Scituate Education Foundation’s 2026-2027 Grantees at the annual Grant Awards Night!
Scituate Education Foundation is proud to announce our 2026-27 Grantees:
The CORSE Foundation was awarded a grant to help reimagine and launch ‘SibShops’. This program will serve students in the Scituate Community who have siblings with special needs. CORSE recognizes that siblings of children with disabilities often navigate a unique experience without a place designed just for them. SibShops will provide a safe place for these children to connect, share their experiences, learn how to handle challenging social situations, recognize their own strength and build supportive friendships in the community. The CORSE Foundation is an incredible asset in our community & SEF is so proud to help fund this program.
SCITUATE CAPE VERDE SISTER CITY COMMITTEE:
The Scituate Cape Verde Sister City Committee received grant funding from SEF to help with their forthcoming community event that will celebrate Cape Verdean Culture, through Bilingual Storytelling & Family Engagement. This event will feature a Cape Verdean Author & Language Educator, who will read from her bilingual children’s book and lead an engaging, family-friendly program. Through this event, families will have a chance to experience Cape Verdean language and culture in a meaningful & accessible manner. In addition to the reading, there will be activity stations for families to help them engage more deeply. SEF is proud to provide the funding for the author’s attendance and the supporting materials.
SCITUATE PUBLIC SCHOOLS MUSIC DEPARTMENT:
The Scituate Education Foundation is excited to provide the funding for the Band Olympics Development Academy, brought to students by the SPS Music Department. This grant of $1,500 will provide elementary band students, especially those who live in Boston and participate in the METCO program, an opportunity to stay after school once a week to practice their instruments. Based on observations over the past years, many of Scituate’s METCO students who take up an instrument in elementary school do not make it all the way to high school band. The Band Olympics Development Academy will provide a supervised session each week to allow elementary musicians- both METCO and Scituate residents- to practice as a group and individually, review band songs, and play in small groups. METCO students will then have access to a bus to take them home. We’re so proud to fund this initiative and thrilled to know that all Scituate students who have a passion for music will receive the support they need to pursue it.
FRIENDS OF APPLETON FIELD COMMUNITY GARDEN:
The Friends of Appleton Field Community Garden will receive micro-grant funding to assist in building a community outdoor classroom within a sensory garden setting. This garden aims to support its mission to educate the public about environmental literacy, land stewardship and community support of the Scituate Food Pantry.
Over the summer, the Scituate Historical Society presented 4 special events in town, all promoting our rich maritime history. SEF was proud to provide $2,300 to help with the cost of speakers, supplies & signage for these events. The programming ranged in topic from Scituate during the Revolutionary War, Pirates, Whale Biology and the local fishing industry. The Scituate Historical Society did a fantastic job sharing Scituate’s rich history with residents and visitors alike, and the Scituate Education Foundation was thrilled to support this program. We look forward to seeing future events as well!
SCITUATE HIGH SCHOOL EMPTY BOWLS PROJECT:
SEF is proud to provide micro-grant funding to support ‘The Empty Bowls Project’. This global, grassroots fundraising movement highlights world hunger and the importance of supporting local food banks. Participating artists create handcrafted bowls, which are then used to serve a simple meal of soup and bread to community members. Students enrolled in 3D art courses, as well as any other interested student, will be invited to make a bowl for the event. In this pilot year, the program will host SPS faculty, before hopefully expanding through the community in years to come.
WAMPATUCK ELEMENTARY ECC PTO:
We’re excited to assist the Wampatuck ECC PTO in their plans to expand their music enrichment programming for 90 preschoolers. A professional music educator from HipKids! will provide developmentally appropriate instruction, including a variety of instruments, giving students hands-on exposure to rhythm, singing, movement, listening and exploration. This established programming can now be a more consistent part of their curriculum.
SOUTH SHORE PRIDE MUSIC FESTIVAL:
Started in 2025, the South Shore Pride Music Festival is a family-friendly community arts event taking place each June. SEF is proud to provide $500 to assist with this program, specifically funding the student-designed South Shore Pride shirts, which will be created in collaboration with the SHS DECA/Marketing Program. The shirts will be sold at the Festival, allowing students to manage real-world retail & marketing while supporting an important cause.
