Island Grown Initiative, the Martha’s Vineyard Cancer Support Group, the West Tisbury Congregational Church and the Martha’s Vineyard Shellfish Group are among the 23 recipients sharing $186,000 in annual grants from the Permanent Endowment for Martha’s Vineyard, which announced the awards this week.
“We were able to fully fund just about all the requests,” endowment executive director Emily Bramhall said.
“If they asked for $10,000, we were able to give them $10,000. That feels really wonderful.”
While a number of the annual grants are related to Covid-19, the endowment also continues to administer its emergency response fund, which Ms. Bramhall said has distributed close to a quarter of a million dollars to Island groups affected by the pandemic. Another $85,000 has provided rental relief for out-of-work Islanders.
Island Grown received an emergency response grant earlier this year to hire an additional farmer at the group’s Thimble Farm, which has stepped up food production to meet growing demand, Ms. Bramhall said.
The resulting harvest was so bountiful, she said, that Island Grown has now received a $16,135 annual grant from the endowment to build a fresh food storage area for the approximately 93,000 pounds the farm now produces in a year.
“That was kind of a wonderful full circle,” Ms. Bramhall said. Island Grown also received a smaller grant for its Thimble Farm orchard.
The Foundation for Underway Experiential Learning (FUEL) received a $20,000 grant to fund next year’s expected double demand from families for the traditional fifth-grade sailing trip aboard the Shenandoah, which did not take place this season. The nonprofit educational foundation took ownership of the historic sailing schooner this year.
“Now they’ve got double the people who want to go out on it,” Ms. Bramhall said.
The cancer support group, which was not able to hold its annual fundraiser, received $10,000 for services to Islanders coping with the disease.
“That’s an amazing organization,” Ms. Bramhall said. “It’s all volunteer, and people can apply to it if they need help.”
Emma Green-Beach of the shellfish group will use its $9,800 grant to study climate-caused changes in propagation, Ms. Bramhall said.
Environmentally-themed grants, which totaled more than $47,000 in all, also went to the Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival for a documentary on Island ponds and to Biodiversity Works and Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary for their educational programs.
The endowment awarded $84,110 in community grants to nearly a dozen local groups including the Red Stocking Fund, Vineyard Independence Partnership and programs serving everyone from seniors to preschoolers. The West Tisbury Congregational Church and Good Shepard Parish both were awarded grants to continue their wide-ranging work helping to feed hungry Islanders through community suppers and free distributions from the Boston Food Bank.
Health grants totaling $43,790 were awarded to Friends of Family Planning and the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, and $10,100 in arts grants went to the Martha’s Vineyard Chamber Music Society, Friends of MVYradio and The Yard.
The endowment normally announces its annual grants at a festive ceremony and reception that could not take place this year due to the pandemic.
“It was such a warm and lovely and fun event,” Ms. Bramhall said.
“We will do it again,” she vowed.
More information about the Permanent Endowment for Martha’s Vineyard is posted at endowmv.org.
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