Jones Partnership Fund awards grants to strengthen Waltham communities

The Jones Partnership Fund, a grant-awarding program of The First Parish Church in Waltham, recently announced it has awarded grants to 21 Waltham nonprofits for 2025. 

Many of the organizations provide support and services to residents who lack adequate access to food, shelter, healthcare and legal services. Other groups focus on strengthening local communities through events and projects that bring people together. The Waltham Times is among the recipients this year.

The JPF is named for Ted and Nathalie Jones, who were long-time members of First Parish, a Unitarian Universalist community. Ted Jones was an associate minister at the church as well as a founder and co-owner of radio station WCRB, which he converted from pop music to classical programming. He bought his first shares of stock in the station in the 1940s. The couple over the years donated shares to First Parish and set up a trust for the stock “to preserve classical commercial radio for 100 years.”

Following Ted Jones’ death in 1991, a Lowell country music station offered $100 million to trade its broadcast frequency and tower with WCRB. The Waltham Day Care Center received 62.5% of the trust and First Parish received 37.5%. The First Parish share was to be used “for projects not directly or indirectly part of the annual budget.” 

“Ted and Nathalie wanted First Parish to be more involved in the community in a way that would also be good for the church by building positive relationships and getting publicity,” according to a statement from the church.

To fulfill the Jones’ wishes, the church established the JPF in 2009. The fund has since awarded 200 grants to 47 organizations, totalling $375,000 in contributions, said Marty Ahrens, chair of the fund committee. 

The grant process starts each year in mid-December, and applicants must be sponsored by an individual who has been a member of First Parish for at least one year. Following a vote by the parish board, the congregation votes on which applicants will receive the grants. The church’s website describes the application requirements.

Grant applicants should have values aligned with the values of the church, Ahrens said. “It’s always difficult to balance priorities,” she added. “Food insecurity is critical now. We also value community building and the arts. We need both bread and roses.”

Grant recipients in 2025

African Cultural Services, also known as Africano Waltham, received $2,950 to support its well-established food pantry distribution and outreach program. The program serves low-income, food-insecure families and brings comfort with culturally sensitive foods. ACS has begun to rely more on deliveries and pickups at its center. The grant will help cover the costs of truck rental and delivery drivers. 

Association of Blind Citizens received $1,300 to enable its adaptive, inclusive baseball team, the Boston Renegades, to participate in a tournament in Philadelphia. “The Boston Renegades team offers a unique and inclusive sports opportunity that provides players a chance to learn life skills, gain independence, and participate in teamwork. Volunteers on the team also come to understand the players’ daily challenges and the importance of a more inclusive world,” JPF stated. The grant is used for transportation costs for 28 Renegades, as well as five partial scholarships for the weekend event. 

Sanctuary Boston was awarded $1,100 for its campus ministry to help retain, attract and build community for young adult Unitarian Universalists. “Sanctuary Boston works to create a network of campus groups, providing a hub for communications, connections and mutual support,” JPF noted. Brandeis University has an affiliate chaplaincy. Students from all over the Boston area are invited to connect for worship, small groups and other programs in 2025. Funding helps sponsor a student retreat, spiritual care packages, a Friendsgiving meal and the cost of outreach.

TCC Cat Rescue Inc., also known as The Cat Connection, received $1,600 to support its spay/neuter assistance program. Now in its ninth year, the program focuses on helping Waltham’s low-income cat owners and families. “Some pet owners adopt pets without considering the associated medical costs. Spay and neuter costs alone easily run into the hundreds of dollars,” TCC stated in its application. Its program “tries to reach these pet owners and provide the encouragement, motivation and means to care for their pets.”

Chaplains on the Way received $4,100 to support its breakfast and chaplaincy program in Whitcomb Hall at First Parish in Waltham. The program offers the unhoused community of Waltham a hot meal, spiritual gatherings and a safe, welcoming space. From 2020 through 2023, COTW operated a daily breakfast program only during the winter months. The program expanded to partially cover the rest of the year in 2024. As the number of people experiencing homelessness in Waltham grows, its goal for 2025 is to remain open year-round to provide consistency, food stability and chaplaincy to Waltham’s unhoused community. 

Chesterbrook Community Foundation received $1,200 to fund a “Community Day” end-of-school-year party for kids in Chesterbrook and neighboring communities. This annual event helps close the school year for kids in the Chesterbrook Gardens with music, games and food. This year the invitation is being extended to not only kids attending the Chesterbrook Learning Center but also kids in the Gardens, thus increasing a sense of belonging and widening networks.

