Medford’s Community Fund Committee Awards $200,000 in Grant Funding to Medford-Focused Nonprofits

Through the City’s Community Fund Committee, 36 nonprofits that serve the Medford community have been awarded $200,000 in grant funding to be used to expand services, resources and outreach, Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn announced.

The committee opened the third-round application process in March and established a deadline of April 24 for submissions. Each applicant submitted a project description, accounting for how the funding would help assist their organization’s needs and provide a broader scope of their work to enhance the community’s priorities.

In this round, applications increased by over 50 percent with requests totaling over $600,000. With a limited amount of funding, the committee had to carefully analyze each submission and determine where the funding would have the most positive impact. At the end of the discussion process, the committee unanimously decided to award 36 nonprofits with funding.

Congratulations to following organizations on their Community Fund Grant Awards:

• American Legion Post 45 Medford
• Anarchestra Foundation Inc.
• Arts Collaborative Medford
• ArtsAlive Medford
• Brooks School PTO
• Chapter Coffee Carts
• Chevalier Theatre Organ Society
• Congressional Church of West Medford (DBA) Sanctuary UCC
• Down By Riverside, Inc.
• Evangelical Church of Holiness
• Food Link, Inc.
• Friends of Chevalier Auditorium & Gene Mack Gym
• Friends of Medford Community Gardens
• Friends of Medford Recreation, Inc.
• Friends of Medford Rowing – Medford High School, Inc.
• Malden Warming Center
• McGlynn Middle School PTO
• Medford Band Parent Organization
• Medford Brooks Estate Land Trust
• Medford Educational Foundation
• Medford Professional FireFighters Association
• Medford Recreational Hockey Association
• Medford Senior Center Incorporated
• Medford Technical High School Parent Teacher Organization aka “MHS/MVTHS PTO”
• Medford Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1012
• Missituk Elementary School PTO
• Mystic Valley Elder Services
• Mystic Valley YMCA
• RISE Multicultural Services, Inc.
• Roberts Elementary Parent Teacher Organization, Inc.
• The Welcome Project
• Waypoint Adventure, Inc.
• West Medford Community Center

The Community Fund Committee was initially created as part of the Surrounding Community Agreement between the City of Medford and Wynn, MA LLC (Encore) and was tasked with determining the best utilization of the annual Community Fund Payments received by the City. In January 2023, the committee awarded over $230,000 in funding to 25 applicants.

The Community Fund Committee consists of:

• Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn
• City Councilor Justin Tseng
• Melanie McLaughlin
• Arun Rajendran
• Myrlande Paul
• Erin Murphy Rafferty
• Kevin Wentworth

Eligibility and Reporting Requirements

To be eligible to receive funds, applicants must be a registered 501(c)(3) and either a Medford-based organization or an organization that services Medford residents. Organizations that received funding in the previous grant round and have yet to expend all monies relevant to your project, were not eligible to apply.

If an organization was awarded funding in this current round, as a requirement, you are expected to produce quarterly reports on your project's progress. In addition, you are also required to send monthly invoices and/or receipts to the City of Medford for reimbursement. As a reminder, this money should only be used to support Medford residents or for the benefit of a Medford based 501(c)(3).

All awardees will receive a formal letter outlining the specific details of their reporting requirements.