The Healey-Driscoll administration announced nearly $500,000 in grants from the inaugural Environmental Justice Capacity Building Grant Program. This funding is provided by the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs’ Office of Environmental Justice and Equity.
The following organizations received grants:
— Neighbor to Neighbor Massachusetts Education Fund, $50,000. Neighbor to Neighbor aims to restore the Dwight Street community garden and empower Holyoke residents to produce culturally- relevant crops.
— Chaubunagungamaug Band of Nipmuck Indians, $50,000 to build online and in-person cultural and environmental programming to better serve the tribal community.
— Arise for Social Justice (Arise Inc.) in Springfield, $56,000 to enhance Arise’s ability to sustain and expand its work by equipping staff with the necessary tools, skills and resources.
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State Sen. Adam Gómez, D-Springfield, has announced that a pair of initiatives he sponsored during the Senate budget debate aimed at boosting cultural initiatives in Springfield. Through amendments he submitted, Hope for Youth & Families and Springfield Museums will each receive $50,000 to support respective projects to rehabilitate an arts center in downtown Springfield and expand interactive learning experiences.
Hope for Youth & Families is undertaking a project to transform and reinvent the former CityStage, a 39,500-square-foot facility housed in downtown Springfield. The new Hope Center for the Arts will address the need for accessible and equitable arts programs by serving as a creative community hub for youth arts organizations.
Springfield Museums’ renovated and upgraded Dinosaur Hall will feature a new, second-level observation deck.
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Freedom Credit Union recently announced its support for Square One’s “Back to Square One” capital campaign for its new campus. The credit union pledged $7,500 for the project.
In March of 2023, Square One formally announced plans to expand access to its high-quality early learning and care for the region’s children and families. Since that time, the campaign has succeeded in securing over $13 million to build a new early learning and family support center in Springfield’s South End, at the same location where Square One once stood prior to the 2011 tornado.
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Registration is now open for the Liberty Bank Academy for Small Business in Western Massachusetts, a training program that provides education and guidance to small business owners on successfully operating and growing their business. The program is free and open to anyone. It includes 10 virtual classes, which will be held July 15 through Aug. 14 on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The Liberty Bank Academy for Small Business uses course material primarily from the FDIC’s Money Smart for Small Businesses. Topics covered range from credit reporting and tax planning to time management and risk management. Upon successful competition of the program, participants can apply for a $5,000 line of credit from Liberty Bank.
For more information, or to register, visit liberty-bank.com/ASB.
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