Overview

Jane’s Trust made 58 new grants in 2009. The total amount awarded in new grants and payments on multiple year grants was $9,025,061.62. The majority of grants were for one or two years, and the average size of new grants was $150,000. In addition to grants in the Trust’s primary areas of interest, the Trustees made several grants for memberships.

This continues to be a challenging time for many nonprofits and the Trustees responded to the need in communities in Massachusetts, northern New England and Florida in several ways. The Trustees chose to focus their resources largely on operating grants and program support in 2009. The Trustees made only a few capital grants, for building projects nearing completion or those that were critical to the organization’s execution of its core mission. The Trust’s primary focus continues to be promoting access to programs and services for underserved populations. The Trustees define underserved populations broadly, including economic, geographic and demographic issues which affect access to needed programs and services. The Trustees are mindful of the timing of their support, and prefer to make grants which assist with an organization’s efforts to achieve long-term sustainability. Given that the Trustees make grants in several distinct geographic regions, they also look to assess the role of a Jane’s Trust grant relative to an organization’s local base of support. The Trustees have also been rigorous in their review of program plans, financial statements, budgets and projections for long-term sustainability. The Trustees also funded a number of pooled funds, where a Jane’s Trust grant joins with funds from other donors to hopefully create greater impact on a focused set of issues.

In an effort to best deploy Jane’s Trust’s resources in a strategic and lasting way, the Trustees have changed the focus of some of their grants in 2010, as follows:

1. The Trust will focus its grants in southwestern Florida and eastern Massachusetts on issues related to health and welfare as outlined in the existing guidelines.
2. As a result, the Trust will no longer make grants in arts and culture, education or environment in those geographical areas. This applies only to new grants beginning in 2010. Existing multiple year commitments will be honored.

The Trust will continue its focus in the following areas:

1. The Trust will continue to make grants in arts and culture, education, environment and health and welfare in the northern New England states of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.

2   The Trust will continue to focus primarily on operating and program support, but will consider a limited number of capital projects if they fit the criteria outlined above and in the guidelines.

3. The Trustees continue their strong interest in providing for basic human needs and addressing issues of access for underserved populations.

4. The Trustees continue to be interested in organizations and projects which address more than one area of the Trustees program area interests, and in those organizations and projects which are designed to work collaboratively across those program areas.

Arts & Culture

            In 2009, the Trust awarded four new grants in arts and culture, totaling just over $625,000 in one and two year grants. All four grants were made for program or operating support for cultural organizations in northern New England providing increased access to high quality arts experiences for underserved populations. The grantees provide services in urban and rural areas in northern New England and include a range of artistic disciplines, including visual and performing arts, cultural history and science and technology. The projects all included significant community engagement, and had well developed sustainability plans and local funding partners. The grants also included a challenge grant to help stimulate local donors to a sustainability campaign for a community music school in New Hampshire.

As noted above, in 2010, the Trustees have announced changes to their arts and culture grantmaking. The Trust will no longer accept applications from cultural organizations in Massachusetts or Florida. They will continue to support cultural organizations in the northern New England states of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont as outlined in the current guidelines, with a focus on program and operating support requests.

Education

In 2009, the Trust made 14 new education grants totaling $2.34 million, split between one and two year grants. While the majority of grants were to support specific projects, several were for general operating support and two grants were awarded for capital projects. One capital grant helped an organization meet a challenge grant and complete its building campaign and the other is part of an organization’s long-term sustainability strategy. As in the past, the Trust’s education grants focused on improving educational opportunities for disadvantaged populations. Grants were for a series of strategies to improve education among vulnerable populations, including preparing young children for school success, providing rich learning opportunities during and after school, promoting college access and helping adults gain the skills needed to support their families.

Beginning in 2010, the Trust’s education grants will focus exclusively on the northern New England states of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. The Trustees will not accept applications from educational organizations in Massachusetts and Florida, except to the extent that they overlap with or include a primary focus on health and welfare.

Environment

            The Trustees made 11 environmental grants in 2009, totaling just over $1.3 million in one and two year grants. Geographically, two of the grants were for projects in Massachusetts, one in Florida, and the remainder for projects in the northern New England states of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. The environmental grants focus on issues of environmental sustainability, including energy efficiency, reuse and recycling. Environmental education, community engagement and outreach are also crucial components of the funded projects. In addition, many of the projects are being conducted in collaboration with social and human service organizations and/or focused on underserved communities. Jane’s Trust also awarded a challenge grant to a pooled grantmaking fund focused on quality of place in Maine.

In 2010, the Trustees will no longer make grants to environmental organizations for programs or operations in Massachusetts or Florida except to the extent that they overlap with or include a primary focus on health and welfare. The Trust will continue to support environmental organizations and projects in the northern New England states of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.

Health & Welfare

In 2009, the Trustees approved 29 new health and welfare grants, totaling over $4.2 million. The one and two year grants are primarily for operating and program support, with three capital grants supporting new food bank facilities serving greater Boston and New Hampshire and for the purchase of a mobile medical van serving migrant agricultural workers in Maine. Fifteen grants focus on service delivery to meet basic needs for underserved urban and rural populations. Specific grants focused on the provision of emergency, transitional and permanent housing for homeless individuals and families; violence prevention among youth and adults; hunger relief; and job training.  In addition, nine grants focused on improving access to quality and affordable health care, increasing palliative and end-of-life care, expanding mental and behavioral health services and supporting a partnership between medical professionals and legal services.

Trustee Discretionary Grants

            The Trustees invited a small number of organizations to receive funding thorough Trustee directed grants as noted in the grants list. This program is not open to unsolicited applications.