IMPROVING THE LIVES OF CAPE RESIDENTS

For more than half a century, the Edward Bangs Kelley and Elza Kelley Foundation has enriched the quality of life on Cape Cod, supporting nonprofit organizations that serve the health, social, educational, cultural and environmental needs of the people who live here.

The Foundation’s broad mission “to promote the health and welfare of the inhabitants of Barnstable County” and a Board of Directors that represents a cross-section of the community enable the Foundation to respond to changing needs. Recognizing that Cape residents would be severely impacted by the deep recession that started in 2008, the Kelley Foundation quickly adjusted its focus to devote a significant portion of its grants to the basic needs of food, shelter and medical assistance.

That focus continued in 2010, broadened to help families by including extra-curricular programs for under-served children. Through this special grants program, $87,500 was awarded to 21 organizations, from food pantries and homeless prevention programs to after-school tutoring. A simplified application process ensured that all organizations supporting emergency needs had access to these funds.

Through the Foundation’s traditional grants program, 16 nonprofit groups received a total of $152,152, with grants ranging from $2,000 to encourage young writers to $25,000 for the Cape Cod Hunger Network. Kelley has often provided seed money for new initiatives. In 2010, such seed money went to a $33,333.00 commitment to be paid over three years to help defray the expenses of the merger of The Cape Conservatory of Music and Arts and the Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra.

Gains in the Foundation’s corpus enabled the Board of Directors to increase its support to the Cape community in 2010 by $17,657 over the previous year, for a total of $239,652.

The following projects received support from the Foundation in 2010:

• Alzheimer’s Services of Cape Cod & The Islands, CARES program
• American Red Cross, Cape & Islands Chapter, disaster relief fund
• Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Cape Cod & Islands, operating support and new matches in high-need areas
• Boys and Girls Club of Cape Cod, health and fitness program with an educational component
• Cape Cod Community College Educational Foundation, renovation and expansion of archives dedicated to preserving Cape Cod’s history
• Cape Cod Conservatory of Music and Arts, Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra, merger of the two organizations
• Cape Cod Foundation, collaborative to improve oral health in pre-school children
• Cape Cod Hunger Network, walk-in freezer and Insulated bags for meal deliveries
• Cape Cod Writers’ Center, workshops for middle and high school students
• Community Health Center of Cape Cod, Increased access to dental services
• Duffy Health Center, capital campaign
• Falmouth Housing Corporation, homeless prevention
• Forsyth Dental Infirmary for Children, ForsythKids
• Helping Our Women, advocacy, financial support and counseling
• Planned Giving Council of Cape Cod, Philanthropy Day
• Provincetown Art Association and Museum, second year of three-year pilot program for children at risk

More funds were awarded and more organizations served in the second year of the special grants program. The following groups received grants for food, shelter, medical assistance and programs for under-served children:

• A Baby Center, Project of Cape Cod Council of Churches
• Cape Cod Child Development Program
• Cape Cod Foundation
• Cape Cod Times Needy Fund
• Christ the King Church, St. Vincent De Paul Society
• Community Action Committee of Cape Cod & Islands
• First Lutheran Church of West Barnstable
• Greater Boston Food Bank, for Barnstable County
• Hands of Hope Outreach Center, Cape Cod Council of Churches
• Housing Assistance Corporation
• Housing for All Corporation, CHAMP Homes
• KateLynn’s Closet
• Lower Cape Outreach Council
• Mustard Seed Kitchen
• Nam Vets Association of the Cape and Islands
• Overnights of Hospitality Case Management Services, Cape Cod Council of Churches
• Police Athletic League of Cape Cod
• Provincetown AIDS Support Group
• Soup Kitchen in Provincetown
• St. Francis Xavier Church, St. Vincent de Paul Society
• Yarmouth Rotary Foundation

METHOD OF APPLYING FOR GRANTS

Grant applicants should apply to Henry L. Murphy, Jr., President, Edward Bangs Kelley and Elza Kelley Foundation, Inc., 243 South Street, Lock Drawer M, Hyannis, MA 02601 for additional information and application forms. The Executive Committee meets once or twice each quarter to interview grant applicants. The Board of Directors meets quarterly to act on Executive Committee recommendations.

HISTORY OF THE FOUNDATION

The Kelley Foundation was founded in 1954 as a result of conversations between Dr. Julius G. Kelley, superintendent of the former Barnstable County Hospital in Pocasset, and a successful retired businessman born on the Cape, Edward Bangs Kelley. The latter began his career starting a grocery business in Dennis and went on to become owner of the E.B. Kelley Construction and Equipment Company in New York. He traveled throughout the world, marrying a countess from Budapest, Elza DeHorvath. The Kelleys made Manhattan their home but always kept a house in Dennisport.

Dr. Kelley and E.B. Kelley, as he was known, were distant relatives. Sometime after E.B. and Elza Kelley retired on the Cape, Dr. Kelley proposed the idea of a foundation “to promote the health and welfare of the inhabitants of Barnstable County.”

On December 10, 1954, E.B. and Elza Kelley founded the Edward Bangs Kelley and Elza Kelley Foundation, Inc. Upon E.B.’s death in 1955, the Foundation came to life with the receipt of $25,000 and a few securities from his estate. The first grants were awarded in 1955, generally comprising of medical scholarships, funds for hospital equipment and support for health and welfare organizations.

Today the Foundation has assets of $5.8 million. In the last 20 years, the organization has paid out more than $3.5 million in grants and scholarships in health, education, social welfare, the environment and culture, all areas with urgent needs on the Cape.
 

Three years ago, the Board of Directors voted to suspend scholarship grants to new applicants. The decision was based on a significant increase in the amount of scholarships available to Cape Cod students from local civic organizations and clubs and a substantial increase in the need for funds to assist the nonprofit community. The Scholarship Committee will continue the policy for the 2010/2011 academic year.

Suzanne McAuliffe
Henry L. Murphy, Chairman
David P. Sampson