Community Day Center of Waltham received $2,400 to fund its Case Manager’s Helping Hand Fund. This fund aims to combat chronic homelessness by helping unhoused folks navigate a complex, lengthy and resource-consuming journey that may involve not only finding a suitable home but also receiving legal services and medical treatment.

Downtown Waltham Partnership received $800 for the annual Watch City Steampunk Festival. The festival attracts crowds to downtown Waltham to experience, explore and exhibit Victorian-era clothing and steam-powered technology. 

Food Link Inc. received $4,000 to help source and distribute high-quality and fresh surplus food to Waltham residents in need. “The amount of food distributed by Food Link has significantly increased over the years pointing to the need for the work they do,” the fund noted. Food Link partners with local organizations to collect and distribute surplus food that would otherwise go to waste.

Healthy Waltham received $4,500 to assist with food pantry logistics. The organization provides Waltham with two food pantries per month. It offers fresh, high-quality food as well as culturally sensitive products to the city’s diverse community. Healthy Waltham’s application highlighted food insecurity among Waltham’s working poor, residents of public housing, immigrants and migrants. This grant will cover distribution logistics, trash removal and pest control at the pantry sites.

Opportunities for Inclusion received $900 for its project “Expanding Community and Connections Through Community Service.” The project provides opportunities for community service involving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. A dance event and service night are planned alongside volunteering opportunities with program staff support.

Radio Uganda received $1,900 for its Summer Splash 2025, a summer festival of Ugandan culture on July 12, 2025, on the Waltham Common. It is a vibrant cultural experience, free and open to all, with food, dance, games and crafts. 

The Right To Immigration Institute received $2,500 to provide free legal assistance to asylum seekers, refugees and undocumented members of the Greater Boston community. The grant will provide training to community leaders working in forced migrant communities (people compelled to leave their home due to coercion, threats to their life or lack of choice).

Waltham Boys & Girls Club received $2,500 to support outreach efforts for its summer food service program. The Waltham Boys & Girls Club Summer Eats program has provided nutritious meals for more than 20 years, but many families are unaware of the program. To address this issue, funds from JPF will be used to compensate high school-aged interns on a peer outreach team, pay for printing and branded items such as T-shirts and hats, and create social media posts informing families of free meals.

Waltham Fields Community Farms received $1,900 for its Mobile Outreach Market, a subsidized seasonal farmstand in the First Parish Church parking lot weekly from July to October. It offers a share of locally grown organic vegetables for a household of four to six people for $5 per weekly share. The cost is payable in SNAP benefits, cash or promotional coupons shared with kindred organizations. The fee may be waived in cases of need. 

Waltham Farmers Market received $3,100 for SNAP Match: Building Community Through Healthy Food Access. This program offers dollar-for-dollar matching funds of up to $10 per customer per week to SNAP/EBT recipients. The program allows the market to provide healthy, locally grown food for the Waltham community while also supporting local farmers.

Waltham Philharmonic Orchestra received $1,200 for its community outreach project. The project provides students with free tickets to WPO concerts and waives membership fees for students who participate in WPO performances and rehearsals. It also supports the October 2025 Student Concerto Competition, with the winner performing as a soloist in the orchestra’s December 2025 concert. The project will also provide at least one free chamber music performance in the Waltham area.

Waltham Choral Parents Association (Show Choir) received $1,450 to help with the purchase of arrangements and copyrights for the use of songs by the Waltham Show Choirs. Waltham High School’s Music Unlimited Show Choir is among the premier performing groups in the city. This grant allows the group to participate in show choir for free. Many talented students would not be able to join if there were any costs to them or their families. “The grant allows us to maintain a program that is an accurate reflection of the diverse Waltham community,” the choir’s application stated. 

Waltham News Alliance received $2,800 to support publication of The Waltham Times. The grant supports the publication’s work to provide high-quality, unbiased, community-focused news coverage.

Waltham Open Studios received $1,000 to support the annual Open Studios event in the fall. Waltham Open Studios is an annual celebration where the many diverse artists at Waltham Mills open their studios to the public. Funding will support informational and promotional material. 

We Are Waltham received $1,800 to support a storytelling show modeled on “The Moth,” in which people of Waltham can share their stories with an audience. Storytellers come from all demographics and backgrounds to represent the whole city and build connections that forge a sense of community. Two shows (fall and spring) are planned annually and are presented at the Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation. Working with six new storytellers per show, We Are Waltham provides training and rehearsal time.

CORRECTION: One of the beneficiaries of the Jones trust was incorrectly listed as the Waltham Day Center. It is the Waltham Day Care Center.