The Chatham Fund Awards $50,000 in Grants to Nonprofit Organizations

SOUTH YARMOUTH –During its Annual Grant Cycle, The Chatham Fund of The Cape Cod Foundation recently awarded $50,000 in grants to 11 nonprofit organizations serving the community.

“This year’s funding will help support STEM education and field trips for local children, vocational training and employment opportunities for people with disabilities, and a proactive community forum to discuss issues, accomplishments, and concerns working families with school age children face,” said Henry Holden, Chair of The Chatham Fund.

“It will also provide overdose awareness, prevention and NARCAN response training throughout the community in addition to services for people living with Alzheimer’s and Dementia, students with mental health and substance use disorders, and individuals and families needing assistance with basic needs, including food, housing, heating, transportation, and childcare costs,” he continued.

The recipients are:

Aids Support Group of Cape Cod, $2500
Overdose Awareness, Prevention and NARCAN Response Training Program
Under the principles of Harm Reduction (minimizing potential negative health impacts associated with substances), Aids Support Group of Cape Cod provides free NARCAN distribution and training with their Mobile Outreach Van. NARCAN is the medicine that can reverse overdose. In 2023 and 2024, the organizations distributed 32 doses of NARCAN in Chatham and collected and distributed syringes and fentanyl test strips. In 2025, ASGCC will also provide NARCAN training to town employees and residents.

Alzheimer’s Family Support Center, $5000
Alzheimer’s and Dementia Phone Support for Chatham Caregivers
The AFSC Phone Support Program provides monthly phone calls to families and individuals who are living with ADRD or are caring for someone with ADRD in the Chatham community. There is no cost for the program; service is ongoing 12 months per year.

Behavioral Health Innovators, Inc, $2500
Positive Alternatives for School Support (PASS) Program in Chatham
PASS is an effective early intervention model created to serve students on Cape Cod who face in-school or out-of-school suspension and/or students who have been identified as “struggling but not facing suspension.” PASS serves vulnerable Cape youth living with substance use disorder (SUD) and related mental health conditions. Most youth who attend PASS have significant mental health and SUD challenges and are not receiving the necessary services to help them address underlying issues.

Cape and Islands Veterans Outreach Center, $2500
Veterans’ Healthcare Access Transportation Program
CIVOC’s mission is to provide comprehensive, life-sustaining services for veterans and their families and to promote community awareness. The organization provides mental health support, supportive services for veteran families (housing stability, moving expenses, and childcare), permanent and transitional housing, food pantries, and food delivery programs, which served more than 13,000 veterans and their families in 2024.

Cape Abilities, $4000
Vocational Skill Building at Chatham Farmer’s Market
Cape Abilities has a long-standing partnership with the community in Chatham. Much of the produce sold at the Farm is grown on the premises. The Farm also offers products from local vendors, including Ward’s Berry Farm, Crescent Ridge Dairy, and Four Town Farm. Proceeds from the store’s sales help fund the programs Cape Abilities offers to individuals with disabilities, including residential sup-ports, day habilitation, and transportation.

Chatham Orpheum Theater, $5000
Making the Arts Accessible in Our Communities
The Chatham Orpheum is a welcoming space where seniors can engage with the arts, stimulate their minds, and enhance their well-being through cultural experiences and social interaction. The Theater collaborates with senior centers and assisted living communities for no-cost movie days. In addition, it gave over 4000 tickets away last year for children’s matinees during school breaks and summer.

Grateful Mug Café, $1500
Grateful Mug Café, under Fiscal Sponsorship of Harwich Chamber of Commerce Charitable Foundation
The mission of the Grateful Mug Café (formerly called “Special Friends Café”) is to provide employment opportunities for adults with intellectual, developmental, and physical disabilities in a welcoming and inclusive environment. The Café is targeted to open in the Cultural Center in Harwich in Winter 2025. Its philosophy will center around community, quality, and kindness. It will foster meaningful connections, support local initiatives, and encourage individuals with all sorts of disabilities to show-case their talents, build confidence, and achieve their fullest potential.

Homeless Prevention Council, $7500
Supporting Housing and Financial Stability for Chatham Residents through Personalized Case Management
Funding will support HPC’s Personalized Case Management program for Chatham residents. This program provides long-term, professional and comprehensive support to individuals and families who are unstably housed, struggling with finances, and/or at risk of homelessness. The goal of this program is to assist and empower individuals and families to attain financial independence and to preserve their housing.

Lower Cape Outreach Council, $5000
Financial Assistance for Basic Human Needs of Chatham Residents
The Lower Cape Outreach Council operates three major programs and several seasonal programs designed to support Chatham residents. It operates nine emergency food pantries, one in each town it serves and two in Orleans, where it is headquartered, a free clothing and home goods resource center, and a financial assistance program which helps Chatham clients with a variety of needs, including rent, utilities, car repairs/payments, medical bills, and other unforeseen expenses. Addition-ally, it provides a free, new coat distribution for the winter season, Thanksgiving meals for Chatham families in need, and holiday toys for Chatham children.

Monomoy Community Services, $12,000
Women of Working Families Dinner and Discussion Forum, and General Operating Support
Women of Working Families Dinner & Discussion Forum is an evening of food and conversation about the issues, accomplishments, and concerns local working families with school age children face while trying to survive in a resort community. It’s an opportunity for Monomoy, as an active ser-vice provider in the community, to listen and begin to build new or remodel and improve support existing services and structures, targeted by the members of the community most impacted by eco-nomic factors.

Pleasant Bay Community Boating ($2500)
2025 School Program: Chatham First Sail and Floating Classroom Field Trips
First Sail provides Chatham school children with an exciting sailing and maritime learning experience. Setting out on 19’ sailboats called “Flying Scots,” they learn the foundational sailing principles of wind, sails, tides, navigation, teamwork, and resilience, all in a fun and supportive format. The organization’s electric pontoon boat, The Friend, is categorized by the Coast Guard as a Floating Classroom Research Vessel (FCRV). Field trips aboard the boat address the need for marine education and environmental stewardship. Through lessons taught directly on the water and at the shore, the experience connects students to Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics (STEAM)—bringing the curriculum implemented in their classroom to life. The Friend is part of Pleasant Bay’s Adaptive Sailing fleet and has a ramp for access, wide door entry, and bench seats that flip up for wheelchairs with buckle straps.

Since The Chatham Fund was established in 2013 to build a permanent endowment for the town through private donations, it has awarded $493,845 in grants to nonprofit organizations enhancing the quality of life in the community.

To donate to The Chatham Fund, visit chathamfund.org or send a check, payable to The Chatham Fund, to The Cape Cod Foundation, 261 Whites Path, Unit 2; South Yarmouth, MA 02664.

The Chatham Fund, established in 2011, has awarded a total of $493,845 in grants to nonprofit organizations providing important programs and services to the Chatham community. It is a permanent endowment fund of The Cape Cod Foundation. www.chathamfund.org