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The grants go to nonprofits focused on youth and women’s initiatives prioritizing equity and social progress. “The ALKU Foundation’s Catalyst Grant recipients are embarking on meaningful new projects — whether expanding services, supporting their teams, or building capacity — to deepen their impact for youth and women across Massachusetts,” said **Vanessa Plant, Executive Director of The ALKU Foundation.** “We’re grateful for the chance to support their important work and to learn alongside organizations that know their communities’ needs firsthand. Watching their vision come to life in ways that strengthen local networks and foster lasting progress is truly inspiring, and it’s a privilege to stand beside them in these efforts that bring positive change close to home.” Recipients of the Catalyst Fund grants will increase their operational capacity and outreach efforts, create new partnerships, and launch pioneering programs and initiatives. The grants further deepen ALKU’s commitment to giving back and support within the community. “When the Foundation was formed, we considered how we could create change,” said **Mark Eldridge, CEO of ALKU and trustee of The ALKU Foundation.** “Over the years, we have developed strong relationships with our partners. This grant allows them to have the opportunity to begin new programs or implement new ideas in order to create that change. We are excited about the impact that the supported programs will make.” The 2024 Catalyst Grant recipients include: - [**A Better Chance of Andover (ABC)**](https://www.abcandover.org/) works to reduce inequity in education by providing young BIPOC female students with academic and leadership opportunities. With funding from the Catalyst Grant, Andover ABC plans to subsidize the salary cost of its first-ever executive director, significantly increasing the organization’s operational capacity and outreach efforts. A portion of the grant will also support consulting fees to assess and optimize Andover ABC’s technology operations, ensuring its systems are efficient and scalable. - [**Coaching4Change (C4C)**](https://www.c4cinc.org/) empowers K-12 students in urban and gateway communities by matching them with college mentors who foster academic success and social-emotional growth. Through this work, C4C also creates transformative opportunities for BIPOC, first-generation, and multilingual college students, offering paid internships and career development experiences that prepare them to lead and inspire within their communities. The grant will provide C4C with seed funding to benefit under-resourced Greater Boston communities by expanding the C4C model and founding a new Hub. Through the creation of a Boston Hub, C4C will be able to hire 45 college mentors across 15 schools to serve an additional 900 high-need K-12 students. - [**Future Chefs**](https://futurechefs.net/) empowers Boston’s youth to take charge of their future, providing opportunities to develop the skills needed to grow in their personal and professional life beyond high school through the medium of culinary arts. With grant funding, Future Chefs will expand its daytime programming by partnering with more local high schools in hopes of engaging more young people, adapting their curriculum to better meet the needs of students, and collaborating with professionals from alternative high schools to improve engagement with this unique experience for young people. - [**Girls on the Run Greater Boston**](https://www.girlsontherunboston.org/) empowers elementary and middle school-aged girls by offering opportunities for physical activity and social-emotional skill development, helping them recognize their inner strength, increase their physical activity, and confidently stand up for themselves and others. With support from The ALKU Foundation, Girls on the Run will launch Camp GOTR, a one-week summer program designed to provide girls with these same opportunities during the summer break and other non-school times. - [**Reproductive Equity Now**](https://reproequitynow.org/) is a nonprofit demanding, protecting, and expanding reproductive equity and abortion access across New England. Thanks to support from The ALKU Foundation, the Reproductive Equity Now Foundation is launching an initiative to conduct polling, research, community outreach, and education about ways to further expand access to abortion care in Massachusetts. The Reproductive Equity Now Foundation plans to conduct targeted focus group research to hone its education strategy and message development and utilize its findings in both earned and paid media