The Framingham Community Funding Initiative was designed as a five-year project beginning in January 2002 and ending in December 2006.  A sixth year, 2007, was added to enable us to service continuing grant commitments.  This Framingham Community Initiative was modeled after a similarly successful, seven-year, community initiative in Marlborough (MA) that ran from 1995 through 1991. 

During this six-year period, now complete, a total of $1,328,418 was provided through thirty-five separate grants to a total of eighteen distinct grant recipients.  It should be noted that one major requirement of every grant application was that collaboration between two or more service providers must have been prominently displayed within the context of the application.

Lesson Learned: Collaboration can be a powerful tool in moving community projects forward but they must be real collaboration and not simply window dressing.

A special note about the Framingham Public Schools (FPS) is required.  A total of 15 grants, 43% of the total number, were directed to, or made on behalf of, the Framingham Public Schools.  Those grants accounted for $444,613 or 33% of our total expenditure. 

Part of the reason for such a large number of grants to, or on behalf of, FPS was due to the creativity and forward thinking of Mark Smith the Superintendent of Schools at the time we began this community initiative.  Most of these grants, and certainly the mores successful of them, can be directly linked to Dr. Smith.  Unfortunately, Dr. Smith retired early on during this CARLISLE project.  His successor retained little of Dr. Smith’s enthusiasm in the partnership forged with CARLISLE.  In fact, fewer new projects were brought to us and ongoing projects were provided little in terms of leadership and/or direction. 

Lesson Learned:    A relationship with the school system, normally the key service provider in the community, is only as good as the interest, excitement, creativity and enthusiasm of the Superintendent of Schools.            

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