Thirty-five local organizations in Tufts University’s four host communities have been awarded $105,000 in grants from the Tufts Community Grants (TCG) program. The grants, funded by donations from Tufts faculty and staff, are awarded each year to local nonprofits in Boston, Grafton, Medford, and Somerville. 

“Tufts is committed to supporting nonprofit organizations that go above and beyond to serve our communities—while also offering meaningful service opportunities for Tufts students, faculty, and staff,” said Leah Boudreau, community programs specialist in the university’s office of Government and Community Relations. 

“These dedicated community partners not only deliver vital services to our neighbors, but also create opportunities for Tufts volunteers to learn, grow, and contribute in meaningful ways,” said Boudreau.

TCG is a giving option during the Tufts Community Appeal (TCA), the annual faculty and staff fundraising campaign. One hundred percent of the donations university employees make to the TCG program support local community partners and their work to improve the lives of residents in Tufts’ host communities.

During the 2024 fall appeal, Cummings Foundation donated two dollars for every dollar given by university employees, which allowed the TCG board this year to award 35 grants of $3,000 each. 

“At this time when so many local nonprofits are already stretched thin, the Tufts Community Grants program helps fill the gap for organizations working to meet the needs of many in our community,” said Bill Cummings, A58, H06, J97P, M97P, founder of Cummings Properties and co-founder of Cummings Foundation. 

“Cummings Foundation is pleased to continue to invest in this important program,” said Cummings. “We look forward to seeing the impact that the nonprofit grant recipients will make over the course of the next year.”

Each year, a volunteer board of Tufts faculty and staff members reviews applications and selects local recipients. Board members represent all of Tufts’ campuses and a variety of different disciplines and roles across the university. TCG board members look for nonprofits that offer important services or programming for residents of Tufts’ host communities, and that are also engaged with Tufts students, faculty, and staff volunteers. This year, more than 100 nonprofits applied for TCG grants—the largest number of applications in the program’s history.

This 2025 grantees will address a variety of areas of need including, among other causes, homelessness services, food insecurity, educational and arts programming, educational classes for immigrants, and inclusive and adaptive athletics.

The initiatives supported by the 2025 Tufts Community Grants, listed by organization, are as follows: 

Boston

Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD): Program materials for low-income immigrants participating in ABCD's citizenship and civics classes

Asian American Civic Association (AACA): Scholarships for immigrants in AACA’s beginner English language program

Boston Self Help Center: Safety and adaptive resources for athletes with disabilities to use power wheelchair soccer and volt hockey sports chairs while also providing a job for a Tufts University occupational therapy student or a Tufts University-trained volunteer to assist with the program

EVkids,: Support for EVkids volunteer tutors during the 2025 fall semester, ensuring that tutors are supported as they mentor Boston students

Fenway Community Center at Viridian: Purchase of toys and rolling library carts, along with the creation of a window mural to provide a welcoming environment for local families and to expand opportunities for learning and play for children

Haley House: Purchase of kitchen and farm equipment to supply the new kitchen and outside pavilion at Haley House's Thornton Street Farm

Pao Arts Center: Support for the center's six-week youth mural project this summer that provides training to youth on the intersection of advocacy, art, and community history, and results in the creation of a public mural

St. Francis House: The purchase of warm winter coats for 50 adults experiencing homelessness

The English High School: The purchase of equipment and supplies to support the school’s robotic hand project and to adapt robots for students with disabilities enrolled in robotic classes

Wang YMCA Chinatown: The purchase of supplies for the Family Engagement Program for teens and families to use to create an space to foster creative art, artistic expression, relationship, and family bonding

Grafton

Bears On Board: Funding for stuffed animals that first responders and social workers can give to children as comfort items in a time of crisis or emotional trauma

Blackstone Valley Education Foundation: Funding to support STEM Talks, a student-led event that connects 7th and 8th-grade students with STEM professionals to inspire career exploration

Grafton Public Schools: Purchase of durable engineering materials and equipment to be used by Grafton High School students in a Project Lead the Way elective engineering course

Senior Connection Inc.: Funding to provide health screenings and other services to grandfamilies in Grafton via a mobile health and outreach clinic

Sustainable Grafton: The creation of a community native plant and pollinator garden that will provide hands-on experience for volunteers, community outreach opportunities, and allow for education about  sustainable gardening methods

Medford

All Court Enrichment (ACE): The purchase of canopy tents to provide shelter from rain and heat during ACE’s Summer Tennis and Writing Program

Arts Collaborative Medford: Funding to equip a new community makerspace with storage for personal and shared equipment and materials

Friends of Medford Recreation: Financial aid for families enrolling their children in the Medford Recreation Summer Park Program

Friends of Medford Rowing: The purchase of five news sets of sculling oars for Medford High School’s rowing teams to ensure ongoing access to the program

Medford High School (Fells Educational Program): Funding to support the 10^th anniversary of Medford High School’s “Fells Day,” a day in which high school students engage in teacher-led outdoor edcuation activities in the Middlesex Fells Reservation to increase appreciation and respect for—and stewardship of—nature

Medford Senior Center: Purchase of supplies and ingredients for a cooking demonstration program at the senior center and for take-home meals for Medford senior citizens

Missituk Elementary School PTO: The purchase of clay and other materials for Missituk students to use in art class and for other school-based activities that support student learning

Mystic River Watershed Association: Purchase of supplies for Malden and Mystic River cleanups and funding for community education for trash pollution awareness and litter management in the Mystic Watershed area

The Community Family: Funding for therapeutic activities promoting joy, relaxation and healthy aging for program participants living with memory loss

West Medford Community Center: Renovation of the center’s computer lab with upgrades to five computer stations, the purchase of five mini-laptops, the purchase of a new computer, and other room renovations to expand access to technology

Somerville

3LPlace: Funding will support the implementation of free group therapy sessions for parents of adult children with developmental disabilities

East Somerville Main Streets: Funding for a pilot program providing homeless individuals with food vouchers to local Somerville restaurants

Friends of the Community Growing Center: Materials to support community based Native Pollinator Container Garden workshops in collaboration with Somerville neighborhood partner groups and at the Growing Center in an effort to increase native plants and pollinators

Second Chances: Purchase of new clothing items that will supplement donated clothing, shoes, and accessories for homeless and low-income individuals

Somerville Museum: Purchase of equipment that will enable the recording and sharing stories of Somerville residents and the enhancement of  audience experience in an upcoming exhibition

Somerville Public Schools - Second Grade (city-wide): Purchase of tickets and funding of transportation for 100 second-grade students from Somerville public schools to attend a live performance of Library Lion in Boston, enhancing literacy curriculum with an immersive theater experience

Somerville Youth Soccer: Financial assistance and scholarships for underrepresented youth to participate in Somerville Youth Soccer programming

SPELL - Argenziano School (Somerville Public Schools): Funding to provide immigrant students with hands-on environmental education learning experiences in the summer school program

The Center for Arts at the Armory: Purchase of two audio captioning devices for Arts at the Amory event attendees who are hard of hearing or deaf or who need translation services, expanding accessibility and inclusivity

The Welcome Project: Purchase of classroom textbooks for workplace-contextualized English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes to help teachers and students navigate workforce development skills