• Project Type: Distribution of personal cooling equipment; utility bill assistance; adaptation of existing cooling infrastructure
• Grant Amount: $35,000

Codman Square NDC identified priority populations who would benefit the most from AC, fans, electricity bill help and other cooling needs. Elders, people with respiratory illness, pregnant women, and families with children under the age of five were prioritized. They did significant outreach to tenants of Codman Square NDC housing, as well as those identified by other trusted community partners in the Dorchester area. Codman Square paired AC distribution with other giveaways (toiletries, masks, etc). 74 air conditioners were distributed to those in need.

The organization also partnered with All in Energy to identify those who qualify for retrofit/weatherization services via MassSave. All In Energy scheduled no-cost home energy assessments for 70 residents and referred an additional 38 residents to the low income energy efficiency program in Boston.

• Project Type: Pilot study for community-clinical linkages; distribution of personal cooling equipment
• Grant Amount: $50,000

GTNA focused on providing air conditioners and fans to people with preexisting health conditions who didn't have cooling equipment at home. This was an effort to provide cooling for people in their homes as a COVID health intervention. GTNA partnered with the Boston Public Health Commission, the Whittier Street Health Center in Roxbury, Mosque of Allah, and Shirley Pantry.

As part of this project, the cooling equipment (fan or air conditioner) was added to the medical record of individuals referred by a medical facility in a way that aligns with HIPAA requirements. This project documents those who have heat related health issues and can benefit from cooling assistance efforts in the future. If they need further assistance, they will be directed to services provided by Action for Boston Community Development and other partners. Those receiving medical referrals will receive follow-up(s) from medical professionals.

Funding purchased 150 window air conditioners and 275 box fans.

• Project Type: Development and dissemination of communications materials; distribution of personal cooling equipment; utility bill assistance
• Grant Amount: $35,000

Self Help worked with CREW/ACF and the Brockton Neighborhood Health Center to identify those in most need of cooling assistance and to distribute 90 air conditioner units and nine fans to 90 households (housing 236 individuals). The community served had a majority of people with preexisting health conditions, was majority Black or Latinx/Hispanic, and had a majority of people living below the median state income level.

Self Help is also provided energy bill assistance to approximately 20 community members. Participants were also screened to determine eligibility for and interest in the Self Help Inc Conservation services (HEARTWAP, WAP and AMP) for the future.

Self Help also co-led two heat health webinars with CREW and ACF.

• Project Type: Development and dissemination of communications materials; distribution of personal cooling equipment; utility bill assistance
• Grant Amount: $35,000

CREW partnered with Authentic Caribbean Foundation (ACF) and Self Help, Inc. to identify those most vulnerable to extreme heat in the community of Brockton. ACF did door-to-door canvassing focusing on the partnerships they have with the Caribbean population in Brockton. This helped them identify those who were in need of cooling support. CREW also put together two webinars on heat health, weatherization and energy efficiency that were live streamed onto Facebook and other social media channels. The project provided 152 individuals with air conditioning units.

• Project Type: Installation of new cooling infrastructure - hydration stations
• Grant Amount: $50,000

With additional support from the Solomon Foundation and the City of Chelsea, GreenRoots installed six water fountains or “hydration stations” on public city property in commonly used and trafficked areas of Chelsea. The city helped to identify a contractor and stored the stations before installation. The funding also helped purchase retrofit kits that allow water fountains to connect to misting stations. Together with Society of Landscape Architects, the City plans to design future hydration and cooling projects. This project directly aligns with the Chelsea and East Boston Heat Project (C-HEAT) project, a partnership with BU School of Public Health looking at indoor heat, individual perspective of heat, and how to address those issues.

• Project Type: Distribution of personal cooling equipment; utility bill assistance
• Grant Amount: $35,000

La Comunidad prioritized electricity bill support and AC/fan distribution for their community members, providing 30 air conditioners and 50 fans, and connected 75 families with electricity bill support. With help from Share Your Love Foundation, a nonprofit focused on Brazilian and youth support, La Comunidad conducted outreach events at the Grace Local Food Pantry and during Census 2020 events to identify those in need. This project served undocumented and low income Everett residents, many of whom have been heavily impacted by the COVID pandemic.

• Project Type: Installation of new cooling infrastructure; adaptation of existing cooling infrastructure; development and dissemination of communications materials
• Grant Amount: $50,000

Groundwork Lawrence partnered with All In Energy and Merrimack Valley Interfaith Group for a project focused on tree planting, weatherization, and extreme heat communication to residents of Lawrence. Together, the organizations distributed door hangers, fliers, and letters about energy efficiency programs and tree planting. They also created short videos on weatherization, the cooling effect of trees, and heat health, which will be shared with the interfaith community group and community members through a resources webpage created for We Are/Somos Lawrence: https://www.wearelawrence.org/energy.

In addition, Groundwork planted 40 trees as part of their existing Green Streets program, while All In Energy scheduled no-cost home energy assessments for 157 residents and referred 107 to the low income energy efficiency program in Lawrence

• Project Type: Installation of new cooling infrastructure; distribution of personal cooling equipment
• Grant Amount: $25,000

My Brother’s Table, a soup kitchen in the city of Lynn, partnered with the Lynn Community Health Center to install two hydration stations (one at each organization's main site). Both organizations are positioned at central locations within the city, see a lot of foot traffic, and will provide hydration in the long term. Additionally, outreach workers distributed 500 reusable water bottles which included fliers with information about staying cool and staying COVID-safe.