California

The San Diego Foundation has announced that it has awarded $200,000 in workforce development grants to San Diego City College to bolster the retention and graduation of Black students studying nursing and cybersecurity. To that end, the grants will help support outreach to prospective students, connect students with culturally appropriate wraparound services, provide emergency and transportation financial aid, and provide career development support, such as access to paid internships, clinical placements, and culturally informed counseling.

The San Francisco Foundation has announced the winners of its 2023 Community Leadership Awards, which recognize the Bay Area’s most creative, innovative, and community-driven leaders addressing the region’s most pressing challenges. This year’s winners, who will receive $20,000 from the foundation and be recognized during its 75th anniversary event, include Pastor Paul Bain, founder and chair of United Hope Builders and WeHOPE; Hamdiya Cooks-Abdullah, who recently retired from her position as administrative director at Legal Services for Prisoners with Children; Corrina Gould, tribal chair for the Confederated Villages of Lisjan Nation; and Anne E. Price, co-president and founder of The Maven Collaborative.

Iowa

The Quad Cities Community Foundation in Bettendorf has announced grants totaling more than $600,000 to 31 area nonprofits. Recipients include Café on Vine, A System Within a System, Quad City Arts, and Clock, Inc.

Maine

To mark its 40th anniversary, the Maine Community Foundation (MaineCF) has announced a new brand and logo, designed to evoke the brightness and beauty of the Maine landscape and reflect the foundation’s optimism. To date, MaineCF has awarded more than $630 million in grants and scholarships, maintains a presence in all 16 counties, and offers a portfolio of programs, partnerships, and services that all combine to meet its mission.

Massachusetts

United Way of Massachusetts Bay and the Boston Foundation have announced the first of two rapid distributions of $570,000 to 12 community-based organizations from the Massachusetts Migrant Families Relief Fund. The fund was created last month to address the growing humanitarian crisis faced by migrants seeking asylum in Massachusetts and to support the local, trusted community-based organizations that have deployed an all-hands-on-deck effort to meet the essential needs of new arrivals. The organizations receiving the first round of funding include statewide organizations and those in Attleboro, Boston, Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Malden, Marlborough, Medford, Lynn, Lowell, Somerville, Waltham, Quincy, and Worcester.

The Boston Foundation also announced, in partnership with and Pucker Gallery, that 19 local artists have been named the 2023 class of Brother Thomas Fellows. They will each receive a $15,000 unrestricted grant from the Brother Thomas Fund, which was established to honor the legacy of Brother Thomas Bezanson, a Benedictine monk and world-renowned ceramic artist who wanted the sale of his work to support artists at critical junctures in their careers.

The Greater Lowell Community Foundation has announced a $30,000 grant to the Bridge Club of Greater Lowell in support of transportation for its Veterans Reintegration Program. The grant is aimed at solving a transportation problem for many veterans who are challenged to attend scheduled court dates at the Veterans Treatment Courts—specialized courts that provide alternatives to punishments for veterans suffering from PTSD, other mental health issues, or brain injury.

Michigan

The Alpena-based Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan has announced its latest round of Community Impact grants and Northeast Michigan Women’s Giving Circle grants covering a four-county area that includes Alcona, Alpena, Montmorency, and Presque Isle counties. Grants totaling $134,343 were awarded to 61 organizations, including Huron Pines, Friends Together, Alpena Hockey Association, and the Sunset Project.

Ohio

The Columbus Foundation has announced the addition of Chasity Edwards as director of education grantmaking. With more than 20 years of experience in education and the nonprofit field, Edwards most recently served as a consultant at Education First Consulting, where she used equity-centered practices to manage projects and advise clients focused on innovative systems and schools, strategic planning, and social, emotional, and academic development.

The Paul G. Duke Foundation, a supporting foundation of the Columbus Foundation, announced a grant to the Miami County YMCA in support of a new facility for its Piqua branch. The new facility will provide safe, secure spaces where local residents can develop healthy lifestyles while strengthening their social connections within the community.

Pennsylvania

The LGBT Funds of the Erie Community Foundation hosted its second educational session, “The LGBTQ+ Elders and Affirming Community: A Film and Conversation for Erie's Future,” last week. The event centered around a screening of the acclaimed documentary, Gen Silent, which follows the lives of six LGBT seniors as they grapple with the decision of whether to hide their sexuality to navigate the long-term healthcare system. Following the screening, attendees engaged in a panel discussion with Erie-area professionals.

Texas

Communities Foundation of Texas has announced that more than 97,000 donors provided a total of $63.9 million to 3,249 nonprofits during the 15th annual North Texas Giving Day. Gifts of up to $200,000 were awarded to nonprofits across 20 counties in North Texas, with 100 percent of the credit card fees covered, so all dollars raised went directly to participating nonprofits.

Wisconsin

The Oshkosh Area Community Foundation (OACF) has announced Barbara Herzog and Donald Hansen as the recipients of its 2023 Partners in Philanthropy Awards. Herzog, a longtime educator, has been a supporter and donor of OACF and its Women’s Fund and has played an integral role in the growth of the SOAR (Special Opportunities for Artist Residencies) Fund. Hansen is a longtime supporter of many organizations and causes in the area. In recognition of their service to the community, OACF donated $500 in school essentials to the Oshkosh Area School District in Herzog’s honor and $500 in school essentials to the Winneconne Community School District in Hansen’s honor.