Member Art Funds Good Works

By Jennifer Day, Director, MMS and Alliance Charitable Foundation

Artwork created by MMS members was exhibited and auctioned off at the Annual Meeting, generating $2,000 for the Massachusetts Medical Society and Alliance Charitable Foundation (Foundation). The annual Nancy N. Caron Member Art Exhibit provides members and their families with a unique opportunity to share their artistic talents in a variety of media. Artists were also invited to donate their works for a silent auction to benefit the Foundation. Thirty-three artists submitted works and 19 were sold. An additional $2,500 was raised through other silent auction items.

The Foundation supports nonprofit organizations in Massachusetts that work to creatively address issues that affect the health, benefit, and welfare of the communities they serve. In April, the Foundation awarded $281,278 to 25 organizations, bringing the total amount of grants made by the Foundation to nearly $4.2 million since 2000. The latest round of funding disbursed:

• $45,500 to four organizations providing health care to the uninsured/underinsured
• $45,000 to three organizations improving health care access to underserved populations
• $40,000 to three organizations providing behavioral health services to those who otherwise would not have access
• $85,700 to nine organizations focusing on health promotion through prevention, education, and outreach
• $65,078 to six organizations addressing the social determinants of health

In 2002, the Foundation began awarding global travel grants and to date has distributed $143,000 to 105 medical students and residents to travel around the world to provide health care to those in need. Destinations have included Africa, Central America, the Caribbean, and Southeast Asia.

For more information about the Foundation’s funding priorities and how to apply or contribute, visit www.mmsfoundation.org.