In June 2022, The Philanthropy Connection (TPC) announced $250,000 in grants to 10 organizations for its annual grant making cycle. TPC is a community of women who come together to learn, grow, and engage in collective giving to support nonprofit organizations that address systemic inequities impacting individuals and families within the greater Boston area.

In commemoration of its tenth year, TPC is proud to share that it will be awarding its first-ever multi-year grant of $25,000 for a second year to one of its 2022 grantees. The surprise recipient of this inaugural Catalyst Grant will be revealed at TPC’s celebration, “10 Years of Grant-Giving: A Celebration of TPC’s Impact Since 2012,” on September 19 at the Signature Pavilion at Lawn on D in the Seaport. This event will reunite past, present and prospective members with grantees from the past 10 years in TPC’s first large-scale in-person event since 2019.

Motivated by a desire to inspire women to deepen their understanding and practice of philanthropy and to provide grants to local nonprofit organizations through collective giving, Marla Felcher founded TPC in 2012. Since its inception, TPC has grown to 300+ members who have awarded more than $2.1 million in grants and provided countless volunteer hours to 65 organizations. In addition to serving grantees within the Greater Boston area, TPC serves its members by educating them on the grants review process and on the systemic issues its grantee organizations address. Throughout the year, grantees participate in open-to-the-public TPC events on topics such as housing, economic stability, and how nonprofits assess their impact. TPC connects women who are all dedicated to making an impact in their communities.

Over this time, TPC’s members and its grantees have embodied the mantra of “Give. Receive. Learn.” together. Beginning in 2020, in response to the challenges nonprofits faced at the start of the pandemic, TPC began incorporating the tenets of trust-based philanthropy into its mission in various ways, including through the granting of unrestricted, general operating funding. TPC has streamlined its grant-giving process to lessen the burden on nonprofits and assigns each grantee two liaisons to bridge communications, encourage dialogue, and foster support “beyond the check” throughout the grant year.

The following grantees are first-time recipients of TPC funding, receiving $25,000 each:

Cambridge Camping Association has served children from under-resourced families by providing exceptional summer camp and out of school time programs.

Lawyers Clearinghouse improves the lives of those facing social and economic hardship by engaging the legal community in pro bono service to nonprofit organizations and their homeless and low-resource clients.

Minds Matter Boston connects driven and determined students from low-resource families with the people, preparation, and possibilities to succeed in college, create their future, and change the world.

Mothers for Justice and Equality is working to end neighborhood violence by empowering mothers and youth to challenge the normalization of violence and become effective catalysts for change in their homes, schools, and communities.

Partakers provides opportunities and support to incarcerated women and men enrolled in college prison education programs and gives support and resources to those recently released from prison.

Young Man With a Plan creates a culture of brotherhood, respect, and achievement among young men of color in Boston in order to improve their college, career, and life outcomes.

Four grantees return to TPC for a second year of funding:

MA Adoption Resource Exchange (MARE) finds adoptive homes for children and teens in foster care, targeting those without a family member or identified resource who can offer a permanent home.

Neighbors in Need provides food, formula, diapers, and infant supplies to at-risk and food-insecure families in the Greater Lawrence area. Through its distribution network of 13 food pantries, it serves 900 families in the area each week.

RESPOND, Inc. is New England’s first domestic violence agency and the second oldest in the nation, and a pioneer in the movement to end domestic violence.

RIA Inc. – Ready.Inspire.Act stands with and supports women with experience in the commercial sex trade, and its associated exploitation, trafficking, and prostitution. RIA provides a range of community-based services with an emphasis on empowerment, resiliency, and healing.

In 2021, TPC expanded its membership investment options to four tiers so that women from differing economic backgrounds all have the ability to make an impact through TPC. All women in the Greater Boston area are invited to visit https://thephilanthropyconnection.org/give-receive-learn/ to learn about becoming a member.

As founder Marla Felcher shares, “If you are considering becoming a member, I encourage you to do so. I promise that if you Give. Receive. Learn. with us, you will change lives – including your own.”