Investing $2,215,000 in Forty-Two Community-Based Organizations Working to Disrupt the Cycle of Poverty and Inequality
News | [Cambridge, MA January 22, 2025]—Life Science Cares Boston (LSC Boston) today announced grant awards to forty-two community-based nonprofit organizations totaling $2,215,000. With LSC’s innovative support model, the organizations also receive volunteer engagement and strategic support. The grant recipients include ten new organizations focused on health equity, a brand-new funding pillar for LSC Boston, as well as thirty-two current grantees whose work supports basic needs, economic opportunity, and education.
For the last nine years, Life Science Cares, Inc. has leveraged partnerships with life science companies and executives to grant $20 million to nonprofits providing access to basic needs, education, and economic opportunity. LSC Boston’s new health equity grantmaking program, aimed at addressing health inequities among low-income families and communities in the Greater Boston area, expands the commitment to disrupt the cycle of poverty by focusing on three key areas: safe homes and vibrant communities; access to equitable, dignified care; and advocacy and civic wellness.
The ten health equity grant recipients are: Boston Community Pediatrics, The Boston Food Forest Coalition, Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, GenUnity, A Healthier Democracy, The Life After Prison Inc., Mothers for Justice and Equality, Saheli, Inc., Senior Connection, and Vital CxNs. Each of these organizations will be funded for two years, receiving a grant ranging from $15,000 to $45,000 per year.
“This is an exciting moment for LSC Boston,” said Peter Pedro, chair of the Life Science Cares Boston Board of Managers. “The addition of the health equity program, as well as the ongoing support for our other thirty-two nonprofit partners, magnifies the impact we’re making in the Greater Boston area. We hope this expansion will motivate others in our industry to join us in supporting innovative, community-based solutions that improve health outcomes and foster vibrant, resilient communities.”
The health equity program is supported by seed investment from K2 HealthVentures, an alternative investment firm that provides flexible, long-term financing solutions in the life sciences and healthcare industries (previously announced), and a new investment from Biogen Foundation, whose grantmaking focuses on improving equitable access to healthcare, addressing social determinants of health, and building a more diverse healthcare workforce.
“At LSC Boston, we believe that the way to empower communities, reduce economic disparities, and create opportunities for everyone to be healthy and well is through coming together and making a collective impact,” said Kelly Brawn, Ph.D., head of programs and community engagement at Life Science Cares Boston. “Our new health equity grantmaking initiative further demonstrates this shared commitment of our industry partners and LSC Boston to build a healthier, more equitable Boston.”
“The health inequities in Boston are immense,” said Teresa Cachero, Ph.D., Biogen Vice President of Asset Development and Portfolio Management and the Chair of the Biogen Foundation’s Board of Directors. “It’s a multi-faceted problem, and progress requires many nonprofits to come together to bring their unique solutions to the table—that’s exactly what this incredible group of grant recipients is going to do. We’re thrilled to support their work to help deliver more ways to help make health more equitable to our community.”
With the addition of the health equity program, LSC Boston expands its portfolio of philanthropic partners to forty-two, providing broader and deeper community support, and more help to Boston-area neighbors in need.
The thirty-two grant recipients supported in LSC Boston’s Partnership Portfolio, supporting missions focused on basic needs, economic opportunity, and education, include: Alexander Twilight Academy, Bridge Over Troubled Waters, Building Pathways, Casa Myrna Vazquez, Inc., Children’s Services of Roxbury, East Boston Social Centers, Enroot, Inc., FamilyAid, Healthy Waltham, Horizons for Homeless Children, Hyde Square Task Force, Innovators for Purpose, Jeremiah Program, Jewish Vocational Services (JVS), Julie’s Family Learning Program, Justice For Housing, Inc., Kids in Tech, New England Culinary Arts Training (NECAT), Project Place, Room to Grow National, Inc., School On Wheels Massachusetts (SOWMA), Science Club For Girls, Inc., Small House Inc., St. Francis House, St. Mary’s Center for Women and Children, STEAM Ahead, The Food Project, Urban Farming Institute, Victory Programs, Inc., West End House, Young Man with a Plan, and Youth Enrichment Services (YES). The above organizations are in their second or fourth year of funding and receive between $15,000 and $125,000 annually as General Operating support.
“It is such an honor to be among the inaugural group of health equity grantees and to join this incredible group of nonprofits, many of whom we partner with daily, to do this important work,” said Robyn Riseberg, founder of Boston Community Pediatrics, Massachusetts’ first-ever nonprofit pediatric private practice committed to total health equity for all patients, regardless of their ability to pay. “Life Science Cares not only provides much-needed, flexible funding to support our comprehensive healthcare model, but also provides us with critical connections to Greater Boston’s life science industry, further leveraging their network to support our mission so that together we can empower communities and make real change happen.”
Founded in 2016, Life Science Cares Boston has partnered with ninety community organizations to direct financial resources, donated goods, and tens of thousands of volunteer hours from life science employees to reduce the immediate and long-term impacts of poverty. Made possible by companies and passionate leaders within the life science community, these grants and partnerships further Life Science Cares Boston’s goal to leverage the intellectual, financial, and human capital of the industry to collectively reduce the impacts of poverty, while helping companies build an internal culture of philanthropy and meaningful connections with the community.
About Life Science Cares
Since 2016, Life Science Cares (LSC) has leveraged the talent, passion, and community investments of the life science industry to fight poverty and provide a platform for the city’s leading industry to make a difference in the community. Through partnerships with life science companies and executives, LSC has invested more than $20 million and tens of thousands of volunteer hours in community-based organizations and programs that provide access to basic needs, education, and economic opportunity. LSC operates in Boston, Philadelphia, San Diego, the San Francisco Bay Area, and New York, as well as in Switzerland. To learn more, visit lifesciencecares.org.
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