The Scituate Town Library is an incredible resource in our community, and SEF was happy to fund their newest initiative: Common Grounds: Coffee & Connection for Local Nonprofits. The library has a history of supporting local nonprofits, and as part of their outreach, has received feedback on the need for more collaboration between the amazing local organizations serving our Town. Regardless of mission, many nonprofits face the same challenges, and this series will serve as a way for local organizations to meet, discuss their challenges & strengths, and receive important educational guidance on topics that could benefit everyone. As a local nonprofit ourselves, SEF is excited to be participating in this program and grateful for the library’s continued dedication to community groups.
SCITUATE HIGH SCHOOL IEXCEL PROGRAM:
iExcel at Scituate High School supports students with severe disabilities, focused on developing independence, vocational readiness & meaningful community participation. SEF is thrilled to support two wonderful initiatives this year in the iExcel Program. First, iExcel expanded their wildly popular coffee cart. This student-run enterprise operates weekly within the school, providing coffee to teachers & administrators and is now providing snacks as well! Secondly, the iExcel garden, a cornerstone of the program for over 40 years, will get a much-needed update to its raised beds. Both projects help students build practical life skills with hands-on real-world experiences.
SCITUATE SENIOR CENTER:
Another of our new micro-grants, the Scituate Senior Center received funding for their new program: Carving Out Your Story: An Oral History Workshop. This 2-hour workshop will help participants uncover interesting stories from their lives, with the help of professional storytellers Andrea Lovett and Karen Chace. SEF is thrilled to fund this programming, especially given our established love for local storytellers via our annual Seaside Stories event. As an added bonus, we’re crossing our fingers that some budding storytellers will take this workshop and turn it into a submission for our 2027 fundraiser!
Friends of Holly Hill Farm has a successful, established history working with Scituate Public Schools, and SEF is very happy to extend that support through a grant of $1,790 to help expand their garden space at the high school. In collaboration with SPS’s Science Department, these funds will extend the growing season, provide irrigation improvements and additional garden beds. This will serve students as they engage in STEM topics from engineering to biology in a hands-on, year-round environment.
METCO END OF YEAR & JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION:
SEF proudly provided a grant of $700 to support METCO’s annual End of Year & Juneteenth Celebration. Funds from the grant directly assisted with the cost of a local speaker and the related program materials. The programming seeks to educate attendees on the historical significance of Juneteenth, highlights performances from Black artists and continues the ‘Home Town Hero’ Award tradition, which honors a community member for their contributions to equity and service. This wonderful event provides both a social gathering and a profound learning opportunity for our entire community.
AIDEN WILLIAMS- STUDENT GRANT RECIPIENT:
This year we opened up a ‘Student Grant Application’ aimed at SHS students with an idea or project that needs funding and supports SEF’s educational mission. This year we are thrilled to fund Aiden Williams. SEF is providing Aiden with a two-year subscription to Photoshop. Aiden is an incredible photographer and uses his talents to document many Scituate HS athletic & community events. In addition to his photography education at SHS, this Photoshop subscription will help continue his education while highlighting the many talented students at SHS as they participate in games, shows and other events. We are so excited to follow your work, Aiden!
SCITUATE HIGH SCHOOL HISTORY BOWL:
SEF is excited to fund this micro-grant that will help SHS student Leo Quinlan and the Scituate History Bowl Club with their Trivia Night. Students from grades 6-12, as well as adults in the community, will be encouraged to take part in this exciting event. In collaboration with the Scituate Historical Society, this Trivia Night will foster excitement for history, encourage students to join the club, promote community connections and highlight Scituate History. Some friendly competition never hurts either. We can’t wait to attend this event!
South Shore Peer Recovery is receiving $2,800 tonight to help launch their ‘Your Money, Your Recovery’ workshop series. This quarterly finance literacy program is designed specifically for individuals navigating the transition from early recovery to long-term stability, as well as those with an established recovery journey who are seeking to repair their financial problems of the past. South Shore Peer Recovery recognizes that financial stress is often a primary concern for many in early recovery. These 4 facilitated workshops will lead participants through understanding & repairing their credit, getting out of debt & budgeting, and investing in their future.
