International Institute of New England volunteers take a newly arrived family grocery shopping. The family of six are refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and arrived in Lowell in 2023

Lowell – The Greater Lowell Community Foundation (GLCF) announced $160,000 in grant awards from the Refugee and Immigrant Resettlement Fund to seven Greater Lowell nonprofits. This first round of grants supported a broad range of underfunded needs identified by Greater Lowell nonprofits including food and essential supplies, housing support, staffing and transportation.

“The seven nonprofits selected for this first round of funding are filling the gaps needed to support newcomers in Greater Lowell,” said Jay Linnehan, GLCF’s President and CEO. “Through the continued, generous support of our donors, we are hopeful that we will be able to fund a future round. The needs are great.”

Locally, grants were awarded to:

• Catie’s Closet, Inc. (Dracut) – Funding to provide newcomer families with access to emergency basic needs including clothing and toiletries.
• International Institute of New England (Lowell) – Grant for underfunded refugee case management costs and emergency housing subsidy for transitioning or housing-insecure families.
• Lowell Community Health Center – Funding for a bilingual bicultural Patient Navigator (PN). This person will act as cultural liaison and advocate, linking newcomers to services they need while helping to eliminate racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic health disparities. As cultural bridge, PNs build trust and play a crucial role in promoting the health and wellbeing of vulnerable populations.

In September, Greater Lowell Community Foundation’s President and CEO Jay Linnehan announced the establishment of the GLCF Refugee and Immigrant Resettlement Fund at an event at Concord Center for Visual Art

Last fall, GLCF established the Refugee and Immigrant Resettlement Fund to provide support to local nonprofits working with newcomers, and with the intention that grant funds will aid to help ensure those in need are welcomed and connected with housing, employment, transportation, food, acculturation, and other related support.

Donations to the GLCF Refugee and Immigrant Resettlement Fund can be made online at www.glcfoundation.org or by mail to the GLCF Refugee and Immigrant Resettlement Fund c/o GLCF, 100 Merrimack Street, Suite 202, Lowell, MA 01852.

For more information on the Greater Lowell Community Foundation, visit www.glcfoundation.org.