Community Project Funding Requests

Congresswoman Pressley has submitted 15 funding requests for community projects in Massachusetts’ 7th Congressional District to the House Appropriations Committee.

Under guidelines issued by the Appropriations Committee, each Representative may request funding for up to 15 projects in fiscal year 2023. Projects are restricted to a limited number of federal funding streams, and only state and local governments and eligible non-profit entities are permitted to receive funding. Additional information on the reforms governing Community Project Funding is available here.

To view Congresswoman Pressley’s FY2022 projects, click here. 

In compliance with House rules and Appropriations Committee requirements, Congresswoman Pressley has certified that neither she nor her immediate family has any financial interest in any of the projects she has requested.

The submissions are listed in alphabetical order by city/town of the proposed recipient.

Project name: Adult Literacy Initiative Digital Literacy Project
Amount Requested: $1,000,000
Intended Recipient: Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development, City of Boston
43 Hawkins Street, Boston, MA 02114
Signed financial Disclosure Letter (PDF)
Explanation of Request: This funding will be used to support Phase 2 and Phase 3 of the capacity building initiative the Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development is implementing to improve the quality of adult education and workforce development programs across the city and invest in the infrastructure and competencies necessary to enhance digital literacy and skills development among adult learners and ensure their competitiveness and success in the post-pandemic labor market.

Project Name: Back Office Support Services Program
Amount Requested: $650,000
Intended Recipient: Black Economic Council of Massachusetts
One Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02108
Signed financial Disclosure Letter (PDF)
Explanation of Request: This funding will support the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts (BECMA) Back Office Support Services (BOSS) Program by investing in resources and capacity building of small Black-owned businesses and Black entrepreneurs. The BOSS program has a proven history of providing essential business infrastructure through services, tools and technical assistance to ensure small business owners are able to effectively and compliantly operate and succeed. The BOSS project will benefit small businesses and entrepreneurs at the local, regional and statewide level through helping small businesses and entrepreneurs becoming more competitive in today’s digital economy.

Project Name: Emergency Childcare Support for Unhoused Families in Boston
Amount Requested: $1,000,000
Intended Recipient: City of Boston
1 City Hall Square, Boston, Massachusetts 02201
Signed financial Disclosure Letter (PDF)
Explanation of Request: This funding will be used to provide bridge childcare vouchers to unhoused families with young children ages birth to five. Unhoused families frequently require extended time to secure eligibility documentation to qualify for subsidized childcare programs, delaying access to care and necessary wrap around supports when families are most vulnerable. Bridge funding would provide families with immediate access to available childcare while they pursue longer-term support and allow childcare providers to assess young children and connect them to wrap around resources such as behavioral and mental health services, food service, diapers, clothing and other essentials. It will also provide parents with the opportunity to connect deeply with the services that they need to become housed and if necessary employed or in an educational program. Immediate and sustained interventions for unhoused families ensure young children are on the path to thriving before they reach the K-12 education system.

Project name: One-To-One Mentoring and Enrichment Programs for Girls
Amount Requested: $250,000
Intended Recipient: Big Sister Association of Greater Boston Inc.
20 Park Plaza, Suite 1420, Boston, MA 02116
Signed financial Disclosure Letter (PDF)
Explanation of Request: This funding would support one-to-one mentoring and other enrichment programs in a variety of settings in order to support the wellness and social-emotional needs of girls. Big Sister Boston’s one-to-one mentoring programs directly correlate to improved outcomes for girls as they develop a positive sense of self, build social-emotional skills, navigate challenges, and achieve greater mental health and resiliency. These resources will allow Big Sister Boston to expand its impact in support of young girls throughout the Boston area.

Project Name: PowerUp Latinx Business Initiative
Amount Requested: $400,000
Intended Recipient: Amplify Latinx
200 Portland Street, Suite 500, Boston, MA 02114
Signed financial Disclosure Letter (PDF)
Explanation of Request: This funding will support Amplify Latinx’ PowerUP Latinx Business Initiative and invest in the economic stability and vitality of Latinx community– one of the fastest growing communities across the Commonwealth and one that was disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. Funding would support bilingual, culturally relevant and intensive business coaching to 65 Latinx micro businesses in “Latinx heavy” industries with a focus on underserved populations–immigrants and non-native English-speaking populations, low-to-moderate income entrepreneurs, minority and women owned business owners. Educational programming and support includes comprehensive business evaluation to identify strengths and needs of the business, co-creation of strategic roadmaps, business performance coaching and mentoring, increasing access to business certifications and more.

