Boston, MA—October 25,2016—“Playworks Massachusetts has been awarded a grant of $150,000 by the Boston Foundation,” Jonathan Gay, regional executive director, said today.
According to Jonathan, the grant will be used to help ensure students in Boston and Somerville remain physically active during the school day. Playworks uses a powerful system of play that is making a daily difference where it is most needed. Our organization places a full-time Playworks-trained coach in elementary schools. This staff member is able to build games and physical activity to create a positive school environment, offering opportunities for healthy play during recess and throughout the school day.
“Our organization has improved the school day for thousands of students during the last ten years,” Jonathan said. “The grant from The Boston Foundation will give us additional resources to transform recess into a safe, healthy, and inclusive environment for students throughout metro Boston. We look forward to continuing to engage with The Boston Foundation as thought partners in this critical work.”
Playworks Massachusetts was founded in 2006 and has served 160,000 youth through Playworks programming. Ed Orazem is the chairperson of the board of directors.
The Boston Foundation, Greater Boston’s community foundation, is one of the oldest and largest community foundations in the nation, with assets of some $1 billion. In 2015, the Foundation and its donors made more than $135 million in grants to nonprofit organizations and received gifts of nearly $123 million. In celebration of its centennial in 2015, the Boston Foundation has launched the Campaign for Boston to strengthen the Permanent Fund for Boston, the only endowment fund focused on the most pressing needs of Greater Boston. The Foundation is proud to be a partner in philanthropy, with more than 1,000 separate charitable funds established by donors either for the general benefit of the community or for special purposes.
The Boston Foundation also serves as a major civic leader, think tank, and advocacy organization, commissioning research into the most critical issues of our time and helping to shape public policy designed to advance opportunity for everyone in Greater Boston. The Philanthropic Initiative (TPI), an operating unit of the Foundation, designs and implements customized philanthropic strategies for families, foundations, and corporations around the globe.
For more information about the Boston Foundation and its grant-making or TPI, visit www.tbf.org, or call 617-338-1700.
