Point32Health Foundation awards more than $1.1 million to 10 community organizations

CANTON, MA – The Point32Health Foundation announced today that 10 community organizations across the region will receive grants totaling more than $1.1 million. Funding will support work to advance policies and practices that address disparities and create more inclusive communities.

“This critical funding supports community-led solutions to help remove barriers contributing to inequities,” said Cain Hayes, president and CEO of Point32Health and a member of the Point32Health Foundation board. “By addressing social determinants of health at the community level through the funding of these nonprofits, our goal is to improve health outcomes throughout the region.”

Building on the legacy of service and giving established by Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation and Tufts Health Plan Foundation, the Point32Health Foundation will work with communities to support, advocate and advance healthier lives for everyone. These grants advance systems-level change to remove barriers responsible for inequities in New England communities.

“The pandemic has revealed significant gaps in our transportation, housing and food systems that disproportionately affect older people and communities of color,” said Nora Moreno Cargie, president of Point32Health Foundation and vice president for corporate citizenship at Point32Health. “To create communities that work for everyone, policies should honor and reflect community voices.”

The 10 new grants will go to:

Connecticut

Center for Medicare Advocacy, Inc (Willimantic, CT)
One-year grant for $65,000
Establish policy and practice changes that improve nursing home care statewide.

Hartford Food System, Inc. (Hartford, CT)
One-year grant for $55,000
Engage older adults and youth to inform the development of the Connecticut Food Action Plan.

Massachusetts

Allston Brighton Community Development Corporation (Boston, Mass.)
One-year grant for $25,000
Train diverse older adult residents of Boston’s Allston/Brighton neighborhood as Age-Friendly Ambassadors and housing policy advocates.

GreenRoots (Chelsea, Mass.)
Two-year grant for $140,000
Continue organizing older adults on transportation solutions for people with low incomes in Chelsea, Mass.

LivableStreets Transportation Alliance of Boston, Inc. (Boston, Mass.)
Two-year grant for $80,000
Organize diverse older adults to advocate for fare-free bus programs in Massachusetts.

Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (Boston, Mass.)
One-year grant for $65,000
Focus on retaining positive changes that build on SNAP policy adopted during the pandemic, increasing federal and state funding, and boosting enrollment and retention of older adults.

Massachusetts Public Health Association (Boston, Mass.)
Three-year grant for $210,163
Develop a corps of older adult advocates to strengthen local public health, and advance housing and transportation policy changes centered on equity.

WalkBoston (Lexington, Mass.)
Three-year grant for $165,000
Create more walkable age-friendly communities through state and municipal policy change.

New Hampshire

New Hampshire Legal Assistance (Concord, NH)
Three-year grant for $195,000
Continue to advocate for statewide healthy aging priorities developed in collaboration with the New Hampshire Alliance for Healthy Aging.

Rhode Island

Progreso Latino, Inc. (Central Falls, RI)
Two-year grant for $150,000
Employ older adult resident as organizer and increase the advocacy capacity of older people in Central Falls and Pawtucket, R.I.

About Point32Health Foundation
Building on Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation and Tufts Health Plan Foundation’s values of service and giving, Point32Health Foundation works with communities to support, advocate and advance healthier lives for everyone. The Foundation advances equity-focused solutions in healthy aging, access to healthy food and behavioral health in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island.  Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.