The Bernardine Franciscan Sisters Foundation awarded a total of $550,000 in grants to 16 nonprofits on the Peninsula to advance their missions and move their organizations to the next level of operational, programmatic, financial, or organizational maturity. The Foundation also awarded $33,000 grant to Bon Secours Mary Immaculate Hospital and $181,500 grant to the Bernardine Franciscan Sisters, for the continuation of their ministries. In addition to these grants, the Foundation made available $20,000 in Set-Aside Funds to assist nonprofits with funding to help with emergency and/or unbudgeted needs; as well as $30,000 to support Ongoing Education needs of local nonprofits. The awardees were:
Center for Child & Family Services
Commonwealth Catholic Charities
Denbigh House, a program of Community Brain Injury Services
Gloucester Housing Partnership
The Center for Sexual Assault Survivors
Transitions Family Violence Services
In addition to the grants awarded to sixteen local nonprofits and the funds to retain Catchafire’s professional services, the Foundation is making available $20,000 in Set-Aside Funds (monies available to address emergency and unbudgeted needs) and $30,000 to support Ongoing Education
A $33,000 grant was awarded to Bon Secours Mary Immaculate Hospital and a $181,500 grant to the Bernardine Franciscan Sisters.
The Foundation together with NetworkPeninsula is continuing to provide the Entrepreneurial Thinking (ET) classes. Although the situation with COVID-19 improved, the ET classes did not resume until October, 2021. Three cohorts, consisting of three nonprofits in each cohort, completed or will complete 12 hours of classes and are or will be working with mentors on determining or finalizing their new revenue generating projects. Two of the 2020-2021 cohorts completed the course work and completed or are working on their revenue generating projects. The third cohort completed one class and because of COVID-19, ET had to be canceled; however, two of the nonprofits became members of the 2021-2022 cohorts. In January 2022, nonprofits will be invited to join one of the four cohorts which will be conducted between January and December 2022.