More Than $170,000 to Be Distributed to 50 Nonprofits Through Resilient Valley
HOLYOKE — On Thursday, May 21, more than 100 nonprofit leaders, donors, and community advocates will gather for the second and final Resilient Valley Community Lunch of 2026 at De la Luz in Holyoke. The event is a celebration of collective power, marking a major milestone in a collaborative effort to unlock local philanthropic dollars in response to the abrupt cancellation of federal aid for Pioneer Valley communities.
The lunch gathering will focus on what Resilient Valley could become as it seeks expanded engagement, insight, and input from nonprofit organizations, donors, and volunteers throughout Hampden, Hampshire, and Franklin counties.
During the lunch, the coalition will announce the outcomes of its Match My DAF (donor advised fund) campaign, which received 224 grant submissions in its second round totaling $665,000. Of that, $305,000 is eligible for matches to support critical work happening across the Valley. Overall, more than $170,000 has been raised for the matching pool thanks to individual donors, Greenfield Savings Bank, the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, Franklin First Credit Union, PeoplesBank, and Dean’s Beans Organic Coffee.
“When times get tough, we either grow apart and disappear or come together and collaborate to emerge stronger. We knew, when the federal government walked away from the issues facing our communities, such as hunger, the environment, farms, housing, and supporting the disenfranchised, we had to move toward each other. Resilient Valley has turned into a powerful vehicle for community resilience,” said Billy Spitzer, executive director of the Hitchcock Center for the Environment, a coalition member. “We can keep our Valley’s communities, landscapes, and shared future thriving only if we act together.”
The campaign’s first lottery for matching grants was held on Feb. 2 and distributed just under $75,000 in matching funds to nonprofits representing a diverse cross-section of area communities, with missions spanning from hunger and farms to workers’ rights and environmental conservation. On May 21, an additional $95,000 in matching funds will be distributed.
The coalition includes All Farmers, Amherst Survival Center, Cancer Connection, CET, CISA, the Conway School, Grow Food Northampton, Hilltown Land Trust, Hitchcock Center for the Environment, Kestrel Land Trust, Mass Audubon, Northampton Survival Center, Nuestras Raices, Peace Development Fund, Stone Soup Café, and committed donors and volunteers.