Project Name: Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Immigrant Health Community Health Worker-led Mental Health Care Model
Amount Requested: $1,115,000
Intended Recipient: Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Immigrant Health
125 Nashua Street, Suite 840, Boston, MA, 02478
Signed financial Disclosure Letter (PDF)
Explanation of Request: The funding will help support the MGH Center for Immigrant Health and address the critical statewide shortage of bilingual, culturally diverse mental health providers needed in local immigrant and limited English proficiency populations. The MGH Center for Immigrant Health (CIH) will train culturally and linguistically concordant Community Health Workers to administer standardized mental health interventions and help connect patients with immigrant resource specialists to address concrete needs and resettlement stressors that can adversely impact mental health. This type of intervention has demonstrated efficacy in improving anxiety, depression, and PTSD symptoms often experienced by immigrant patients, thus reducing racial and linguistic mental health disparities that have been particularly exacerbated over the course of the pandemic.

Project Name: Roxbury Associate’s to Master’s Workforce Accelerator
Amount Requested: $1,000,000
Intended Recipient: Northeastern University
360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115
Signed financial Disclosure Letter (PDF)
Explanation of Request: This funding would support the Roxbury Associate’s to Master’s Workforce Accelerator (RA2MWA), a structured accelerated pathway program connecting eligible students from Roxbury Community College– the only Historically Black College and University in New England–to valuable higher education opportunities in high- demand fields that lead to good-paying jobs. RA2MWA builds on the successes of Northeastern University’s existing Associate’s to Master’s program, which prepare learners for success in high-demand fields by shortening the time to completion, and by providing valuable research experiences, paid internships, industry and peer mentorships, specialized advising, and other tailored academic, career, and social supports. This project will help to create a more economically equitable Massachusetts 7th Congressional District.

Project Name: Boston Medical Center (BMC) Violence Intervention Advocacy Program (VIAP)
Amount Requested: 370,000
Intended Recipient: Boston Medical Center Corporation
1 Boston Medical Center Place, Boston, MA 02118
Signed financial Disclosure Letter (PDF)
Explanation of Request:  This project would invest in resources and capacity building for the Violence Intervention Advocacy Program that assists Boston victims of violence (gunshots, stabbings) to recover from physical and emotional trauma and empowers them with skills, services and opportunities so they may make positive changes in their lives and help strengthen their communities. Victims are provided wrap-around case management services, job and education training that, in many cases, provide the impetus and guidance they need to re-direct their lives and avoid future violence. VIAP services remain ongoing in the hospital, in the home, and in the community for a period ranging from a few weeks to a year or more as needed.

Project Name: ACEDONE Small Business Development and Technical Assistance Program
Amount Requested: $640,003
Intended Recipient: African Community Economic Development of New England-CDC (ACEDONE-CDC)
89 South Street, Suite 203, Boston, MA 02111
Signed financial Disclosure Letter (PDF)
Explanation of Request: This funding will support the economic vitality of small businesses in predominantly low-income, Black, brown and immigrant communities across the Massachusetts 7th Congressional District and help set the groundwork for an equitable and just economic recovery from this pandemic. ACEDONE-CDC’s programming efforts for economic mobility are evidence-based and stem from sustained engagement and input from the communities served. Funding will support the expansion of the small business development center to serve new and early-stage businesses of the East African immigrant community, facilitate financial literacy and skills training, business planning and other related programming and create nearly 40 employment opportunities for youth and re-entering individuals. This funding will help to expand access to services during a time when many small businesses within these communities have been disproportionately impacted by the economic challenges associated with the pandemic.