campaigns. - [**Shine Initiative**](https://www.shineinitiative.org/) is a nonprofit dedicated to building mental health awareness, with a focus on Massachusetts’ schools, businesses and community organizations. With the help of The ALKU Foundation Catalyst Grant, Shine Initiative is partnering with Girl’s Inc. of Worcester to host a community summit that will train both Shine and Girl’s Inc. employees on the importance of culturally responsive mental health support and education. The Shine Initiative and Girl’s Inc. hope to one day open this model up to other community organizations that service diverse populations over the next 3 years. - [**Silver Lining Mentoring**](https://www.silverliningmentoring.org/) empowers youth in foster care to thrive through committed mentoring relationships and the development of essential life skills**. **With support of The ALKU Foundation Catalyst Grant, Silver Lining Mentoring plans to launch a new e-mentoring initiative that will connect young people who have aged out of foster care with long-term, highly trained volunteer mentors using a virtual platform. In the program’s first year,Silver Lining Mentoring will serve 50 young people, focusing on outcomes such as increased social capital and independent living skills. - [**YouthConnect**](https://www.bgcb.org/learn-more/what-we-do/our-programs/youthconnect/) places clinical social workers within Boston police departments to support youth and families by addressing social-emotional issues contributing to juvenile crime. They provide violence prevention, intervention, advocacy, and mental health services. With funding from The ALKU Foundation Catalyst Grant, YouthConnect will launch a Staff Wellness Initiative aimed at enhancing the physical, emotional, and mental well-being of their team, who work with marginalized youth. The initiative offers wellness resources like mental health support, ergonomics, nutrition, and creative outlets to combat vicarious trauma and burnout, ensuring caregivers have access to vital resources previously limited by financial or systemic barriers. ## **About The ALKU Foundation** The ALKU Foundation builds meaningful partnerships with nonprofit organizations that create and promote positive change in the lives of young people and their Massachusetts communities. The ALKU Foundation is the philanthropic arm of ALKU, one of the nation’s fastest-growing staffing firms, facilitating critical solutions for businesses by providing highly specialized consultants across cutting edge industries including IT and life sciences. With more than 500+ employees across seven locations nationwide, ALKU generates more than $600 million in annual revenue. ALKU’s Have Fun Working Hard® company culture focuses on employee retention and growth, training and development and a highly specialized division-led operation model. ALKU is headquartered in Andover, Massachusetts. Tags: [Press Release](https://blog.alku.com/news/tag/press-release) [Awards](https://blog.alku.com/news/tag/awards) SHARE [![twitter](https://blog.alku.com/hubfs/placeholder/x-icon-black.svg)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://blog.alku.com/news/the-alku-foundation-2024-catalyst-funds&text=%3Cspan+id%3D%22hs_cos_wrapper_name%22+class%3D%22hs_cos_wrapper+hs_cos_wrapper_meta_field+hs_cos_wrapper_type_text%22+style%3D%22%22+data-hs-cos-general-type%3D%22meta_field%22+data-hs-cos-type%3D%22text%22+%3EThe+ALKU+Foundation+Awards+%24300%2C000+in+Grants+Across+Eight+Nonprofits+in+Second+Year+of+Catalyst+Fund%3C%2Fspan%3E) [![facebook](https://blog.alku.com/hubfs/placeholder/facebook-icon-black.svg)](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://blog.alku.com/news/the-alku-foundation-2024-catalyst-funds) [![linkedin](https://blog.alku.com/hubfs/placeholder/linkedin-icon-black.svg)](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https://blog.alku.com/news/the-alku-foundation-2024-catalyst-funds) ![ALKU Media](https://blog.alku.com/hubfs/Imported%20images/E07U6PQKU21-U1FRW4YQN-3dfea8b11369-512.png) ### ALKU Media Rebecca Crossley Director, Corporate Affairs & Media Relations (978) 578-4108 rcrossley@alku.com ### More About Press Release [SEE ALL Press Release ARTICLES](https://blog.alku.com/news/tag/press-release) ## Latest Articles [SEE ALL LATEST ARTICLES](https://blog.alku.com/) ### [Life Sciences ALKU Expands Medical Device Specialty Staffing with Strategic Division Split Nov 12, 2025](https://blog.alku.com/life-sciences/alku-expands-medical-device-specialty-staffing-with-division-split) ### [Consulting Resources What Does a Project Manager Do and Why Is It Important? 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