhood Project (Boston), $20,000
Worcester Interfaith (Worcester), $25,000

New Hampshire: $125,000

Amoskeag Health (Manchester), $40,000
Granite State Organizing Project (Manchester), $10,000
Granite State United Way (Manchester), $10,000
Lamprey Health Care (Nashua), $20,000
Manchester NAACP (Manchester), $10,000
Nashua Division of Public Health and Community Services (Nashua), $20,000
New Hampshire Alliance of Immigrants and Refugees (Manchester, Concord), $15,000

Rhode Island: $175,000

Children’s Friend (Providence), $15,000
Comprehensive Community Action Program (Cranston), $20,000
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center (Newport), $10,000
Local Initiatives Support Corporation RI (Providence), $20,000
ONE Neighborhood Builders (Providence), $20,000
Progreso Latino (Central Falls), $15,000
Thundermist Health Center (Woonsocket), $20,000
United Way of Rhode Island (Providence), $35,000
West Elmwood Housing Development Corp. (Providence), $20,000

About the combined organization of Tufts Health Plan and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
The combination of Tufts Health Plan and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care represents the coming together of two of New England’s most iconic nonprofit health care companies. Representing nearly 90 years of combined service to our members and the community, together we are building upon our diverse legacies and innovative collaboration by making it our purpose to guide and empower healthier lives for our members – no matter their age, health, race, identity, or income.

We strive to be a different kind of nonprofit health and wellbeing company, with a broad range of health plans, and innovative tools that make navigating health and wellbeing easier, guiding our members at every step of their health care journey to better health outcomes. We are committed to providing high-quality and affordable health care, improving the health and wellness of our members, and creating healthier communities throughout New England.

About the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation
Created in 1980, the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation supports Harvard Pilgrim’s mission to improve the quality and value of health care for the people and communities we serve. The Harvard Pilgrim Foundation provides the tools, training and leadership to help build healthy communities throughout Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. In 2020, the Harvard Pilgrim Foundation awarded more than $10.4 million in grants to nonprofit organizations in the region. Since its inception in 1980, the Foundation has awarded $165 million in funds and resources throughout the four states. For more information, please visit www.harvardpilgrim.org/foundation.

About Tufts Health Plan Foundation
Established in 2008, Tufts Health Plan Foundation supports the health and wellness of the diverse communities we serve. The Foundation has given more than $45 million to Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island nonprofits that promote healthy aging. Tufts Health Plan Foundation funds programs that move communities toward implementing age-friendly policies and practices that are relevant, focus on older adults, and include them in community solutions.