United Way of Greater New Bedford announces first Together, United Fund grantees
New fund to support racial equity, social justice efforts in regional nonprofits
NEW BEDFORD — United Way of Greater New Bedford (UWGNB) has created the Together, United Fund to help build racial equity and social justice capacity in nonprofit organizations, and awarded the first grants from that fund.
The two recipients of the Together, United grants are Dennison Memorial Community Center and Coaching4Change. Both organizations will focus on professional development for their staff and board, actively addressing racial equity and social justice through educational programming.
“This new initiative of United Way of Greater New Bedford was established to help nonprofit organizations improve their ability to serve diverse communities and foster lasting, positive change in the advancement of racial equity and social justice,” said Shanna Howell, Ph.D., UWGNB, Board of Directors, Chair. “The fund will offer grants to support new initiatives and existing efforts that build capacity within non-profit boards and staff to support diversity, equity, inclusion, and access.”
Coaching4Change was awarded $5,625 to enroll full-time program staff and board members in ‘Train the Trainers Workshop: Design Engage and Equity’ offered by the Non-Profit Learning Lab. Dennison Memorial Community Center’s grant of $6,500 will support the Dennison Race Equity Diversity Inclusion (DREDI) initiative, offering training to create a more inclusive workplace. The program will develop employees’ and board members’ awareness of racial, ethnic, and cultural differences to strengthen how they can work together better as one team.
“Coaching4Change recognizes that in order to achieve our goals of equity in education we must provide on-going support to our college mentors. This grant will enhance our abilities to further incorporate Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in our trainings.” said Marquis Taylor, founder and executive director of Coaching4Change. “Funds such as this are necessary to address racism, discrimination, and prejudice in our work. We’re proud to call United Way of Greater New Bedford an ally and are excited to be given this grant.”
“This training program establishes a baseline of knowledge for everyone to work from. It will target all employees and our board, cover a myriad of topics, including unconscious bias, how to work with diverse teams, creating a space where everyone can be heard, and more,” Joe Neves, Dennison program director, said. “Implementing the DREDI initiative training program shows our commitment, encourages open discussion, and develops employee perspectives.”
“We’re thrilled to see these two well-deserving grantees receive awards and are inspired by their commitment and the work they are doing within their organizations and in the community,” said Michelle N. Hantman, president and CEO, UWGNB. “The Together, United Fund is part of a larger effort of United Way of Greater New Bedford to support area non-profits in their work to address racial equity and social justice.”
Together, United will award grants annually to nonprofit organizations that serve communities in the UWGNB service area of New Bedford, Acushnet, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Freetown, Mattapoisett, Marion, Rochester and Wareham.
United Way of Greater New Bedford fights for the health, education, financial stability, and basic needs of every person in the 9 communities it serves. United Way is committed to making an impact by providing important services to the community through the Family Resource & Development Center, Hunger Commission, and New Bedford Community Connections Coalition. Additionally, United Way provides funding to local organizations to provide support to residents through an array programming and services. It also matches volunteers with local opportunities through Volunteer SouthCoast.