Tufts University employees give grants to four Grafton organizations

The Tufts Neighborhood Service Fund (TNSF) committee recently awarded grants to four organizations in Grafton. The 2013 Grafton grant recipients are:

• Apple Tree Arts -- $600 towards the cost of materials for Head Start classrooms.
• Community Harvest Project -- $500 to extend their farmland irrigation system.
• St. James Church Outreach Program -- $1,500 for emergency relief and food supplies.
• St. Mary’s Soup Kitchen Ministry -- $1,500 for non-perishable foods for their pantry.

TNSF collects donations from university employees throughout the year and then awards grants to community-based, charitable organizations that serve Tufts' host communities (Somerville, Medford, Grafton and Boston's Chinatown) and that actively engage Tufts volunteers in their work.

A committee comprised of Tufts administrators, faculty and staff meets annually to review proposals and select grant recipients. In 2013, there was a total of $19,300 available to distribute through TNSF.  The committee received 69 proposals representing more than $105,000 in requests and selected 29 programs and projects for awards. Members of the TNSF committee base their decisions on a desire to address the most pressing needs in the communities, to assist programs with few other options for support, and to encourage expanded involvement of Tufts volunteers. 

“This was the largest applicant pool since the fund’s inception in 1995 and it demonstrates the growing economic needs in our communities,” said Barbara Rubel, Director of Community Relations.  “The TNSF committee appreciates the important work that each organization does and wishes it could fund every request. The decisions are never easy and the committee carefully considers the areas of greatest demonstrated need in their allocation decisions.”

TNSF is a giving option of the annual Tufts Community Appeal (TCA), in which the university encourages its employees to contribute to charitable organizations at the regional, national and international levels. The TCA unites faculty and staff across all campuses of the university, and demonstrates the support the Tufts community for local and global efforts. It reflects the university community's belief that individual action can make a difference in the world.