The Theodore Edson Parker Foundation paid a total of $978,449 in grants in 2013 to nonprofit organizations working in Lowell, MA. In addition to these grants, the Foundation concluded the year with $841,000 in pledged grants for anticipated payment over the years 2014-2017.
The Foundation operates with an open application process and favors one-time projects, including startup support for new organizations. New ventures for 2013 included the small Saydanar Community Development Center and its support for Lowell’s growing Burmese population, a time bank for the exchange of volunteered hours developed by the Coalition for a Better Acre, and first-time support for Mill City Grows, a new community gardening program in Lowell. Another first-time grantee was Catie’s Closet, which provides clothing and other personal items to low-income students in the Lowell Public Schools.
The University of Massachusetts Lowell was funded for two special projects. The Foundation’s largest grant in 2013 was a $140,000 contribution to the Lowell Community Health Center as part of a $1 million pledge for the new Moses Greeley Parker building in Lowell, named after the uncle and benefactor of Theodore Edson Parker. Nearly 30 percent of the Foundation’s grants were for capital projects.