MEL Community Foundation Grants

MEL Community Foundation Grants is sponsored by MEL Community Foundation. The MEL Community Foundation partners with nonprofits that support learning outcomes for English Learners in public schools. The grants aim to develop district partnerships and effective K-12 programming to address the achievement gap for English Learners.

Grant Partners - MEL Community Foundation Minds Matter Boston’s (MMB) mission is to connect high-achieving students from low-income families with the people, preparation, and possibilities needed to succeed in college, create their futures, and change the world. Minds Matter Boston offers an intensive four-year college access program.

Students meet weekly for three years — as high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors — for holistic and high-touch in-person sessions. They receive a staff-developed and volunteer-delivered curriculum that covers the full breadth of the college application process, from test prep and financial aid, to mentorship and college tours, to summer programs and writing instruction.

We also support students in their freshman year of college to ensure a seamless transition to their life on campus — this includes workshops, staff advising, and special events. Beginning in summer 2025, we will grow from providing a four-year program to a seven-year program, supporting students all the way through their senior year of college and into meaningful post-graduate careers that afford lifelong economic mobility.

We look forward to sharing more details about this expansion with the MEL Community Foundation. Minds Matter Boston Website Over the past year, with initial funding from the MEL Community Foundation, the Waltham Public Schools implemented the “Integrating Language and Content through PBL” project to improve access and inclusion.

The result has been high quality instruction in physics and biology classrooms that immerses students in hands-on projects and interests them in STEM careers. With funding for the 2025-2026 school year, the project will build on successful partnerships and expand to include two new components. The first new component is the addition of a structured Professional Learning Community (PLC), facilitated by an instructional coach.

The second component is integration of literacy data into the lesson planning process. Waltham Public Schools Website In the News: Waltham Times Boston Debate League / Debate en Español Debate en Español participants compete and learn alongside their English-speaking peers at the same tournaments, scrimmages, and other BDL programming.

At their schools, participants engage in debate practices in Spanish, and their coaches have access to our full debate curriculum in Spanish. At tournaments, debaters use evidence and compete in rounds fully in Spanish, with judging rendered by Spanish-speaking volunteers.

Alongside their debate activities, what makes DeE even more powerful for participants is the opportunity to engage with professional adults who share their language and culture. In addition to learning from bilingual tournament volunteers, BDL cultivates partnerships with community organizations that can connect students to resources, internships, mentors, and other valuable experiences.

With support from the MEL Community Foundation, the Everett Public Schools seeks to establish a Dual Language Immersion Program Steering Committee. The committee will lead the planning, design, and community engagement process to implement a Spanish and/or Portuguese dual language immersion program within the district.

A strong research base shows that high-quality dual language programs improve educational outcomes for ELs by promoting biliteracy, academic achievement in both languages, and cultural inclusion. Collier & Thomas (2020) indicated that dual language programs benefit ELs, new immigrants, indigenous groups, English speakers, and others, but our EL students benefit dramatically more.

Everett Public Schools Website Interested in partnering with the MEL Community Foundation?