The Foundation’s mission-driven grants program is focused on strengthening mental health and/or behavioral health supports for children and youth; helping individuals of all ages reach recovery from substance use; building the pipeline of professionals to provide mental health, behavioral health, and recovery services; and supporting initiatives to reduce stigma around mental health and substance use. Over the past 6 years, the Foundation has provided more than $4.4 million in funding to area non-profits.
“Through the increased number of grant requests and our everyday work in the community, we are seeing a continued need to expand mental health and behavioral health services for children and adults,” said Reliant Foundation President Kelsa Zereski. “We are proud to play a role in helping these programs meet the demand, and we’re immensely grateful to all of our donors and volunteers for their generous support, and to our Board of Trustees for their commitment.”
“Having received a record number of grant proposals this year, it is concerning to see the need for support around mental health, behavioral health and substance use continuing to grow within our communities,” stated Marianne Felice, MD, Reliant Foundation Board Chair. “It is critical that we not only provide tangible support in the form of grant funding, but that we all work together to eliminate the barriers to receiving services, and the stigma that surrounds these issues.”
The following area non-profits, located throughout Central, North Central, South Central and MetroWest Massachusetts are receiving grants from the Foundation this fall:
Abby’s House – Women’s Services Program
ACE (African Community Education) – Social-Emotional Learning Program
Addiction Referral Center – Project B.R.A.V.E. (Building Recovery Accessibility through Validation)
Adolescent Consultation Services (ACS) – Youth Mental Health Services at Framingham Juvenile Court
Adult & Teen Challenge NE – Capital Renovations at the Chatham St. Adult Men’s Recovery Center
Advocates – Ensuring Care for Spanish-Speaking Children Needing Mental Health Services
Anna Maria College – Workforce Opportunities in Behavioral Services Program
Bancroft School – Worcester Partnership Program
Behavioral Health Partners of MetroWest – MetroWest Care Connection Program (MWCC)
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central MA – Mind Matters Program
Boys & Girls Club of Lunenburg – GROW SMART Initiative
Boys & Girls Club of MetroWest – Teen Mental Health First Aid Program and Teen Health Workshops
Boys & Girls Club of Webster-Dudley – Mental Health and Behavioral Health Programs
Boys & Girls Club of Worcester – Mental Health and Behavioral Health Programs
CASA Project Worcester – Shine the Light Initiative
Catholic Charities Worcester County – Crozier House and Leominster Women’s Program Support
Center for Family Connection – Intensive Trauma-Informed Services for Children and Families
Community Harvest Project – Fresh Produce and Volunteer Programming for Recovery Homes
Community Healthlink – Women Enhancing Recovery through Fitness and Empowerment
Community Legal Aid – Family Preservation Project
Dismas House – Substance Use Prevention Initiative
Doc Wayne – Chalk Talk® Group Therapy Program
GAAMHA, Inc. – Clinician Services for R.O.O.T.S. at Evergreen Grove Program
Genesis Club – Zero Stigma Project
Girls Inc. of Worcester – Health and Family Services Initiative
Growing Places – Be Your Best Self Project
Latin American Health Alliance – Workforce Development Program for Men in Recovery
Legendary Legacies – Mental Health Pipeline Tuition Support and Workforce Initiatives
Lovin’ Spoonfuls – MetroWest Food Rescue and Distribution to Recovery Homes
LUK Inc. – Mental Health Awareness and Suicide Prevention Trainings
MARE (MA Adoption Resource Exchange) – Trust-Based Relational Intervention Caregiver Trainings
Pernet Family Health Services – Youth Program
Rainbow Child Development Center – Children’s Mental Health/Behavioral Health Program
Regional Environmental Council – YouthGROW Program
Revive of the USA – Recovery Movement Therapy for Leominster Recovery Home and Addition of One New Coach
RFK Community Alliance – Behavioral Health Services for Children in Clinton & Nashoba Schools
RIA (Ready Inspire Act) – Sisters Leading Sisters, Reducing Stigma: Substance Use and Mental Health
Rise Above – Supporting Mental Health through Activities for Youth in Foster Care
Riverside Community Care – Workforce Development & Diversity Project
Shrewsbury Youth and Family Services – Screen Time Reduction Education Program
South Middlesex Opportunity Council – Licensed Mental Health Counselor Career Path Program
SPARK Kindness – Addressing the Emotional Health and Resilience of Children and Youth
The Torch Foundation – Social-Emotional Learning for Worcester Teens
United Way of North Central MA – Healthy Minds Youth Conferences
Veterans Inc. – Residential Recovery Support Expansion
Westborough Connects – Community Programming to Address Mental and Behavioral Health Impacts of Loneliness and Social Isolation
Women Make Movies/Recovery City – Documentary on Women in Recovery/Community Screenings
Worcester Addresses Childhood Trauma (ACTS) – Trauma Training Tuesday Series
Worcester Youth Center – Substance Use Reduction Program
YOU Inc. – The Carriage House Grief Support Center
YWCA of Central MA – Social-Emotional Health Program for Young Children
Off-Cycle grant support was provided earlier in the year to Our Bright Future of Southbridge to fund a part-time licensed social worker; a UMass Memorial Health training program aimed at advancing prescriber education and opioid use treatment in primary care settings; and a United Way of Central MA project in the Main South area of Worcester to build a Fitness Court for individuals in recovery.
For more information about Reliant Foundation, or about how you can make a difference in the lives and health of our community, visit: www.reliantfoundation.org.
About Reliant Foundation
Established in 1988, Reliant Foundation is an independent public charity, not affiliated with any health care facility or medical group, whose mission is to improve the health and well-being of individuals of all ages in the Central and MetroWest regions of Massachusetts. As a 501(c)3 charity, the Foundation offers grants to non-profit organizations within its service area for the purpose of supporting programs that battle critical community health issues like substance use disorder, and children’s mental health. Our charity partners work with thousands of individuals in our community to provide life-saving recovery coaching, mental health and behavioral health services, and impactful education and initiatives to reduce the stigma around these issues. For more information, please visit www.reliantfoundation.org
