About Greater Lowell Community Foundation
To foster community growth and development through funding, leadership, and collaboration to transform the lives of the individuals and organizations we serve.
Focus Areas
Arts & CultureChildren & YouthElder ServicesLGBTQ+ servicesRacial equity & inclusionEducation / ScholarshipsCommunity developmentNonprofit capacity building
Who They Fund
youth / adolescentspeople experiencing homelessnesswomen (gender-specific programs)low-income / underserved community residentslocal community organizations / nonprofit infrastructure
About Greater Lowell Community Foundation
Greater Lowell Community Foundation Inc combines donor-advised scholarship administration with place-based grantmaking across Lowell and nearby communities. One defining part of its work is scholarship distribution: it administers hundreds of donor-established scholarship funds and gives more than $700,000 in scholarship funding annually, including the JUMP START Scholarship for students from Lowell or Lawrence and surrounding communities who have faced life challenges. Beyond education, the foundation regularly supports local organizations serving youth, health, housing stability, immigrant resettlement, and arts and culture. Recent awards also show support for nonprofit infrastructure and community institutions, such as permanent agency endowments and general operating grants to local service providers. The foundation’s pattern is local and highly concentrated in Greater Lowell and the surrounding area, with recipients spanning schools, health centers, arts groups, and human services organizations. Its recent grant list includes both unrestricted support and purpose-specific awards, suggesting a mix of flexible funding and targeted program support.
What Greater Lowell Community Foundation Funds
Education is a major thread in the foundation’s work. It administers donor-funded scholarship programs and also runs the JUMP START Scholarship, a bi-annual $2,500 award for students 18+ from Lowell or Lawrence and surrounding communities pursuing vocational training, community college, or four-year college. Arts and culture appear in both general and program-specific support: Merrimack Repertory Theatre Inc. received a $161,978 grant in 2025 to support student programming, and the foundation’s Arts Elevate initiative has funded arts equity projects in Greater Lowell. Community health and basic needs are another clear area. Lowell Community Health Center received $95,000 in general support in 2023, while Lowell Transitional Living Center received $92,750 in 2025. The foundation also backs immigrant and refugee stabilization through the Refugee and Immigrant Resettlement Fund, which supports housing, food, transportation, staffing, and essential supplies.
How Greater Lowell Community Foundation Gives
Typical grant size sits at $10,000 at the 25th percentile, $15,000 at the median, and $38,242 at the 75th percentile. The grant list shows repeated support for the same organizations across multiple years, including Community Teamwork Inc., Merrimack Repertory Theatre Inc., Boys & Girls Club of Greater Lowell, and Lowell Community Health Center, which points to ongoing relationships rather than one-off gifts. The foundation is a mixed community foundation and does not fund individuals. Its pattern includes general support, unrestricted grants, and program-specific awards, alongside scholarship administration and agency fund management. Some programs accept unsolicited applications, including the scholarship programs and the Nashoba Valley Community Healthcare Fund grants.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$3.9M
Total Assets
$75.2M
Total Revenue
$8.8M
Total Expenses
$7.4M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $10K and $38K, with a median of $15K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$15K
75th Percentile
$38K
Geographic Reach
Local8 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
CHESTER SZABLAK
Accepts unsolicited proposals
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