Project Name: Neighborhood Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure for Cambridge Residents
Amount Requested: $1,000,000
Intended Recipient: City of Cambridge
795 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139
Signed financial Disclosure Letter (PDF)
Explanation of Request: This funding will support the City’s transition from reliance on fossil fueled vehicles and invest in forms of transportation that mitigate the threat of climate change by investing in the development of a network of publicly available and community accessible electric vehicle (EV) charging stations for Cambridge residents. Transitioning from internal combustion engine vehicles powered by fossil fuels to EVs, powered by electricity increasingly generated by zero emissions renewable energy, is critical to reducing harmful air pollutants and GHG emissions and combatting climate change. A barrier to EV adoption in Cambridge is the lack of reliable, convenient, and affordable EV charging. Expanding the network of EV charging available in the right of way ensures equitable access to the benefits of EVs, including lower costs for individual vehicle owners, and improved local air quality for the community.

Project Name: Downtown Broadway Infrastructure Improvement Project
Amount Requested: $2,000,000
Intended Recipient: City of Chelsea
500 Broadway, Room 101, Chelsea, MA 02150
Signed financial Disclosure Letter (PDF)
Explanation of Request: This funding will support the improvement of the Broadway Corridor—home to an array of minority owned small businesses, vibrant public spaces, high frequency public transit routes, and dense residential housing. Gravely impacted by the pandemic, the downtown encompasses obsolete, unsafe infrastructure. The project envisions comprehensive reconstruction of streetscape and utility infrastructure to ameliorate safety issues, enhance accessible and safe public transit, and promote an equitable economic recovery for the city and its residents.

Project Name: Gateway Park Urban Forest/Wetland Restoration
Amount Requested: 2,000,000
Intended Recipient: City of Everett
484 Broadway, Everett, MA 02149
Signed financial Disclosure Letter (PDF)
Explanation of Request: This funding will help support the restoration of a degraded 14-acre waterfront parcel of land and create a rare public open space for low-income BIPOC residents in the environmental justice community of Everett. This project will remove invasive plants and other debris, reconstruct a forested coastal wetland area as a habitat and for stormwater management, reforest with native trees and other perennials, install environmental education signage in a broad range of languages, and construct a pedestrian boardwalk throughout the site. When complete, Gateway Park will provide rare opportunities for residents in an environmental justice community to enjoy nature along the Boston Harbor waterfront and stay cool during increasingly hot summers.

Project Name: Turner Free Library Mobile Services Project
Amount Requested: $524,000
Intended Recipient: City of Randolph
41 South Main Street, Randolph, MA 02368
Signed financial Disclosure Letter (PDF)
Explanation of Request: This funding will support mobile library and STEM programming to more than 2,046 elementary and middle school students across Randolph Public Schools who lack regular access to school librarians or library services– a gap which has far reaching impacts. This project will support the purchase of a Turner Free Library outreach vehicle to connect students across the District with specialized library materials to promote early childhood literacy, a mobile STEM lab, Wi-Fi, and professional librarians to deliver services.

Project Name: Clarendon Hill Housing and Transportation Equity Project
Amount Requested: 2,400,000
Intended Recipient: City of Somerville
90 Highland Avenue, Somerville, MA 02143
Signed financial Disclosure Letter (PDF)
Explanation of Request: The project will support the community informed transformation of the Clarendon Hill Housing community by increasing safe and affordable housing, promoting accessibility to services and mobility particularly for residents with disabilities and those using a mobility assistance devices and support the development of green and open community space for residents of an ethnically, linguistically and economically diverse neighborhood in Somerville.

Project Name: Cooling Urban Heat Islands through Enhancing Urban Forests in Greater Boston’s Mystic River Watershed
Amount Requested: $400,000
Intended Recipient: Mystic River Watershed Association
20 Academy Street, Suite 306, Arlington, MA 02476
Signed financial Disclosure Letter (PDF)
Explanation of Request: This funding will help mitigate the dangers of climate-driven extreme weather in urban neighborhoods across the Massachusetts 7th Congressional District—particularly in the most vulnerable environmental justice communities including Everett, Chelsea and East Boston. The program will support the implementation of local urban forestry plans (including the planting of 750 trees), while training youth, reentry citizens and others to perform the horticulture activities needed to establish and maintain urban trees.

 

To view Congresswoman Pressley’s FY2022 projects, click here.