DA Rollins Delivers $200K in Grants to Community Organizations

BOSTON, June 23, 2021— District Attorney Rachael Rollins today announced that her office is providing $200,000 in grant funds to 45 community-based nonprofits – double the funding delivered to community partners in past years – to support efforts benefiting youth across Boston, Chelsea, Revere and Winthrop.

During a virtual ceremony this afternoon, District Attorney Rollins honored the 2021 Community Reinvestment Grant recipients, who received grants ranging from $1,500 to $5,000.  In addition to providing funds to support vital programming, District Attorney Rollins and her staff committed to visits at each of the 45 community programs – the most organizations to ever receive the grants from this office in a single year.

“I was elected DA on the promise that I would use the power of this office to lift up communities.  Prosecutors are not merely attorneys; we are ministers of justice. That role extends far beyond the courtroom.  Racial justice.  Economic justice.  Educational equity.  Equal access to medical and mental health care.  Commitment to our youths’ success and improvement. These are all societal issues that impact public safety but that can’t be handled exclusively through a law enforcement approach,” District Attorney Rollins told the nonprofit leaders and guests of this afternoon’s ceremony.  “We can’t arrest our way out of substance use disorders or prosecute away poverty and lack of opportunity.  What we can do, though, is partner with organizations like yours and support the excellent work that you do to build a better future for our young people and the communities they inhabit.”

During her first year in office in 2019, District Attorney Rollins distributed $100,000 in grants – nearly twice the amount that the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office has traditionally distributed during past years.  Last year, the office was forced to suspend the grant program due to concerns about the global pandemic’s impact on the economy but held workshops training more than 100 local organizations on how to effectively apply for the grant funding.  The office also took proactive steps to protect its budget, including implementing a furlough and placing employees in the state’s Workshare program.  Despite continued economic uncertainty, District Attorney Rollins prioritized the program in 2021 and committed to doubling the total pool of funds to $200,000 to help community organizations build their capacity to perform their vital work serving Suffolk County’s young people. 

“The work that our partner agencies perform every day makes a measurable impact in the lives of the young people, families and communities they serve.  The last 15 months have been a challenge for nonprofits.  At a time that there were fewer available resources and greater difficulties delivering services, members of our communities came to rely on service providers in greater numbers,” District Attorney Rollins said.  “The 2021 Community Reinvestment Grant recipients have shown the importance of innovation and evolution, and they have shown the kind of positive impact that grassroots efforts make in our communities.”

This year’s Community Reinvestment Grant recipients are:

1.   10,000 Fearless

2.   313WON Productions

3.   Allston Brighton Substance Abuse Task Force

4.   Becoming A Man (BAM)

5.   Beyond the Yellow Tape

6.   Black Ministerial Alliance of Greater Boston, Inc.

7.   Boston Asian Youth Essential Services

8.   Boston Debate League

9.   Boston Lions Track Club

10.  The Boston Project

11.  Cambridge Jets Track Club

12.  Casa Myrna

13.  Chica Project

14.      Children's Services of Roxbury

15.      La Colaborativa

16.      College Bound Dorchester

17.      Communities for Restorative Justice (C4RJ)

18.      Community Action for Safe Alternatives (CASA)

19.      Community Action Programs Inter-City, Inc. (CAPIC)/ Revere Police Activities League (PAL)

20.      Define Inspiration Yourself/Kings Table at the Eliot Detention Center

21.      Dorchester Eagles Pop Warner program

22.      Empower Our Crown

23.      Freedom House

24.      Friends of the Children - Boston

25.      Future Friday Elite Run

26.      HarborCOV

27.      Hyde Square Task Force

28.      Immigrant Family Services Institute, Inc.

29.      Metropolis Track Club

30.      MissionSAFE

31.      Next Era Panthers

32.      OneLove Sports Academy

33.      Origin Nile Publishing

34.      Parkway Little League

35.      Parkway Girls Softball League

36.      Project R.I.G.H.T. Inc.

37.      Rehearsal for Life

38.      Transformational Prison Project

39.      Turn it Around – Charlestown Coalition

40.      Vibrent Creations

41.      We Are Better Together Warren Hairston Project

42.      Women on the Rise, Inc.

43.      Winthrop Parks & Recreation

44.      Young Man with a Plan

45.      Youth in Crisis Ministries

Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins’ office serves the communities of Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop, Mass. The office handles over 20,000 cases a year. More than 160 attorneys in the office practice in nine district and municipal courts, Suffolk Superior Court, the Massachusetts Appeals Court, the Supreme Judicial Court, and the Boston Juvenile Courts. The office employs some 300 people and offers a wide range of services and programs to serve anyone who comes in contact with the criminal justice system. This office is committed to educating the public about the services we provide, our commitment to crime prevention, and our dedication to keeping the residents of Suffolk County safe.