Foundation Award Shines a Light on the Talents of Deaf Youth in Building
Communication Equity in Boston
Boston, MA – February 8, 2022 - DEAFinitely, Inc. announced it has been awarded a $50,000 grant from The Boston Foundation through it’s Open Door Grants program. This grant will allow DEAFinitely to accelerate its American Sign Language (ASL) programs in the performing arts and peer mentoring by serving more Deaf/hard of hearing youth and creating more leadership opportunities for Deaf/hard of hearing individuals within the organization.
“Through the Open Doors grant, DEAFinitely will create meaningful opportunities for Deaf/hard of hearing youth to learn about themselves, their community and the world through the medium of dance, the performing arts and mentoring” Jamie Robinson, DEAFinitely Founder and Creative Director said today. “We look forward to generating greater awareness and action for communication equity in Boston and demonstrating the talents and gifts Deaf/hard of hearing youth have to share with society.”
DEAFinitely, Inc. was founded 5 years ago and became a non-profit in 2019. It serves Deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind, deaf-disabled and hearing youth representing multi-lingual, cultural, racial and economic backgrounds. Youth between the ages of 7-22 are from nearly every neighborhood in Greater Boston and surrounding towns. A leadership team of Deaf/hard of hearing adults and youth ages 17+ provide overall guidance to the organization.
“The team at DEAFinitely has done a remarkable job not just creating programs for Deaf/hard of hearing young people, but creating opportunities for them to lead and share in program design,” said Orlando Watkins, Vice President and Chief Program Officer at the Boston Foundation. “We look forward to partnering with them as they expand access and involvement in the arts to an even larger number of young people."
Open Door Grants are competitive grants designed for organizations whose proposal is focused on Greater Boston and whose values align with those of the Boston Foundation. Grants are awarded twice each year and are selected by staff and community reviewers through an inclusive evaluation process. Funds for Open Door Grants come from the Boston Foundation’s Permanent Fund for Boston, Greater Boston’s only endowed fund focusing on the pressing needs of Greater Boston, supplemented by other Foundation funds as available. The Permanent Fund has been made possible by more than a century of gifts from those who seek to support innovative solutions to the region’s most pressing problems since 1915.
About DEAFinitely, Inc.
DEAFinitely, Inc. is a non-profit organization that empowers Deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind, deaf-disabled and hearing youth from a wide diversity of communication, cultural, racial and socio-economic backgrounds to spark social change through mentoring, performing arts and American Sign Language (ASL). Through its programs, DEAFinitely provides opportunities for youth to learn about themselves and adopt critical thinking skills; boost communication access to world issues through Deaf peer mentoring through the shared language of ASL; and help build self-esteem and a deep sense of belonging which can lead to positive choices and dreams about contributions to the world.
About The Boston Foundation
The Boston Foundation, Greater Boston’s community foundation, brings people and resources together to solve Boston’s big problems. Established in 1915, it is one of the largest community foundations in the nation—with net assets of $1.3 billion. In 2020, the Foundation and its donors paid $215 million in grants to nonprofit organizations. The Foundation works in close partnership with its donors, with more than 1,000 separate charitable funds established for the general benefit of the community or for special purposes. It also serves as a major civic leader, think tank and advocacy organization, commissioning research into the most critical issues of our time and helping to shape public policy designed to advance opportunity for everyone in Greater Boston. The Philanthropic Initiative (TPI), a consulting unit of the Foundation, designs and implements customized philanthropic strategies for families, foundations and corporations around the globe. For more information about the Boston Foundation and TPI, visit tbf.org or call 617-338-1700.
CONTACT DATA
Jamie Robinson DEAFinitely, Inc. Founder & Director deafinitelycrew@gmail.com www.deafinitelyinc.com
Ted McEnroe The Boston Foundation Senior Director of Communications and Digital Media Ted.McEnroe@tbf.org 617-338-3890 www.tbf.org