Boston Neighborhood Fellows Program (BNF) - The Philanthropic Initiative

2010 Boston Neighborhood Fellows

On Tuesday, February 23, 2010, Mayor Thomas M. Menino presented five Bostonians with the ‘Boston Neighborhood Fellows Award,’ in recognition of the power of the individual to make a difference. The five individuals were given an unrestricted cash award of $30,000 for their contributions to their communities. These ‘Fellows’ were selected for their vision, creativity, leadership and commitment to their fellow human beings.

The ‘Fellows’ are “unsung” heroes who have received little to no recognition for their services and go way beyond their job descriptions, inspiring others and reminding us all that hope and possibility exist. This year, The Philanthropic Initiative’s selection committee, working with a network of an anonymous group of spotters who represent the diversity found in the City of Boston, have chosen the following people as the 2010 Boston Neighborhood Fellows:

Patricia Flaherty, Mission Hill Neighborhood Housing Services, is an organizer at heart, an activist and unsung hero of the Mission Hill neighborhood. Whether chairing a board meeting, getting out the vote, or stopping a bulldozer, she does whatever it takes to work with all members of the community to preserve and improve the Mission Hill she loves.

Jermaine Hamilton, Youth Police in Partnership, received the baton of community service at an early age, and he has never stopped running. His work as a youth coordinator, an actor, and a mentor is driven by his desire to inspire his peers to change their minds and their lives.

Alicia Mooltrey, Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative & GOTCHA, lives in the “we.” As student and community activists, she works at the grassroots every day, serving as a passionate organizer, role model, advocate, counselor and developer of youth.

Daniel Rivers, Nexus Alliance, has distinguished himself as a leader in his professional, family, and volunteer life. The Nexus Alliance – a bold new vision of collective achievement for community good - has raised the bar for black men and community potential in Boston.

Teresa Rodriguez, Roxbury Preparatory Charter School, opens doors for students and their families every day. With a strong work ethic and the assumption that all problems can be solved with generosity and intelligence, she helps hundreds of students find the right high school and succeed in academics and life.

The donor of these cash awards remains anonymous. Over the past 20 years, more than $2.5 million has been given to 123 outstanding Bostonians.

TPI designed the Boston Neighborhood Fellows Program for an anonymous donor as one strategy to achieve the donor's goal of recognizing individuals of unusual creativity, vision, and initiative who are quietly making the community a better place. Each year, six individuals nominated by "spotters," are chosen to receive $30,000 "no strings attached" awards.

Through this initiative, the donor achieves the dual goals of recognizing the power of "unsung heroes" to make a difference while reminding others that hope and possibility exist, even in difficult times.

BNF is an awards program that provides recognition and direct financial support to individuals of creativity, vision and leadership who work in community service in Greater Boston. The Boston Neighborhood Fellows Program celebrates the builders of the community; the social entrepreneurs who often go unrecognized, but who make a vital contribution to our quality of life.

The individuals chosen as Boston Neighborhood Fellows work for government, community organizations, or are outstanding volunteers. Diverse in race, class, occupation, and age, their one common characteristic is that they fulfill a conception of leadership articulated by John Gardner: they will be people who have become less "a servant to what is," and more "a shaper of what might be."

Nominations
Nominations to the Boston Neighborhood Fellows Program are made by a group of "spotters", individuals representing diverse parts of the Boston community. They serve for a two-year period. During that time the spotters agree to identify individuals who, by virtue of their leadership and service in Boston neighborhoods, qualify for this award. The spotters serve on a voluntary basis.

There is a tendency in all award programs for the selection to gravitate towards individuals who are more visible and less likely to need the recognition and support the program offers. Using "spotters" and keeping them focused on the goal of identifying "unsung heroes" helps TPI mitigate against this tendency.

Eligibility
Nominees must be engaged in some form of community service. They may work for a government agency or a community organization, or they can be doing volunteer work. Some of the Boston Neighborhood Fellows may be hard working community activists engaged in improving Boston neighborhoods. Others may be the dedicated cop on the beat, the inspiring teacher or youth worker, or people with special talents who enhance community life.

They represent the best practitioners of their form of community service, those who perform their jobs with creativity and initiative, contributing to the community in ways that go beyond the scope of their specific job description.

Their working lives represent extraordinary stories of courage, struggle, and commitment. They are self-starters who are likely to make good use of flexible resources. The Boston Neighborhood Fellowships are not awarded to individuals who hold public office.

Selection Process
A small selection committee reviews the nominations and makes the final selection. TPI's staff conducts a complete review and reference check for each finalist.

Selecting a group of fellows that represents the diversity of Boston is prime consideration.

Each Boston Neighborhood Fellow receives a grant of $10,000 each year for a period of 3 years.

The funds are absolutely unrestricted. The recipients may use them to stabilize their personal finances, to take time off for special projects or a sabbatical. Some might choose to go back to school or obtain some skills training. Others might choose to use the funds as social venture capital to seed new projects. Recipients will not be required to continue in their present work.

No reports will be required of recipients on their activities. Other than appearing at an initial presentation, they will not be required to work together or to attend meetings. Fellows are invited to share their experiences and discuss their work over the course of the year, but participation is not mandatory.

One goal of the BNF Program is to be a highly visible mechanism for public recognition of excellence in community service. Press coverage of the awards presentation is encouraged.

The Boston Neighborhood Fellows Program provides an opportunity to identify and support the best practice of community service in neighborhoods of Boston.

This program has been replicated in Florida by the Palm Beach Community Foundation, and a similar effort is now in the planning stages in Baltimore.