Inclusion: Partnership with the Tower Foundation

Centerboard is please to announce a partnership with the Peter and Elizabeth Tower Foundation to blanket Essex County nonprofits in inclusion work! Beginning in FY23, Centerboard will host one cohort per year of five local nonprofits. In this three-year project, we will have the opportunity to reach 15 nonprofits! The Tower Foundation is deeply committed to this work and they do not want cost to be a barrier.

Who is eligible to apply?

  • Nonprofits in Essex County, MA

  • Must serve youth ages 0-26 as a core constituency of your work

  • Strong preference for service provision in at least one of the following areas: mental health, substance use disorders, intellectual disabilities, and/or learning disabilities

  • Be able to show that there is a financial obstacle to engaging in meaningful inclusion work

What does the project entail?

  • Participate in an organization-wide DEI assessment (in-person at your site and virtually) and receive written recommendations and feedback. Organizations are asked to contribute what they can for the cost of the assessment.

  • Send five of your staff to participate in 20 weeks of FREE virtual cohort training to take place between October and May. Each session is 1.5 hours long.

  • Cohort participants commit to practicing the inclusion tools learned during training and think through how to bring what they are learning back to the entire organization.

  • Receive additional support from Centerboard including individual meetings, access to our DEI podcast, etc. as you progress on your DEI journey.

  • Provide feedback regarding what has changed in your organization as a result of your participation in this project.


Interested in applying to be part of this exciting inclusion project?

Email us for more information! Our 2nd cohort will be finalized by September 2023 and begin cohort training in October 2023.