Recent grants awarded by the
MIT Community Service Fund

Amphibious Achievement is a dual athletic and academic program for urban youth in the Boston area founded by MIT Alumni and operated by students from MIT and other local universities. This program enhances achievement through mind-body learning as well as innovative and high quality mentorship and college preparatory tutoring.

American Red Cross Team and Network (ARCTAN) is the official liaison between the American Red Cross and the MIT community. Operating in cooperation with the Massachusetts Bay chapter of the American Red Cross, ARCTAN runs blood drives, raises funds, teaches CPR and first aid, and provides volunteers for disaster relief and food pantry activities. ARCTAN is run by MIT students, and its members are MIT students, staff, alumni and affiliates.

Breakthrough Cambridge and Breakthrough Greater Boston (BTGB) seeks to transform urban education for students and teachers. Through six years of intensive, tuition-free, out of school time programming, Breakthrough changes students' academic trajectories and supports them along the path to four-year college.

Cambridge Community Center is located in the Riverside neighborhood of Cambridge, between Central Square and Memorial Drive, and has served the community for over 83 years. The center promotes community cooperation and unity and empowers youth, individuals, and families by offering social, cultural, educational, and recreational activities.

Cambridge School Volunteers (CSV) was founded in 1966 develops programs which match caring and competent adults with Cambridge students of all needs and levels.

Cambridge Science Expo and the Cambridge Science Festival, the first of its kind in the United States, showcases the leading edge in science, technology, engineering and math. A multifaceted, multicultural event every spring, the Cambridge Science Festival makes science accessible, interactive and fun!

Camp Kaleidoscope/Parts and Crafts is a camp geared towards kids who like to create, invent, explore, and do so in a hands-on setting. Serving children in Greater Boston, Camp Kaleidoscope provides opportunities for kids to explore areas of science, arts and crafts, electronics, robotics, and other hobby areas at their own accord and on their own terms.

Camp Kesem is a college student run summer overnight camp for kids with a parent who has (or has had) cancer. This camp is a chance for kids ages 6-13 to have a fun-filled week and just be kids. Many MIT students have served as camp counselors.

Charles River Conservancy organizes volunteers to beautify the Parklands and preserve the landscape, advocate for land uses that advance healthy living, public access, and physical parkland improvements, and build awareness about the Charles River.

CityDays is a fall event organized by the MIT Public Service Center that encourages all undergraduate and graduate students to participate in a day of service around Greater Boston.

CitySprouts introduces school gardens as a core element of children's public school education in Greater Boston.

Community Art Center in Cambridge was founded in 1932 is committed to nurturing children and young adults with limited access to financial resources so they achieve personal and cultural growth, and have a positive impact on their world through joyful experiences in the arts.

Community Music Outreach is a program run through the Cambridge Center for Adult Education that emphasizes musical education to enhance community.

Freshman Urban Program (FUP) is a freshman pre-orientation program that introduces students to MIT and the surrounding community through service activities and discussion of urban issues.

Just-A-Start Corporation (JAS) was founded by an MIT alumnus in 1968 and helps working and retired families in Cambridge and surrounding Metro North communities to meet basic family needs. JAS provides services to homeowners and renters to help increase their quality of living; offers education and workforce training opportunities; and develops, rehabilitates and preserves sorely needed, affordable rental and ownership housing.

KeyPals matches adults with middle school students for one-on-one communication via e-mail. The program provides adult role models, fosters the improvement of writing and computer skills, and increases career awareness through virtual mentoring and in-person meetings.

Learning Unlimited (LU) is leading a movement of college students teaching everything and anything to more than 6,000 high school students annually.

Lifeworks provides education, jobs and homes for people with developmental disabilities empowering them to lead more meaningful lives within the Cambridge community.

Margaret Fuller Neighborhood House (MFNH) is located in Area IV, one of the most diverse and densely populated communities in Cambridge. MFNH provides needed services to over 4,000 constituents and focuses on building relationships that strengthens the community, eliminate violence from the streets, and gain access to basic human service and educational needs.

MIT InnoWorks is an innovative science and engineering initiative "by students, for students," designed and implemented by college volunteers for middle-school students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

MIT Sea Grant has created a suite of innovative, hands-on educational programs in marine ecology, ocean engineering, and underwater robotics for K-12 classroom programs and summer programs for high school and college students. In addition, they train teachers and community leaders, and conduct public outreach activities that bring the latest science and technology out of the laboratory and into the hands of students, professionals, and the general public.

MIT Solar Electric Vehicle Team is a recognized MIT student organization, working under the auspices of the Edgerton Center. The team draws on a broad range of technical knowledge encompassing all fields of engineering and science plus project management and business skills.

National Braille Press supports a lifetime of opportunity for blind children through braille literacy, and provides access to information that empowers blind people to actively engage in work, family, and community affairs.

On The Rise in Cambridge creates a community where women have the relationships, safety and resources they need to move out of homelessness.

People Making a Difference (PMD) of Boston involves and engages people through meaningful, hands-on work that meets local needs by following a strong service ethic.

The men of Phi Delta Theta share a strong commitment to personal growth. Fostering an environment of betterment and support, brothers strengthen one another intellectually and morally so that after four years, members enter the real world as better men. The MIT fraternity applied for a grant to strengthen their community service program.

Project Manna is a program run by the Massachusetts Avenue Baptist Church's hot meals program and food pantry. Project Manna serves approximately 150 meals a week throughout Cambridge.

Co-sponsored by the MIT Public Service Center and the Student Financial Services, ReachOut recruits, trains, and matches tutors with children at a local community center to engage and challenge them with reading and writing activities.

Science Club for Girls increases the self-confidence and literacy in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) of K-12th grade girls in Cambridge through free programs that include hands-on learning, mentorship, and leadership opportunities. Girls work with mentor-scientists who model and foster leadership, affirm college as an expectation, and promote careers in science and technology as goals and options.

Sprout is a group of community scientists working to create rich opportunities for learning about and exploring science, in Somerville and the Greater Boston area. They are working to create a community college that lives up to its name -- not a college in a community or a school in a building, but a community of people who work together as colleagues to explore questions they care about.

TTT Mentor Program works with multicultural families with school age children in grades 4-7 living in the Greater Boston and Cambridge communities. The enrichment activities are in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Tutoring Plus aims to support and encourage the academic, personal, and social growth of children and youth in Cambridge with the help of volunteers and community partners through multiculturalism, mentoring, collaboration, inclusiveness, and by fostering academic success and self-esteem.

The goal of Young Savants is to leverage the energy of children ages 6-18 and focus on crucial areas of their lives by providing the life and academic skills necessary to succeed.