LYNN — The Baker-Polito Administration has announced 65 grants, totaling more than $20 million, for 62 organizations in the state through the Community Empowerment and Reinvestment Grant Program.
Lynn’s Building Audacity Learning Center will receive $100,000 for its On The Grow program to hire and train 50 youths to grow produce using the hydroponic method — which uses a different material instead of soil to support the roots of the plant, growing crops directly in nutrient-rich water.
The On The Grow program targets participating youth from Boston and Lynn who are state-involved, court involved, low-income and/or have dropped out of school.
The grant will help youth learn how to start a business, develop a product, and work in the Building Audacity mobile pantry to distribute food to 650 low-income families throughout the Greater Boston area.
The Community Empowerment and Reinvestment Grant Program supports projects and programming that are designed to respond to community-defined economic opportunities within eligible communities.
“Certain communities face unique challenges but also have the local assets and expertise to develop solutions,” said Gov. Charlie Baker. “By using this program to tap directly into those resources, we can position these trusted organizations for success in their efforts to strengthen their communities from within.”
The competitive, one-year grants support applicants who want to address issues in communities that have historically faced disproportionate challenges to economic growth.
The program prioritizes projects in locations with high rates of incarceration and widespread poverty, and communities with populations that are traditionally disadvantaged and underrepresented.
Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito said this grant program allows the state to harness that existing human capital and accelerate progress toward addressing those needs.
“As the inaugural round of grant recipients demonstrates, the Community Empowerment and Reinvestment Grant Program is a powerful source of assistance to address a wide range of needs with specific solutions developed by community leaders, coalitions, and established organizations that are known to, and live among, the people and neighborhoods they serve,” said Polito.
The grant was awarded to 62 recipients from 17 communities. From those awardees, 26 are in gateway cities; 44 are minority-owned and/or woman-owned businesses; four are LGBTQ-owned businesses; and 15 are first-time vendors with the commonwealth.
Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy said leveraging the power of community-based organizations helps to sharpen the focus on fostering positive economic outcomes where they are needed the most.
“I want to congratulate all of this round’s recipients, especially the organizations we are partnering with for the first time,” Kennealy said. “I look forward to the results of these efforts to support economic growth, expand access to opportunities, and enhance equity among communities that for too long have been at a disadvantage.”
The Community Empowerment and Reinvestment Grant Program was first passed into law in December 2020, which included establishing a Community Empowerment Board to inform applications about questions and evaluation criteria.
This seven-member board includes individuals who belong to demographic groups that have been traditionally underrepresented and have historically been at social and economic disadvantages.
Recognizing the value of this grant program, Baker’s fiscal year 2023 budget proposal allocates $7.5 million, which provides an equivalent level of funding allocated for the program in FY22.
To learn more about the program, visit www.mass.gov/service-details/community-empowerment-and-reinvestment-grant-program.
